Sword of Sherwood Forest (1960)

Director:

Terence Fisher

Writer:

Alan Hackney (screenplay)

Release Date:

25 January 1961 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure

Tagline:

"NEW and Greatest Adventures of Robin Hood... The World's Most Renowned Swordsman!"

Plot:

The sheriff of Nottingham plots to confiscate the estate of the Lord of Bortrey, who has died on Crusade...

Plot Keywords:

Robin Hood | Sheriff Of Nottingham | Thief | Swashbuckler | Disarming Someone

Cast

Richard Greene	...	Robin Hood
Sarah Branch	...	Maid Marian
Peter Cushing	...	Sheriff of Nottingham
Richard Pasco	...	Edward, Earl of Newark
Nigel Green	...	Little John
Niall MacGinnis	...	Friar Tuck (as Niall McGinnis)
Jack Gwillim	...	Archbishop Hubert Walter
Edwin Richfield	...	The Sheriff's Lieutenant
Oliver Reed	...	Lord Melton
Patrick Crean	...	Lord Ollerton
Vanda Godsell	...	The Prioress
Dennis Lotis	...	Alan A'Dale
Derren Nesbitt	...	Martin of Eastwood, merry man
James Neylin	...	Roger, a merry man
John Franklin	...	Archbishop's Adjutant
Desmond Llewelyn	...	Wounded Fugitive
Anew McMaster	...	Judge
Adam Keane	...	Retford
Charles Lamb	...	Old Bowyer
Aiden Grennell	...	1st Veteran Outlaw
Jack Cooper	...	Master of Archery
Barry De Boulay	...	Officer
John Hoey	...	Old Jack
Reginald Hearne	...	1st Man of Arms
Maureen Halligan	...	Portress
Brian Rawlinson	...	1st Falconer
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Paddy Ryan	...	Robin's Merry Man in Tree (uncredited)

Directed by
Terence Fisher

Writing credits
Alan Hackney		(screenplay)

Produced by
Michael Carreras	....	executive producer
Sidney Cole	....	producer
Richard Greene	....	producer

Original Music by
Alun Hoddinott

Cinematography by
Ken Hodges		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Lee Doig

Casting by
Stuart Lyons

Art Direction by
John Stoll

Makeup Department
Gerry Fletcher	....	makeup artist (as Gerald Fletcher)
Hilda Fox	....	hairdresser

Production Management
Ronald Liles	....	production manager
Don Weeks	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Robert Porter	....	assistant director (as Bob Porter)

Sound Department
John W. Mitchell	....	sound mixer (as John Mitchell)
Alban Streeter	....	sound editor
Harry Tate	....	sound mixer

Stunts
Jack Cooper	....	stunts (uncredited)
Nosher Powell	....	stunts (uncredited)
Paddy Ryan	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Dick Bayley	....	camera operator (as Richard Bayley)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Rachel Austin	....	wardrobe mistress
John McCorry	....	costume supervisor
John McCorry	....	wardrobe master (uncredited)

Editorial Department
James Needs	....	supervising editor

Music Department
John Hollingsworth	....	musical supervisor

Other crew
Ivor Collin	....	master of horse
Jack Cooper	....	master of archery
Patrick Crean	....	master at arms
Dot Foreman	....	continuity
Pauline Harlow	....	continuity (as Pauline Wise)

Production Companies

• Columbia Pictures Corporation (presents)
• Hammer Film Productions (as A Hammer Film Production)
• Yeoman Films Ltd. (in association with) (as Yeoman Films Ltd)

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures Corporation (1960) (UK) (theatrical)
• Columbia Pictures (1961) (USA) (theatrical)
• LK-TEL Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• RCA/Columbia Pictures Video Ltd. (1988) (UK) (VHS)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2010) (USA) (DVD)
• Video Collection International (1991) (UK) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Bray Studios Ltd.  studio facilities (uncredited)
• Chambers & Partners  titles

Also Known As:

Runtime:

80 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

Finland:K-12 | Sweden:Btl | UK:U | West Germany:12 | USA:Approved (certificate #19717)

Filming Locations:

Ardmore Studios, Herbert Road, Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

The movie as we now have it is without its original opening sequence, which was cut; apparently, it depicted the Lord being murdered while on crusade and his squire fleeing to Sherwood Forest on his horse. As it is, the movie now opens with him riding into the forest on horseback and his identity is never revealed.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In one scene, Robin is asked to shoot at a pumpkin. Pumpkins are a New World squash; the earliest references to Robin Hood are from about 1228, well before Columbus' voyage.

Movie Connections:

Version of Robin Hood (1973)

Soundtrack:

Troubadour Songs

So-so feature film spin-off from the TV series of the 1950s/60s. View once and forget.

One of the big disappointments of my then very young life was setting off with my pocket money to view this one many, many years ago. I was a terrific fan of the Richard Greene TV series and used to gurgle and splutter out the theme song from my first conscious days of television viewing. When I learnt that a full FILM version was therefore showing at the local Odeon, I was expecting great things. I have watched the film now about four or five times since as it has appeared on afternoon TV and must say that my disappointment has still been quite strong every time I have viewed it! So what is the problem, (or, rather, what are the problemS)? Firslty, the whole thing must have been made on the then financial equivalent of 75 pence, i.e. the production values are STILL those of the TV series and while shaky scenery and a small number of bushes CAN be taken as a castle or a large forest in a half hour TV programme, (with a break for commercials), it will not work over one and a half hours on the big screen. Secondly, the acting is on a par with the scenery. Richard Greene moves fairly effortlessly from the small screen to the big, (mind you, he had had quite a few previous roles in the cinema, such as in the 1939 Basil Rathbone version of "The Hound of the Baskervilles"), but the rest of the cast, (with the possible exception of Peter Cushing as the Sheriff of Nottingham), are quite forgettable and it seems strange that NONE of the "familiar faces" from the TV series was prevailed upon to appear in the film version as well. At least it would have provided some continuity and, presumably, would have made the inter-action between the actors come to life more than is the case with the film that emerged. Finally, one hardly expects Marlowe or Schiller in terms of plot development with this kind of thing, (in fact I doubt if I had any idea of plot when I first saw the film, probably just waiting more for the next fight scene!), but, even so, this really is feeble in terms of story and makes the Kostner and Flynn versions seem like high literature in comparison. Mix in fairly flaccid direction, poor editing and continuity and a "bargain basement" music score and what have you got? Something to view while shelling peas or waiting for the rain to clear on a Thursday afternoon or, if you saw the 1950s TV series, a clear reminder of HOW really difficult it is apparently to transfer a TV hit to one on the big screen. If you want Robin Hood for the LATTER, then without question it is, (in ascending order of merit), still: Kostner's "Prince of Thieves", the made-for-TV British version of the same year as Kostner's, (and which was totally overshadowed by the latter), and, (of course - you know already, don't you?), the Errol Flynn 1939 film, (still unsurpassable as a talkie version).