A Challenge for Robin Hood (1967)

Robin, a young Norman nobleman, is falsely accused by his cousin of murdering another cousin. His accuser is actually in league with the corrupt Sheriff of Nottingham to seize control of ... See full summary »

Director:

C.M. Pennington-Richards (as Pennington Richards)

Writer:

Peter Bryan (original screenplay)

Stars:

Barrie Ingham, James Hayter, Leon Greene

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Barrie Ingham	...	Robin de Courtenay / Robin Hood
James Hayter	...	Friar Tuck
Leon Greene	...	Little John
Peter Blythe	...	Roger de Courtenay
Gay Hamilton	...	Maid Marian
Alfie Bass	...	Pie Merchant
Jenny Till	...	'Lady Marian'
John Arnatt	...	Sheriff of Nottingham
Eric Flynn	...	Alan-a-Dale
John Gugolka	...	Stephen
Reg Lye	...	Much
William Squire	...	Sir John
Donald Pickering	...	Sir Jamyl de Penitone
Eric Woofe	...	Henry de Courtenay
John Harvey	...	Wallace

Storyline

Robin, a young Norman nobleman, is falsely accused by his cousin of murdering another cousin. His accuser is actually in league with the corrupt Sheriff of Nottingham to seize control of the family lands, which Robin would inherit. Forced to flee into nearby Sherwood Forest, Robin begins to gather a band of rebels to fight against his scheming cousin and the evil sheriff.

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Plot Keywords:

cousin | forest | sherwood forest | norman | murder of father | 

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Genres:

Adventure

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

August 1968 (USA)

Also Known As:

Un desafío para Robin Hood

Filming Locations:

Black Park, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hammer Films, Seven Arts Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

James Hayter and Alfie Bass were both salesmen in menswear in Are You Being Served? (1972), albeit not at the same time.

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Goofs

When the Sheriff and his entourage arrive at the Fair, behind them in the distance a vehicle crosses from left to right.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Wallace: Well aimed, Sir Roger. A perfect shot my lord.
Roger de Courtenay: Boy, bring me my arrow.
Wallace: Come on. Now you heard what my master said. The arrow.

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Connections

Featured in World of Robin Hood (2006)

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Soundtracks

Unknown Danger
(uncredited)
Music by Sidney Torch (as Denis Rycoth)
Chappell Recorded Music Library

User Reviews

Alas poor Fitzwarren, I knew him well.

A Challenge for Robin Hood is directed by C.M. Pennington-Richards and written by Peter Bryan. It stars Barrie Ingham, Peter Blythe, James Hayter, John Arnatt, Gay Hamilton, John Gugolka, Eric Flynn, Leon Greene and Douglas Mitchell. Music is by Gary Hughes and cinematography by Arthur Grant.

A Seven Arts-Hammer production in De Luxe Color, this is another variant on the Robin Hood legend. Very much operating from the Norman and the Saxon feud, pic has all the requisite swashbuckling shenanigans to entertain the family. It's very colourful, both in camera lensing and costuming, robust with the action scenes, and thrives on the good olde goodies versus baddies nature of the origin story.

The Masked Monk!

It's all very fanciful of course, with derring-do and machismo the order of the day, which unfortunately renders the Maid Marian (Hamilton) character as being an outsider looking in. Yet the camaraderie of the merry men, the earning of trusts and surrogate kinship's, ensures there's nary a dull moment in the tale.

The pies have it.

Whilst the choreography is not high end, the standard of the buckling of the swashes is better than average, while there is some fun sequences that can't fail to raise a smile. Pennington-Richards and his team have managed to not let the modest budget bog the picture down; modern day car glimpsed in the background of one shot not withstanding!

Mr. Kipling makes exceedingly good cakes.

The cast is made up of mostly unknowns, but that is absolutely fine as the likes of Ingham and Blythe are attacking their roles with such relish, with a glint in their eyes, it's hard not to just buy into the frothy fun of it all. The standout is Hayter as Friar Tuck, the voice of a major cake advertising campaign in Britain, he steals every scene he is in here and he actually on his own makes this well worth watching.

There are far better Robin Hood movies out there, for sure this one feels at times like it's clinging on to the swashbuckling coat tails that had long since gone as the 70s approached. Yet sometimes all you need from this type of film to entertain is guts and frivolity, and this has it in spades. 7/10