Everyone knows the story of Robin Hood, but this first outing in Glorious Technicolour is arguably the finest incarnation of the forest dwelling archer to date.
It is the role Errol Flynn was born to play and he swashes and buckles, swoops and swings with self-assured elegance and aplomb.
Flynn's triumph is aided by the universally excellent cast garnered from the crème de la crème of the Warner Brothers studios; Basil Rathbone as the biting, haughty villain Sir Guy of Gisbourne, Claude Rains as the despicable Prince John and Melville Cooper as the buffoon Sheriff of Nottingham, not forgetting the inspired pairing of Flynn and the "meltingly beautiful" Olivia De Havilland as Lady Marion.
Michael Curtiz, the director who propelled Flynn to stardom in the classic Captain Blood replaced original director William Keighley after the studio objected to his approach and he unleashed his formidable arsenal of dramatic devices on the film.
Excitement... danger... suspense - this classic adventure story sweeps across the screen to Erich Wolfgang Korngold's majestic score and deserves everyone of the accolades and superlatives thrust upon it.
Oscar winning Korngold score, Flynn dashing, Rathbone suavely villainous, and some of the most rousing swordfights ever captured on celluloid. Only those seeking an accurate study of the socio-economic effects of the Norman Invasion will be disappointed.
