Daily Archives: March 23, 2013

The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938

Posted on March 23, 2013 | 3 comments

The Adventures of Robin Hoodadventures-of-robin-hood-DVDcover
Directed by Michael Curtiz and William Keighley
1938/USA
Warner Bros. Pictures
#114 of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
Second Viewing
IMDb users say 8.0/10; I say 9.0/10

Lady Marian Fitzswalter: Why, you speak treason!
Robin Hood: Fluently.

There are times that call for uncomplicated entertainment where virtue triumphs and true love prospers.  The Great Depression was such a time.  I would submit that the 2010’s are another, which may account for the current popularity of Superhero comic book fare.  Since I prefer my films without explosions, graphic violence or CGI, The Adventures of Robin Hood is where I want to turn when I’m looking for an action pick-me-up.

Adventures of Robin Hood

True Love

Whatever his personal life, in 1938 Errol Flynn was the embodiment of swashbuckling, wise-cracking virtue and perfect for playing Robin Hood as the merriest of the Merry Men. We meet him as he is rescuing poacher Much from summary execution by the coldly cruel Sir Guy of Gisbourne (Basil Rathbone).  However, his grand entrance is shortly afterward when he arrives at a banquet hosted by Prince John (Claude Raines) and deposits the poached deer before the prince.  This is followed by a classic fight scene in which Robin fights off at least 20 Norman foes single handed with sword, arrows, and sheer derring-do.

adventuresofrobinhood with deer

Robin first sets eyes on the beautiful Lady Marian, intelligently played by the lovely Olivia de Havilland, at the banquet.  As a Norman, she at first despises this Saxon upstart but learns to respect and then love him for his loyalty to her guardian King Richard and his goodness to the downtrodden.  Robin is appropriately chivalric throughout.  In fact, a tenant of the oath taken by the  Merry Men is to protect all women whether Norman or Saxon.

Three Villains - Melville Cooper, Basil Rathbone, and Claude Raines

Three villains – Melville Cooper, Basil Rathbone, and Claude Raines

The supporting cast is a roster of some of the most familiar faces in ’30’s Hollywood. Each villain has his own consistent attributes from Claude Raines’s cynical, snide Prince John, to Melville Cooper’s cowardly Sheriff of Nottingham.  Basil Rathbone contributes his expert swordsmanship to the fabulous sword duel with Robin that closes the film.  Then we have the good guys.  It is hard to imagine a more perfect crew than Alan Hale as Little John, Eugene Pallette as Friar Tuck, Patric Knowles as Will Scarlet, and Herbert Mundin as Much.   Una O’Conner hams it up as Marian’s loyal lady’s maid Bess.

Adventures of Robin Hood Climactic Duel

The bright glittering costumes and sets may not present an accurate picture of the Middle Ages but they do contribute to the storybook feeling of the piece.  Those who are looking for a gritty, nuanced portrayal of the Robin Hood legend would do better elsewhere.  Those viewers who are out for a good time can stop right here for 102 minutes of unadulterated fun.

Clip – The Archery Tournament

 

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Posted in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, 1938

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The Scarlet Empress

Posted on March 23, 2013 | 2 comments

The Scarlet EmpressScarlet Empress DVD
Directed by Josef von Sternberg
1934/USA
Paramount Pictures
Multiple viewings

 

 

Grand Duke Peter: I want to play with my toys!

The Scarlet Empress is Josef von Sternberg’s interpretation of the rise of Catherine the Great. The plot is basically the same as in the London Pictures production reviewed here previously but the characters are quite different. Marlene Dietrich plays Catherine as a wide-eyed innocent for the first half of the movie (this was quite a stretch!) then as a sly dominatrix after she produces an heir to the throne. Sam Jaffe must have been told to throw caution to the wind in coming up with his imbecilic Grand Duke Peter. Louise Dresser plays Empress Elizabeth as a kind of Mid-Western fish wife having a very bad day.  Finally, there is the lantern-jawed, wooden John Lodge as Catherine’s erstwhile love interest.

Dietrich as the virginal Princess Sophia

Dietrich as the virginal Princess Sophia

My descriptionsmay lead you to believe that I did not enjoy the film but au contraire!  By all objective measures it is very bad indeed but this kind of high camp that is endlessly watchable. The art design alone is simply so delirously over the top that it is not to be missed. The wedding banquet table, alone, is a breathtaking mixture of the pornographic and the sinister.

scarlet empress net

And then there is the photography. Von Sternberg must have had Dietrich shot through every kind of sheer fabric he could get his hands on. It’s as if he went completely off the rails in some kind of masochistic frenzy of adoration. My favorite costume is Catherine’s negliigee, which is a see-through black number over a hoop skirt topped off with a black feather bodice.  The Scarlet Empress really cannot be adequately described; it must be experienced.

It was hard to select among the many bizaare images available from this film! Here we have an example of the decor when Peter uses a giant hand drill to spy on his Aunt Elizabeth’s bed chamber.

Although the film was not released until after the effective date of the enforcement of the Production Code on July 1, 1934, Joe Breen was clearly nowhere to be found when this hit the streets on September 15, 1934.  It was condemned by the Catholic Legion of Decency as “morally objectionable.”

Patented Dietrich cold stare

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Posted in 1934