A very amusing way of approaching the myth of Robin Hood from Douglas Fairbanks' always entertaining point of view.


Earl of Huntingdon joins King Richard the Lion-Hearted, who is going off to fight in the Crusades and has left his brother, Prince John, as regent. The prince soon emerges as a cruel, treacherous tyrant. Goaded on by Sir Guy, he usurps Richard's throne. When Huntingdon receives a message from Lady Marian Fitzwalter, his love interest, telling him of all that has transpired, he requests permission to return to England. Huntingdon returns to Nottingham and adopts the name of Robin Hood, acrobatic champion of the oppressed, leading a band that steals from the rich to give to the poor.


A huge castle set and an entire 12th-century village of Nottingham were constructed at the Pickford-Fairbanks Studio in Hollywood. Some sets were designed by architect Lloyd Wright. Director Allan Dwan later recalled that Fairbanks was so overwhelmed by the scale of the sets that he considered canceling production at one point. It was the first motion picture ever to have a Hollywood premiere, held at Grauman's Egyptian Theatre on October 18, 1922. The movie's full title, under which it was copyrighted, is Douglas Fairbanks in Robin Hood. It was one of the most expensive films of the 1920s, with an estimated budget of one million dollars. The film was a smash hit and generally received favorable reviews. It was the first production to present many of the elements of the legend that became familiar to movie audiences in later versions.

Fairbanks was so overwhelmed by the scale of the sets that he considered canceling production at one point. It was the first motion picture ever to have a Hollywood premiere. 

The Soundtrack

Robin Hood was one of the first Caspervek soundtracks not written for the original ensemble. On this occasion, the flute was the chosen solo instrument and the score was premiered in Vigo in April 2019 by flautist Laura Lorenzo. The music combines elements of medieval music, English folk music, the sounds of the big Hollywood productions of the 1950s and some of the usual features of Caspervek's soundtracks, such as minimalism. 

A new version of the score, this time for a quartet consisting of flute, clarinet, piano and percussion, was premiered in June 2021 at the Fundación Sales in Vigo. In December 2021, the Symphonic Orchestra Vito 430 premiered an Orchestral Ouverture based on several of the melodies and themes of the score, conducted by Isabel Rubio.


Details

  • Original title

    Robin Hood

  • Director

    Allan Dwan

  • Writer

    Douglas Fairbanks

  • Runtime

    103 min

  • Year

    1922

  • Country

    USA

  • Company

    United Artists

  • Genre

    Adventures


Cast

Douglas Fairbanks

Wallace Beery

Sam de Grasse


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