A Challenge for Robin Hood

Last updated

A Challenge for Robin Hood
"A Challenge for Robin Hood"(1967).jpg
UK quad poster by Tom Chantrell
Directed by C. M. Pennington-Richards
Written byPeter Bryan
Produced byClifford Parkes
Michael Carreras
Starring Barrie Ingham
Peter Blythe
John Arnatt
Cinematography Arthur Grant
Edited byChris Barnes
Music byGary Hughes
Production
companies
Distributed by Warner-Pathé Distributors
Release date
  • 1 July 1967 (1967-07-01)
Running time
96 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

A Challenge for Robin Hood is a 1967 British adventure film directed by C. M. Pennington-Richards and starring Barrie Ingham, Peter Blythe and John Arnatt. [1]

Contents

This was the last of a trio of Hammer films about Robin Hood, following The Men of Sherwood Forest and Sword of Sherwood Forest . As all three had different casts and no continuing storyline, the second and third films shouldn't really be considered sequels.

Plot

When the father of the De Courtenay family dies, the brothers argue about the inheritance. Although rightfully most should go to Robin, his cousin Roger takes control after killing his brother and blaming Robin, and Robin has to go into hiding in the forest, taking Friar Tuck with him. The two come under attack from the Sheriff of Nottingham's soldiers but are saved by a mystery archer. This is Alan-a-Dale, who takes them to his forest hide-out.

The gang test his archery skills with a hood over his head, and agree he is a natural leader. They decide to call him Robin Hood.

Back in the De Courtenay castle, Roger sits with the Sheriff and Maid Marion and they watch a wrestling match. It is won by Little John. They plan to hang Will Scarlet, Robin's friend, who was captured at the time of Robin's escape, at the village fair.

Robin stops Sir Jamyl de Penitone in the forest and challenges him to a sword duel. He learns of Will Scarlet's pending hanging. Robin robs him of the tax money he has collected.

Robin and his men next stop a drayman and a pie seller traveling with him. They commandeer the cart-load of pies and Tuck disguises himself as the pie-seller, while Robin disguises himself as a monk. They go to the De Courteney fair, where they buy a lot of green cloth to better hide in the woods. A soldier recognises Robin but is sympathetic to his cause. Robin puts on a mask and volunteers for the prize wrestling match with Little John. John recognises him and they stage the fight so Robin wins. When he goes to collect his prize he grabs Marion and puts her on a horse for the loyal soldier to carry her off. He is arrested and is to be hung with Will Scarlet, but a pie fight begins and the soldiers are driven back. Little John goes back to the forest with them.

In the forest the men take revenge on the tax collector and start returning the tax money to the peasants.

The Sheriff's men trick Robin and his men into thinking the forest is on fire and while they investigate they kidnap Marion and her little brother, and kill Much, who was guarding them. Robin tries to rescue them but is captured too. Three of Robin's men (led by Little John) put fake ducks on their head and swim over the castle moat, despite a guard who fancies duck for dinner, and fires a crossbow at them. The three enter via an iron yett at basement level. They take a dumb waiter from the kitchen to the great hall, announcing that a "special dish" is coming up. They release Robin who was roasting in front of the fire and let other men in. A fight begins with the soldiers.

Roger and Robin end in a sword duel watched by Marion. Alan-a-Dale ends it with an arrow in Roger's back.

Back in the forest Friar Tuck marries Robin and Marion.

Cast

Note: Eric Flynn is not related to Errol Flynn, arguably the most famous portrayer of Robin Hood.

Critical reception

The New York Times wrote, "Challenge for Robin Hood is excellent...it should make ideal viewing for lads, from little sprouts up to about 14...The screenplay by Peter Bryan fiddles a bit with the old Robin Hood legend, but it is a snug story and the dialogue has bite and humor...C. M. Pennington-Richards, has piloted the action with crackle, the musical score is fine and the color ranges from good to beautiful...the fairly modest budget seldom shows". [2]

Box office

According to Fox records, the film required $950,000 in rentals to break even and by 11 December 1970 had made $675,000. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robin Hood</span> Heroic outlaw in English folklore

Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature, theatre, and cinema. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is depicted as being of noble birth, and in modern retellings he is sometimes depicted as having fought in the Crusades before returning to England to find his lands taken by the Sheriff. In the oldest known versions, he is instead a member of the yeoman class. Traditionally depicted dressed in Lincoln green, he is said to have stolen from the rich to give to the poor.

<i>The Adventures of Robin Hood</i> 1938 film by Michael Curtiz

The Adventures of Robin Hood is a 1938 American Technicolor epic swashbuckler film from Warner Bros. Pictures. It was produced by Hal B. Wallis and Henry Blanke, directed by Michael Curtiz, and stars Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Basil Rathbone, Claude Rains, Patric Knowles, Eugene Pallette, and Alan Hale. The film is particularly noted for its Academy Award-winning score by Erich Wolfgang Korngold.

<i>The Adventures of Robin Hood</i> (TV series) British television series

The Adventures of Robin Hood is a British television series comprising 143 half-hour, black and white episodes broadcast weekly between 1955 and 1959 on ITV. It starred Richard Greene as the outlaw Robin Hood, and Alan Wheatley as his nemesis, the Sheriff of Nottingham. The show followed the legendary character Robin Hood and his band of merry men in Sherwood Forest and the surrounding vicinity. While some episodes dramatised the traditional Robin Hood tales, most were original dramas created by the show's writers and producers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guy of Gisbourne</span> English folklore character from Robin Hood

Sir Guy of Gisbourne is a character from the Robin Hood legends of English folklore. He first appears in "Robin Hood and Guy of Gisborne", where he is an assassin who attempts to kill Robin Hood but is killed by him. In later depictions, he has become a romantic rival to Robin Hood for Maid Marian's love.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maid Marian</span> Love interest of the legendary outlaw Robin Hood in English folklore

Maid Marian is the heroine of the Robin Hood legend in English folklore, often taken to be his lover. She is not mentioned in the early, medieval versions of the legend, but was the subject of at least two plays by 1600. Her history and circumstances are obscure, but she commanded high respect in Robin’s circle for her courage and independence as well as her beauty and loyalty. For this reason, she is celebrated by feminist commentators as one of the early strong female characters in English literature.

<i>Conquests of the Longbow: The Legend of Robin Hood</i> 1991 video game

Conquests of the Longbow: The Legend of Robin Hood is a graphic adventure game designed by Christy Marx and published by Sierra On-Line in 1991. It is the second and final part of the Conquests series, which begins with Conquests of Camelot: The Search for the Grail. It features VGA graphics and Sierra's standard icon-driven interface first seen in King's Quest V.

<i>Robin and Marian</i> 1976 film by Richard Lester

Robin and Marian is a 1976 British-American romantic adventure film from Columbia Pictures, shot in Panavision and Technicolor, that was directed by Richard Lester and written by James Goldman after the legend of Robin Hood. The film stars Sean Connery as Robin Hood, Audrey Hepburn as Lady Marian, Nicol Williamson as Little John, Robert Shaw as the Sheriff of Nottingham, Richard Harris as Richard the Lionheart, and Denholm Elliott as Will Scarlet. It also features comedian Ronnie Barker in a rare film role as Friar Tuck. Robin and Marian was filmed in Zamora, as well as Artajona, Urbasa, Quinto Real and Orgi, all small medieval villages in Navarre, Spain. It marked Hepburn's return to the screen after an eight-year absence.

Alan-a-Dale is a figure in the Robin Hood legend. According to the stories, he was a wandering minstrel who became a member of Robin's band of outlaws, the "Merry Men".

Will Scarlet is a prominent member of Robin Hood's Merry Men. He is present in the earliest ballads along with Little John and Much the Miller's Son.

<i>Robin Hood</i> (1991 British film) 1991 British film

Robin Hood is a 1991 British adventure film directed by John Irvin, executive produced by John McTiernan, and starring Patrick Bergin, Uma Thurman, Jürgen Prochnow, Jeroen Krabbé, and Edward Fox. Although originally intended for a theatrical release in the United States and South America, the film instead premiered on television, on the Fox network in those territories a month before the release of Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. It was released in cinemas in several countries in Europe and elsewhere, including Australia, New Zealand and Japan.

<i>Rogues of Sherwood Forest</i> 1950 film by Gordon Douglas

Rogues of Sherwood Forest is a 1950 Technicolor adventure film from Columbia Pictures, directed by Gordon Douglas, and starring John Derek as Robin, the Earl of Huntingdon, the son of Robin Hood, Diana Lynn as Lady Marianne, and Alan Hale, Sr. in his third Robin Hood film role as Little John during a 28-year period; he'd played the part opposite Douglas Fairbanks in 1922 and Errol Flynn in 1938, one of the longest periods over which a film actor played the same major character. It was also Hale's final film before his death. Rogues of Sherwood Forest was written by George Bruce and Ralph Gilbert Bettison. The supporting cast features George Macready as King John, Billy House as Friar Tuck and John Dehner in an early appearance as Sir Baldric, billed fourteenth in the cast list.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Merry Men</span> Outlaw group following Robin Hood

The Merry Men are the group of outlaws who follow Robin Hood in English literature and folklore. The group appears in the earliest ballads about Robin Hood and remains popular in modern adaptations.

<i>The Zany Adventures of Robin Hood</i> 1984 film by Ray Austin

The Zany Adventures of Robin Hood is a 1984 American made-for-television comedy film directed by Ray Austin and starring George Segal, Morgan Fairchild, Roddy McDowall, Janet Suzman and Tom Baker. It is a parody of the Robin Hood story.

<i>The Outlaws of Sherwood</i>

The Outlaws of Sherwood is a retelling of the legend of Robin Hood by Robin McKinley. In McKinley's afterword, she says, "The retellings through the centuries have echoed concurrent preoccupations." The story includes both the traditional Robin Hood characters — Little John, Much, Friar Tuck, Marian and Alan-a-dale — and characters of McKinley's own invention. Notably, three of the most important characters are women, all of whom escape marriage to prospective spouses chosen by their fathers.

The Sheriff of Nottingham is the main antagonist in the legend of Robin Hood. He is generally depicted as an unjust tyrant who mistreats the local people of Nottinghamshire, subjecting them to unaffordable taxes. Robin Hood fights against him, stealing from the rich, and the Sheriff, in order to give to the poor; it is this characteristic for which Robin Hood is best known. The Sheriff is considered the archenemy of Robin Hood, as he is the most recurring enemy of the well-known outlaw.

Robin Hood is a comic opera by Reginald De Koven (music), Harry B. Smith (lyrics) and Clement Scott. The story is based on the Robin Hood legend, during the reign of King Richard I. The opera was composed in Chicago, Illinois during the winter of 1888-1889.

<i>Tom and Jerry: Robin Hood and His Merry Mouse</i> 2012 film by Spike Brandt and Tony Cervone

Tom and Jerry: Robin Hood and His Merry Mouse is a 2012 American animated direct-to-video action-adventure musical comedy film starring the seven-time Academy Award-winning cat-and-mouse duo Tom and Jerry as well as the historical and heroic outlaw Robin Hood. Produced by Warner Bros. Animation and Turner Entertainment Co., the film was released on DVD and Blu-ray on September 28, 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robin Hood (Disney character)</span> Disney character

Robin Hood is the fictional protagonist of Walt Disney Animation Studios' 21st animated feature film Robin Hood (1973). Robin Hood is voiced by Shakespearean and Tony Award winning actor Brian Bedford. The film is based on the legends of Robin Hood and Reynard the fox, a 12th-century Alsatian fairy tale character, but uses anthropomorphic animals rather than people; in Robin's case being a red fox. The story follows the adventures of Robin Hood, Little John and the inhabitants of Nottingham as they fight against the excessive taxation of Prince John, and Robin Hood wins the hand of Maid Marian.

<i>Robin Hood: Mischief in Sherwood</i> French TV series or program

Robin Hood: Mischief in Sherwood is a CG-animated series produced by Method Animation and DQ Entertainment, in co-production with Fabrique d'Images, ZDF, ZDF Enterprises, De Agostini Editore, and KidsMe S.r.l., with the participation of TF1 and The Walt Disney Company France, and in association with COFIMAGE 24. It is an animated adaptation of the Robin Hood story.

References

  1. "A Challenge for Robin Hood". BFI. Archived from the original on 16 January 2009.
  2. "Movie Review - A Challenge For Robin Hood - Screen: A Matinee Idol: 'Robin Hood' Returns in Snug British Tale - NYTimes.com". The New York Times. 20 July 2021.
  3. Silverman, Stephen M (1988). The Fox that got away : the last days of the Zanuck dynasty at Twentieth Century-Fox . L. Stuart. p.  327. ISBN   9780818404856.