Robin Hood - Starring Douglas Fairbanks

Silent Movie Star Plays Nottingham's Legendary Outlaw

Oct 9, 2009

Douglas Fairbanks became the first actor to play Robin Hood on film in this 1922 swashbuckler directed by Allan Dwan.

The first big-screen version of the Robin Hood legend sees Douglas Fairbanks swashbuckling through Sherwood Forest, while holding his head back and laughing and slapping his merry men on the back in a manly way. Allan Dwan directs this 1922 swashbuckler from the silent era.

The Earl of Huntingdon is Robin Hood

Over the years the character of Robin Hood has been presented as being either The Earl of Huntingdon or Robin of Locksley. Sometimes he is an aristocrat fighting on behalf of the poor and downtrodden as in the Costner and Flynn versions, or a peasant looking after his own like Sean Connery in Robin and Marian (Richard Lester 1976) or Michel Praed in the first two seasons of Robin of Sherwood (1984-6).

Fairbanks is nobility. Huntingdon is a Knight about to embark on the Crusades with his jolly friend Richard the Lionheart, King of England. Winning the right to lead Richard’s men into battle by trouncing his opponent in a jousting competition, Huntingdon also impresses the watching ladies. “I am a feared of women” he tells the laughing Richard who allows the ladies to tie the nervous Huntingdon to a pole and dance around him waving handkerchiefs.

The merriment changes when Huntingdon notices evil Prince John chasing Lady Marian (Enid Bennett) up a flight of stairs. Escaping his handkerchief waving tormentors Huntingdon confronts John and prevents him having his way with her. Prince John resolves to get even and pays another knight to make sure Huntingdon never returns from the Holy Land.

The Crusades

At two hours and 12 minutes Robin Hood is far too long. Huntingdon takes a full 70 minutes to become the outlaw Robin Hood. Prince John decides to exert his authority in his brother’s absence by raising taxes, hanging people and generally being evil. Squire John gets word to Huntingdon, whose pleas to be allowed to return home are given short shrift by Richard. When Huntingdon is caught trying to leave he is accused of desertion and thrown in the tower. Though Huntingdon eventually escapes and leads a group of bandits hiding in Sherwood Forest.

Robin Hood and his Merry Men

Fairbanks took some convincing to star in Robin Hood and you can see why. Essentially it is the same story as The Mark of Zorro (Fred Niblo 1920), with an aristocrat fighting on behalf of the poor and downtrodden. Fairbanks does however bring his remarkable agility to the role and moves around Nottingham Castle with the dexterity of Jackie Chan. Fairbanks did all his own stunts, even when the producers asked him specifically not to, like during one sequence where Robin jumps on to the castle gates as they close and is carried up with them.

There is however far too much prancing going on. Make no mistake these are the merriest men there have ever been. Forever throwing their heads back in laughter, slapping each other on the back and skipping jauntily through Sherwood Forest these Merry Men are a little too jolly. They could all do with a slap from Ray Winstone’s embittered hardman Will Scarlet from Robin of Sherwood to sort them out.

Although far too long Robin Hood, has much to recommend those with an interest in screen portrayals of the outlaw. Errol Flynn has become the definitive Robin Hood, but both Flynn and The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) director Michal Curtiz borrow much from the earlier film. It also has elements of the legend that have appeared in countless other versions of the story, from Richard returning to Sherwood to seek out Robin Hood, to Lady Marian joining a convent. It will be interesting to see how Ridley Scott’s forthcoming blockbuster starring Russell Crowe will approach the material.

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