File:Robin Hood (1922).webm
Robin Hood, starring Douglas Fairbanks and Wallace Beery, is 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, as shown in the illustration at right. It was one of the most expensive films of the 1920s, with a budget estimated at approximately one million dollars and generally received favorable reviews.

Plot

The opening has the dashing Earl of Huntingdon besting his bitter enemy, Sir Guy of Gisbourne, in a jousting. Huntingdon then joins Richard I of England, who is going off to fight in the Crusades and has left his brother, John of England, 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 his paramour, Lady Marian Fitzwalter, telling him of all that has transpired, he requests permission to return to England. King Richard assumes that the Earl has turned coward and denies him permission. The Earl seeks to leave in spite of this, but is ambushed by Sir Guy and imprisoned as a deserter. Upon escaping from his confines, he returns to England, endangering his life and honor, to oppose Prince John and restore King Richard's throne. He finds himself, and his friends, outlawed, and Marian apparently dead.
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, including Friar Tuck, Little John, Will Scarlet, and Alan-a-Dale, he labors to set things right through swashbuckling feats and makes life miserable for John of England and his cohort, the High Sheriff of Nottingham. After rescuing Marian from Prince John's prison and defeating Sir Guy in a final conflict, Robin is captured. The timely reappearance of King Richard returns him to Marian and foils the efforts of Prince John.

Cast

• Douglas Fairbanks as Earl of Huntingdon/Robin Hood (It was Fairbanks's custom to place his name last.)
• Wallace Beery as King Richard I of England
• Enid Bennett as Maid Marian
• Sam De Grasse as John of England
• Paul Dickey as Sir Guy of Gisbourne
• William Lowery as The High Sheriff of Nottingham
• Willard Louis as Friar Tuck
• Alan Hale, Sr. as The Squire/Little John
• Bud Geary as Will Scarlet
• Lloyd Talman as Alan-a-Dale
• Billie Bennett as Servant to Lady Marian

Wallace Beery played Richard I of England again the following year in a sequel called Richard the Lion-Hearted (1923 film).
Alan Hale, Sr. made such an impression as Little John in this film that he reprised the role sixteen years later in The Adventures of Robin Hood (film) (1938) opposite Errol Flynn, then played the character again in Rogues of Sherwood Forest in 1950, 28 years after his initial performance in the original Fairbanks film, which is notable for probably being the longest period for any actor to appear in the same major role in film history.

Production

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.
The story was adapted for the screen by Fairbanks (as "Elton Thomas"), Kenneth Davenport, Edward Knoblock, Allan Dwan and Lotta Woods, and was produced by Fairbanks for his own production company, Douglas Fairbanks Pictures Corporation, and distributed by United Artists, a company owned by Fairbanks, his wife Mary Pickford, Charles Chaplin, and D. W. Griffith. This swashbuckling adventure was based on the legendary tale of the Medieval hero, Robin Hood, and was the first production to present many of the elements of the legend that became familiar to movie audiences in later versions, although an earlier treatment had been filmed a decade before in Fort Lee, New Jersey.

Reception

Robin Hood generally received favorable reviews. It received an "Fresh" aggregate score of 100% and an Average Rating of 8.6/10 from Rotten Tomatoes based on 7 reviews. Combustible Celluloid's Jeffrey M. Anderson rated the movie , concluding "Director Allan Dwan had worked with Fairbanks on several two-reelers, and would go on to direct his last silent film, The Iron Mask (1929). Dwan would continue working, making "B" pictures up until the 1960s, and finishing up with something like 500 films on his resume before he died. But Robin Hood is arguably his masterpiece.".


Category:1922 films
Category:American films
Category:American silent feature films
Category:United Artists films
Category:Black-and-white films
Category:Swashbuckler films
Category:Films directed by Allan Dwan
Category:Robin Hood films