'Robin Hood': Steals from other films to make itself rich

Robin Hood. Photo: Lionsgate

There have been numerous film versions of the Robin Hood story since the silent film Robin Hood And His Merry Men was released in 1908. The hundreds of versions since have ranged from the serious taking from the rich to give to the poor approach as in Errol Flynn’s 1938 drama The Adventures Of Robin Hood to Mel Brooks’ campy Robin Hood: Men In Tights in 1993.

Such variety is proof there is no definitive way to mount a film based on the character. Any telling of the Robin Hood story is not a history lesson, so what makes one approach better than the others is how much the story, characters and players entertain.