Alicia I love this movie so much

KnotMissPriceless Why so much hype?

SeeQuant Blending excellent reporting and strong storytelling, this is a disturbing film truly stranger than fiction

Helllins It is both painfully honest and laugh-out-loud funny at the same time.

Jgirl2688 The best Robin Hood movie I've ever seen! Fairbanks is perfect for the role, and I'm glad he played it. With his physical skills and sense of timing, he was able to pack the movie with action. He wrote it too, which is cool, I loved how we got to see how he became Robin Hood and what was going on in medieval times. I had never seen another Robin Hood movie do so much of that so well. (Whether or not it is historically accurate according to some of the others here. It's a bit of literature, so I don't think it matters that much.) The sets, costumes, and everything were really spectacular. I loved this movie, and as I said, it's my favorite Robin Hood film.

zardoz-13 Hollywood has immortalized the fabulous Robin Hood legend on celluloid many times. Ironically, the best version of this adventure epic is "Sands of Iwo Jima" director Allan Dwan's silent "Robin Hood" with the ever agile Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. Reportedly, Fairbanks produced this movie for the staggering sum of one point five million dollars and he penned the screenplay, too. Now, you're going to say "no way" can a creaky old silent saga top the incomparable Errol Flynn Technicolor classic "The Adventures of Robin Hood." Nevertheless, the Flynn "Robin Hood" lacks the spectacle of the Fairbanks' version. Dwan stages several big battle scenes. Moreover, none of the later "Robin Hood" pictures devote over an hour to the Earl of Huntingdon's back story. In fact, the first time that we see him he is referred to as the Earl and he is shy where Maid Marian is concerned. Clocking in at over two hours, "Robin Hood" covers a lot of ground and Fairbanks flaunts his athletic skills as he climbs the ropes that hoist the moat bridge and he leaps about with carefree abandon. Wallace Beery makes a definite impression as King Richard and the villains are truly villainous. Indeed, there is far more spectacle here, especially when Robin makes his first appearance and eludes his enemy at King John's castle. The only drawback to this 1923 masterpiece is that it doesn't have Technicolor like "The Adventures of Robin Hood" and film as a cinematic art had not developed as much by 1923 as it later did by 1938. The interesting thing here is that Alan Hale not only played Little John in this outing, but he also co-starred as Little John in the Flynn yarn. In fact, Hale's last performance was as Little John in director Gordon Douglas' "Rogues of Sherwood Forest" with John Derek.The action unfolds in Medieval England at a jousting tournament with Robert, the Earl of Huntingdon (Douglas Fairbanks of "Thief of Bagdad"), competing against the unscrupulous Sir Guy of Gisbourne (Paul Dickey) who ties himself into his saddle to avoid being unhorsed. Gisbourne's skulduggery is for naught because the Earl topples him and is rewarded by Lady Marian Fitzwalter (Enid Bennett of "The Vamp") for his victory. During the jousting match, King Richard challenges his brother, Prince John (Sam De Grasse of "The Black Pirate") who is depicted as a wicked fiend from the moment that we lay eyes on him. King Richard (Wallace Beery of "The Champ") gathers an army to go on his Crusade to the Holy Land and Huntingdon accompanies him and proves his valor several times over. Meanwhile, Richard has left John in charge of England and John exploits this opportunity for everything that he can get and he steals and turns into a tyrant. When word of this reaches Huntingdon from Maid Marian, he entreats his lordship to let him return to England on a personal mission. Richard refuses to part with the Earl and he puts him in prison in France until he can return from Palestine. Little John helps Huntingdon escape and they return to England to fight King John.All the familiar characters, such as Allan-A-Dale, Will Scarlet, and Friar Tuck are conspicuously present when Robin and his Merry Men redistribute the wealth to the poor and the needy.Douglas Fairbanks is appropriately flamboyant as the protagonist. The enormous set interiors for the castles and the sprawling scenes in the forest give this movie an epic feeling.

Boba_Fett1138 Believe it or not but this isn't actually even the first Robin Hood movie ever made. Robin Hood movies already got made back in the 1910's both those movies are of course now days hard to come buy. This Robin Hood movie version was also presumed to be lost, until a print reappeared again somewhere in the '60's. It's the first Robin Hood adaptation though which featured many of the elements of the legend that would be featured in most later movie versions. So in many ways this was an unique and renewing movie for its time.Still it's a slightly different movie version than you would expect for instance now days (we'll still have to wait how the Ridley Scott/Russell Crowe version will turn out to be though, if it ever gets off the ground). The difference is mostly notable in the movie its first halve, which focuses mostly on the crusades Earl of Huntingdon/Robin Hood with King Richard the Lion-Hearted ventures on. Basically the movie its first halve is one big introduction till the movie hits the point at which the Earl of Huntingdon finally becomes the courageous and honorable thief with the good intentions Robin Hood. This is also when the fun mostly kicks in.The movie features some grand sets and mass sequences. It's a very detailed made movie, that looks perfect and spectacular in basically every shot, with its costumes, set dressing and large castles. The castle as featured in this movie is actually the largest ever built set in a silent Hollywood production. It also was the most expensive movie ever made at its time with its $1.4 million budget. The movie was also the first to get a large Hollywood release at its time, in the Grauman's Egyptian Theatre, which is still around now days.It's a movie that very skillfully got directed by already very experienced director Allan Dwan, who during his career directed a total of 404 movies, starting in 1911 and ending his career in 1961. He even directed plenty more films (about 3 times as much), when also considering his one-reeler's. He could had directed plenty of more movies though, when considering that he didn't died until 1981. But he must had probably been fed up with film-making or modern film-making anyway. He directed mostly adventurous and swashbucklers, so he truly was a perfect pick for this movie. It was the last movie he did with Douglas Fairbanks. They made a total of 11 movies together, of which this one and "The Iron Mask" are the best known ones which they did together.It stars Douglas Fairbanks as the main lead, so of course this movie is a swashbuckler with plenty of action in it but what sort of disappointed me about the movie was that it wasn't really always an entertaining one. It seems to me that the movie is a bit too serious at times, instead of adventurous, entertaining and action filled. The movie is often more emotional and dramatic than fun to watch really. This is mostly why I still prefer the 1938 Errol Flynn Robin Hood movie version above this one, no matter how great it's all looking.It's really the movie its second halve which still makes this such a fun movie to watch. The story becomes more light and even a bit comical. It's fun seeing Robin Hood being chased around in a castle by a bunch of soldiers. Of course Douglas Fairbanks was doing all of his own stunts again and he shows some dangerous antics again in this movie, like only he could back in his days. The movie is quite long though and the movie just never gets fully over its contract between its first and second halve.A wonderful looking and great, yet really not perfect, swashbuckling entertainment from the 1920's.8/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

dmk2 Fairbanks doing what he does well, playing the Hero, to the delight of everyone. The story is well told with the images and the film is fun when seen with live accompaniment.The rendition of Robin Hoods 'Merry Men' could obviously be the inspiration for Mel Brooks 'Men in tights'.