Robin Hood (1922), dir. Allen Dwan, w/ Douglas Fairbanks (Huntingdon/Robin Hood), Wallace Beery (Richard I), Sam de Grasse (Prince John), Enid Bennett (Lady Marian), Paul Dickey (Guy of Gisbourne), Alan Hale (Little John).
This is the third of the costume dramas produced by United Artists featuring Douglas Fairbanks — he had been in The Mark of Zorro and The Three Musketeers earlier. It has a lot in common with Musketeers, and something in common with Zorro. It has the big sets just like Musketeers, and that’s a good thing — lots of places for Fairbanks to demonstrate his athleticism. He is also part of a greater band, rather than a totally solo figure — Fairbanks looks best as the star of a team. He also has a double identity (sort of) like in Zorro. Of course, here, both as Huntingdon and as Robin Hood, he is an athletic figure, the king’s right hand man. When he returns to England to set things aright, it looks as if he is chickening out of the Crusades, and the king loses faith in him for a moment. But he never plays the part of a coward or a fop, as he did as Don Diego. The set design of the castle was quite outstanding, even though much of the great hall was done with a painted glass panel. It looks impressive, and that’s what matters. Lots of sword fights and leaping around, well done as always.
One thing that I don’t understand — why the story veers from the Howard Pyle version of the legend, which we get in the 1939 version — why is Robin Hood the second in command to Richard, rather than a Saxon knight, who comes afoul of royalty because of his Saxon blood? And there is nothing to explain why Robert, Earl of Huntingdon, is now Robin Hood — in the legend, he is Robin of Locksley, and so Robin Hood when he takes to robbing the rich and distributing to the poor.
Wallace Beery was a strange choice for Richard — a big lug of a guy, he doesn’t seem very royal — a tugboat captain, yes, king, no! That choice does make for a great contrast with Sam de Grasse as John, who is small and rather frail looking, and clearly someone not given to athletic endeavor.