Sword of Sherwood Forest

source: Sword of Sherwood Forest

A Hammer film unlike a Hammer film; based on the cult 1950's TV series "The Adventures of Robin Hood" Richard Green reprises his role as the famous fictitious outlaw in a cheap film spin off movie. While the main star of the series stayed the majority of the cast where replaced, when you consider what they appeared in it makes this seem a whole lot more amusing: Peter Cushing, one time Dr Baron Von Frankenstein and also Sherlock Holmes, stars as the Sheriff of Nottingham meaning that the main face off is one time Sherlock Holmes chasing one time Dr Henry Baskerville. Various other actors don tights and join the story, including: Nigel Green who once played Hercules in Jason and the Argonauts (as Little John) , Jack Gwillim who once played King Aeetes in Jason and the Argonauts (is the Archbishop of Canterbury), Niall MacGinnis who played Zeus in Jason and the Argonauts (playing Friar Tuck). With other stars of famous films littered in this, if you are a fan of film you may certainly recognise a face or two. Hell, even Oliver Reed (Leon "The Curse of the Werewolf", and Athos one of "the three musketeers") features in this despite being overdubbed throughout. Don't expect something epic or convincing as this is a pretty poor rendition of the Outlaw by today's standards but for the time it was well created and received. Like so many other versions this film avoids telling an origin story of Robin Hood, the only origin situation is in meeting Maid Marion (Sara Branch). The film itself though takes a situation from the time line of Robin Hood and runs with that instead, in this instance there are two main focal stories, Martin of Eastwood's (Derren Nesbitt) requital and a plot to kill the Archbishop of Canterbury (Jack Willim) from a deadly plot devised and set in motion by the Earl of Newark (Richard Pasco) and the Earl of Mowbray (played by, not but not credited, Oliver Reed). It all starts with a stranger being chased and killed by the Sheriff's men, he has in his possession a brooch showing a falcon with a daisy in it's talons. Robin try's to find out what the brooch symbolises but before he can find out he takes a job working for Newark as this may or may not help his detection work. This all goes wrong when the Sheriff turns up one day. It transpires that the Sheriff is in league with Newark and Mowbray. Can Robin save the Archbishop, England and the day? Probably with him being the hero of the film ;) This is not the greatest Hammer film by a long way but an easy film to watch on a lazy Sunday - although there are a lot better. This is one of the poorest film's I've seen bearing Terence Fisher's name as director unfortunately. The plot is easy to guess and the script doesn't improve the story in any way. The acting is hammy at best and it's only Cushing that delivers with any authenticity making the Sheriff scheming and sneaky while giving him a regal presence. Despite the downfalls the filming techniques used makes this a very bright and colourful rendition of the outlaw of Sherwood. One thing that baffled me was the title, in the film Robin mentions that his weapon of choice it the long bow and he's seen with it throughout, then why is the film called "The Sword of Sherwood Forest"? He does use a sword, more so towards the end of the film but not much, certainly not enough to warrant the film being called "The Sword of Sherwood Forest". Again this is just a minor thing and you'll soon forget the title when you start watching. 4 out of 10

This straightforward Robin Hood yarn is a simple and effective tale of good vs. evil and right vs. wrong. Beautifully shot and directed with flair and style by Terence Fisher, this is a film worth watching for the cast alone. First up is one of the best Robin Hoods of all, Richard Greene, reprising his role from the '50s television series and slipping back into the part with effortless ease. His heroic character is a charismatic, talented and above all believable creation and Greene deserves praise. But let us not forget the rest of the cast: two splendidly wicked villains are here in the form of the dead-eyed Richard Pasco and the inimitable Peter Cushing, playing the Sheriff of Nottingham as a dastardly, black-hearted old-school villain who gets a surprising death. Behind a fake beard and eyebrows lurks a young Oliver Reed, all scowls and bad temper; fleshing out the roles of the Merry Men are Nigel Green, Niall MacGinnis, and even a young Derren Nesbitt. James Bond fans may note a pre-Q Desmond Llewelyn playing a wounded man. It's a veritable who's who of British talent from the period. The story is very basic action-orientated stuff, easy viewing to the extreme. Excellent wooded locations serve as a backdrop for the action and the camera is awash with lush greens and beautiful colours. Costumes and production values are top-notch and the script authentic. The sword-fights and various battles are well-handled, especially the spectacular and brutal showdown in a nunnery which finishes off the film. On top of this, there's a good score and a fast pace. A fine swashbuckler and Hammer's best version of the Robin Hood legend.

Hammer Film Productions delivered more than great horror. It produced this (short) movie based on the 1950's television series, "The Adventures of Robin Hood." Most of the television cast were dumped. Richard Greene reprises his role as Robin Hood. Little John is Nigel Green and the Sheriff of Nottingham is Peter Cushing, looking weird in a mod wig. Maid Marian changed from a brunette on television to a blonde (Sarah Branch). The one television cast member who is missed is Alexander Gauge's Friar Tuck; he has been replaced by Niall MacGinnis. Also of note in the cast are Richard Pasco, and a very young Oliver Reed. Reed plays such an effete character he even affects a lisp. Derrin Nesbitt, my favorite no. 2 from "The Prisoner", has a small but pivotal part in this movie as Martin of Eastwood. The amazing thing is that this movie does not try to track Robin Hood's tale from his outlawry to the arrival of King Richard. This is just one incident in Robin's life. Robin has to secure a pardon for Martin of Eastwood so his family can inherit his lands. But the Sheriff of Nottingham wants the land to revert to himself. There is also a sub-plot, involving Richard Pasco and Oliver Reed, about an attempt to assassinate the Archbishop of Canterbury. For a movie of less than ninety minutes long, it has a lot going on. Though it is not another life of Robin Hood "Sword of Sherwood Forest" does include the obligatory meeting with Marian. This time, she's bathing in a river (in a strangely exposed place). But why "Sword of Sherwood Forest" when Robin's favorite weapon is the longbow? If you are familiar with Richard Greene's Robin Hood, this movie is worth checking out. The color is gorgeous after all this time.

Fight scenes were embarrassing and the death scenes laughable. As for casting, all the other Robin Hood films I have seen portray Friar Tuck as short and stocky. In this film I see a well built man about 5'11" to 6'. I would have given this film a 4 rating but there were enough laughs to make be fell generous.

Richard Greene dons the green tights for the last time as Robin Hood in "The Sword of Sherwood Forest". He had played the character on TV from 1955-60. He was the only member of the "merry men" to make the transition to the big screen. This film having been made by the horror factory Hammer Studios and directed by horror director Terence Fisher, I expected more especially since the great Peter Cushing was cast as the Sheriff of Nottingham. And we have a winsome young blonde as Maid Marian (Sara Branch) to boot. The story is hard to follow. The Lord of Bartrey has been slain at the Crusades and the Sheriff has designs on his estate. In the meantime Robin has set his sights on Maid Marian even after he believed that she had led him into a trap with the Sheriff. One of Robin's men is murdered by the Sheriff and Maid Marian takes up his cause on behalf of the man's family. During the court proceedings involving the disposition of Lord Bartey's estate, the Archbishop of Canterbury/ Chancellor Hugh Walter (Jack Gwillin) intercedes and blocks the Sheriff's attempt to gain the property for himself. Edward, Earl of Newark (Richard Pasco) recruits Robin at Friar Tuck's (Niall MacGinnis) home to join him in a plot to kill Walter. Edward's brutal henchman Lord Melton (Oliver Reed) takes an immediate dislike to Robin. When the Archbishop's group is attacked, all are killed except for the Archbishop and Maid Marian. They flee to a Nun's priory where the Reverend Mother, the Prioress (Vanda Godsell) just happens to be Edward's sister. Soon Edward, the Sheriff and their followers descend on the Priory and Robin, the Archbishop and Little John (Nigel Green) engage in battle with the villain and.................................................................... For some reason, Oliver Reed's voice was clearly dubbed. We are told that King Richard is away at the crusades so the story takes place during his absence. It is curious that Prince John is never mentioned even though he was a key character both on Greene's TV series and in other Robin Hood films. No Will Scarlett either and Allan -a -Dale (Dennis Lotis) only appears briefly. With a little more budget, this film could have been much better.

Judging by existing reviews, individual opinion seems to rely very heavily on the views of fans of the 50s TV series (i.e. old blokes like me), versus those who came in cold and took it on face value. It is important to note that the film was never intended to have any relationship to the TV version. Richard Greene, of course, starred in both... and that's about the extent of it. The Sapphire Films television series was a whole different kettle of fish. American writers blacklisted in the McCarthy era wrote under pseudonyms and packed the first two seasons with subtle left-wing ideology. The last two seasons fell into a more formulaic adventure groove, but still managed the occasional political overtone. The movie was typical of the Hammer production philosophy... take what little budget there was, invest heavily in production costs (vivid colour, widescreen ratios), and hire a passable cast with what's leftover (including at least one bonza babe). I'm betting Greene came pretty cheap and had the added bonus of drawing in fans of TV series. What you see is what you get. It still looks great, the storyline is good enough to last out the whole 77min, and there isn't a political statement in sight. For mine, 6.5 stars out of ten.

One thing I did learn about Sword Of Sherwood Forest is that it's no compilation film made from the British TV series Robin Hood. Other than Richard Greene in the title role none of the regulars appear from TV appear in the film. The plot has Robin Hood getting involved in a dispute with a certain lord who feels cheated and none other than the Archbishop Of Canterbury and King's Chancellor Hubert Walter. The British show was syndicated here and Richard Greene's American public was used to seeing him in the part. Greene was very popular as Robin Hood on this side of the pond. In my generation he was the real Robin Hood. Fans of the TV series here and in the United Kingdom won't be disappointed.

Hammer studios are, obviously, most famous for their horror films; but the best of those tend to be the ones that are based on a classic story, so, technically, this take on the Robin Hood legend isn't a far cry away from what Hammer do best. Technicalities aside, however, this definitely isn't one of the great studio's finer hours. The film is flawed to oblivion, and it doesn't capture that Hammer essence that the studio's better films did so well. I go into Hammer films expecting a good time, but this one actually managed to be boring. There's still some camp on offer, but the story plays out in a way that is neither interesting nor fun. As usual with Hammer, elements of the story have been changed; but unlike usual, they've been changed for the worse and the script fails to deliver a story that even comes close to matching the original. This is one of the rare times when Hammer would have been better off simply filming the story that had been doing the rounds for years before this film was ever put out. The dull and muddled plot follows Robin Hood and his merry men who, after finding a man nearly dead, take him in. It soon becomes apparent that the dastardly Sheriff of Nottingham wants this outlaw, and gives Robin Hood a dubious offer of a full pardon. Robin is having none of it, and ends up joining in a plot to assassinate someone or other. The plot isn't overly complicated, but it's not very well handled and because the film is rather boring, it makes it very hard to follow what's going on. The best thing about this film is the fact that Hammer's finest asset, Peter Cushing is in it. Under the direction of Hammer's most punctual director, Terence Fisher, Cushing once again turns in an excellent performance and shows that he can make good of even the lamest material. Oliver Reed also has a small role, but the fact that the lead went to Richard Greene brings it down. For a start, he's too old to play Robin Hood; and secondly, he just doesn't have the charisma to carry the film off. When you're cheering for the baddie because a better actor is playing him, you know you're in the wrong movie. All in all - Hammer completists only!

This is not as bad as all that. Terence Fisher as ever does a competent job, there are reasonable production values and some rather fetching photography. I always thought Richard Greene a little too schoolmasterly for an outlaw, and he is here rather portly, but he can certainly handle a bow. Nigel Greene and Niall McGinnis are well cast as Little John and Tuck, Peter Cushing is an excellent Sheriff, and Richard Pasco does well as the ambiguous Lord Newark. Oliver Reed's camp henchman is perhaps less successful. The conspiracy plot unfolds at a relaxed pace and resolves satisfyingly. The weakest element is the tacked on romance with Sarah Branch's rather bland Maid Marion. All in all a rather charming period piece, that gets closer to the spirit of the original ballads than most versions.