Last weekend, Iron Man 2 beat Robin Hood on the latter's opening weekend, with neither claiming the dollar advantage of 3D screens. It would seem that word of mouth and brand value didn't propel people to the 55th or so retelling of the outlaw story. Maybe if they'd gone in the fundamentally different direction of the original Nottingham script, it would have been a bigger deal. If you want to see the same general story retold in a way you haven't seen before, you have better options on DVD.
Just last week, Sony issued four catalog Robin Hood titles on DVD that I hadn't seen before. Two of them are "next generation" sequels starring someone as Robin Hood's son, and the others are new permutations of the standard Hood tale. Read on and add to your Netflix queue as appropriate.
The Bandit of Sherwood Forest (1947)
Coming scant years after the end of WWII, Cornel Wilde plays Robin Hood's son Robert, who teams up with good ol' dad to prevent a reign of tyranny. THe Regent of England (William of Pembroke) locks up the boy King and tries to swipe the throne for himself. Beautifully-shot by the same Cinematographer as The Adventures of Robin Hood (Tony Gaudio), Bandit looks great in Academy ratio Technicolor.
Prince of Thieves (1948)
Costner's movie swiped its title from this flick, which stars Jon Hall, the same guy who played Ali Baba in Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, as Robin Hood. This one was done as a reworking of the traditional Robin Hood myth, and only runs 72 minutes. Shot in Cinecolor instead of Technicolor, darker scenes early in the movie look like they were colorized from black and white with a dash of acid. I don't mean that as a bad thing.
Rogues of Sherwood Forest (1950)
Another "son of" Robin Hood tale, I never thought I'd see a "Hood" movie directed by the same guy who made THEM! (Gordon Douglas), but here it is. Rogues was Alan Hale Sr.'s final film appearance, which was also his third time playing Little John over a span of 28 years. Hale's first go was opposite Douglas Fairbanks and his second was in the iconic and much-beloved Michael Curtiz-directed Adventures of Robin Hood with Errol Flynn.
Sword of Sherwood Forest (1960)
Some people only need the incentive of seeing Peter Cushing play the Sheriff of Nottingham to get them. Add in the director of Hammer Films' Horror of Dracula (Terence Fisher), and you seal the deal. Richard Greene, who played Hood throughout the 50's on TV, plays him on the big screen for the first time here.
Of the four "Hood" movies released on disc recently, this is the only one in 2.35:1 MegaScope widescreen, and it looks wonderful. Combine solid visuals with a story involving an assassination plot against the Archbishop of Canterbury, and this one's more irresistible than the rest. Oliver Reed and Desmond Llewelyn appear in a couple parts early in their careers.
All four titles are $9 from Amazon and can be ordered by clicking on the accompanying screenshot.