Reviews of silent film releases on home video. Copyright © 1999-2024 by Carl Bennett and the Silent Era Company. All Rights Reserved.

Robin Hood (1922)

With the production of The Mark of Zorro (1920), Douglas Fairbanks had tripped upon the swashbuckling larger-than-life characterization that defined the remainder of his motion picture career. Between Zorro and his next historical swashbuckler, The Three Musketeers (1921), Fairbanks made one more of the “habit of happiness” comedies that were indicative of his early career, The Nut (1921). After The Three Musketeers, he never looked back.

Robin Hood was Doug’s first $1 million-plus extravaganza. In those silent days, a big-budget film based on a public domain story could be undermined by a poverty row production company that would dash off a film based on the same story, give the film the same title and reach theaters before the major production could be completed. With the intent to thwart any such attempt to confuse audiences and cash in on his advance publicity, Fairbanks copyrighted and released his film under the title Douglas Fairbanks in Robin Hood.

From New Year’s Day 1922, the Fairbanks company kicked into high gear to produce the grandest spectacle the world had yet seen on film. The mammoth castle of King Richard and the Nothingham town sets required hundreds of carpenters and hundreds of thousands of dollars to complete, and they were authentic down to the smallest detail (as much so as Hollywood money could buy). Hundreds of extras had to be outfitted in historically accurate costumes. Months of shooting ensued. When the film was completed, the release prints made and the publicity paid for, Fairbanks had spent $1.4 million of his own money for Robin Hood. And it was a success. In the days when quarters bought you a movie theater ticket, Robin Hood made $2.5 million.

Does the film stand up under the weight of its historical story, its grand spectacle and its bloated budget? Of course it does, even for modern audiences. A film viewer today can readily understand why Fairbanks was a star. His energetic and enthusiastic performance still radiates from the screen today (that is, when the shy Earl of Huntingdon/Robin Hood isn’t required to talk with ladies of the court). Fairbanks is an engaging Robin Hood, but I question why the roles of Sam de Grasse as Prince John and of Wallace Beery as King Richard weren’t reversed. Perhaps for Beery’s brutish strength as Richard and for de Grasse’s shifty-eyed and villainous John. Sam de Grasse would later serve as an ideal villain to Fairbanks’ hero in The Black Pirate (1926). In supporting roles Enid Bennett portrays a flaccid Maid Marion and Alan Hale Sr. a dedicated and sincere Little John.

— Carl Bennett

This Blu-ray Disc edition has been scanned from a 35mm fine-grain duplicate print at 4K high-definition and digitally cleaned for approximately 175 hours at 2K resolution. Presumably the source material originated in the Raymond Rohauer collection and is now held by the Cohen Media Group. The color-tinted image is significantly sharper and more detailed than has been available on home video. With dust, speckling and other print flaws removed, the remaining picture issue would be the subtle exposure fluctuations that are quite difficult to remove without compromising image quality. Overall, this release is a substantial visual improvement and a worthwhile upgrade for collectors.

The film is accompanied by a fine music score compiled by Rodney Sauer and performed by The Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra, a small string and horn ensemble. The music is quite pleasing. It is a welcome relief that we can watch this film without being subjected to the annoying syncthesizer recording used for Kino’s DVD editions.

The disc’s supplementary material includes audio commentary for The Black Pirate by film historian Rudy Behlmer; The Black Pirate outtakes with commentary by Behlmer (18 minutes); and additional The Black Pirate outtakes (29 minutes). There is no supplemental material pertaining to Robin Hood.

This is the premiere of Robin Hood on Blu-ray Disc home video. The improved picture quality coupled with the new music score makes it quite easy for us to highly recommend this as the best available home video edition of the film.

USA: Click the logomark at right to purchase this Region A Blu-ray Disc edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.

Kino International rereleased their DVD edition of Robin Hood as part of a 2004 home video focus on Fairbanks. Kino publicity stated that this revised edition was remastered from a 35mm archival negative, which resulted in slightly improved picture quality running at a closer to natural-speed pace that explains the longer running time.

The film is presented with the same 1922 Victor Schertzinger music score performed by Eric Beheim that was featured on the previous Kino DVD edition noted below. We have always had an issue with the synthesizer settings utilized in Beheim’s recordings as their overly artifical tones can be irritating. The musicianship is there, the tonal qualities are not.

The lean supplemental section includes outtake footage from the film (3 minutes); and a Will Rogers parody excerpted from Big Moments from Little Pictures (1924).

For those collectors who prefer DVD, this remains our recommended DVD edition of Robin Hood.

USA: Click the logomark at right to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
Canada: Click the logomark at right to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.ca. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
This Region 0 NTSC DVD edition is also available directly from . . .

Robin Hood was considered a lost film in the 1950s but has, nonetheless, survived. From the condition of the print used for the DVD video transfer, we can deduce that the original negative and any original release prints have long since disappeared. However, the source print used (possibly a 16mm reduction print) is in very-good shape, with some dupe print film grain and print speckling noticeable in the final picture. This generally does not distract from the viewer’s enjoyment of the film.

I do have a picky problem with the soundtrack for this home video edition. The original music score prepared in 1922 by Victor Schertzinger for the film’s release has been presented here, performed in digital stereo by Eric Beheim on a MIDI-based synthesizer system. And while I know the limited economics of preparing a home video version of a commercially moderate retail product have made this a necessary budget decision, a small chamber orchestra would have made a much more pleasant recording and appropriate soundtrack. Yes, in an ideal world this could be done.

Overall, Robin Hood remains an engaging and grand epic film and it is given a very-good presentation in this DVD home video edition that was replaced by the 2004 Kino edition noted above.

This Region 0 NTSC DVD edition has been discontinued and is . . .

This budget DVD edition has been mastered from a 16mm reduction print, quite greyed-out in its tonal range and flecked with a typical amount of speckling and dust. Highlight details are blasted out, and shadow details are lost in muddy greyness. The image detail in the good to very-good print is predictably soft, but what else is to be expected?

The film is accompanied by preexisting orchestral recordsings lifted from film soundtracks and other sources, in muffled monaural, which begs the question why St. Clair Vision thinks that 5.1 surround sound is justified, other than to dupe an unknowing consumer into thinking they are getting a disc of value.

Yeah, not recommended.

USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
Canada: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.ca. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
This Region 0 NTSC DVD edition has been discontinued and is . . .

This budget DVD edition has been mastered from an analog video transfer of a 16mm reduction print. The results are less than desirable, with blasted-out highlights that often lose facial details. The sound-film speed transfer makes the film’s action rush along at an unnaturally brisk pace.

The film is accompanied by a soundtrack crudely compiled from preexisting orchestral recordings copied from CDs and crackling LP records. How can classical music be this annoying?

Not recommended . . . duh.

USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
Canada: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition from Amazon.ca. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
This Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition is also available directly from . . .

The film is likely accompanied by a soundtrack compiled from preexisting recordings.

This edition was later rereleased by Cobra Entertainment.

USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
Canada: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD edition from Amazon.ca. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
DELTA ENTERTAINMENT has discontinued business and this Region 0 NTSC DVD edition is . . .

The film is likely accompanied by a soundtrack compiled from preexisting recordings.

USA: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition from Amazon.com. Your purchase supports Silent Era.
Canada: Click the logomark to purchase this Region 0 NTSC DVD-R edition from Amazon.ca. Your purchase supports Silent Era.