MissSimonetta Robin Hood (1922) is not an ideal introduction to the charismatic action star Douglas Fairbanks. Its pace is too stately for its own good and the whole thing is much too long. However, no one can deny its mythic atmosphere and gorgeous visuals. The scene where Marian and Robin meet again in the woods, surrounded by shafts of light coming through the trees, has haunted me since I first watched it.Fairbanks' portrayal will not displace Errol Flynn as the ideal Robin, but he lends a bit more gravity to the role while still keeping his characterization breezy and fun. Enid Bennett's Marian is not representative of the great talent she possessed, but she is suitably ethereal and queenly.Kevin Brownlow praised Wallace Beery's King Richard as "brilliant," but he feels more like a goofy frat boy than a noble king to me.The action scenes are fantastic, made all the better by the fact that these are real people and not CG renderings which come across as fake.A visual masterpiece, but if you want to be thoroughly entertained, then check out The Black Pirate (1926) or The Mark of Zorro (1920).

Snow4849 ...and may never want to see it again.My biggest problem with the movie was the strange pace. In the beginning, before the Earl of Huntingdon becomes Robin Hood, things move as slowly as a snail. The movie is just over two hours long and could have been much shorter. For example, it opens with a long jousting tournament that could have been completely removed. But after Huntingdon goes AWOL on King Richard's Crusades (which are disturbingly glorified in this movie) to protect England from the tyranny of evil Prince John and adopts the alias Robin Hood, things suddenly start moving at break-neck speed.Douglas Fairbanks shines in this film, creating a Robin Hood with surprising heart and humanity for a silent movie. But in a movie that was a big-budget blockbuster for the 1920s, Fairbanks's star is often eclipsed by needless pageantry, as well as by his own less-talented co-stars, particularly Wallace Beery as King Richard, the so-called "lion hearted" king who spends most of the movie laughing. He laughs when he sees that Earl of Huntingdon (Robin Hood) is scared of women, he laughs when he defeats the Muslims in the Crusades, he laughs when he discovers that Robin Hood is Huntingdon is disguise, and he laughs as he tries to barge in on Robin and Marian's wedding night in the final scene. Before long, you'll be wondering why the heck everyone in Nottingham reveres this guy, or you'll be asking the question I heard someone sitting near me in the theater whisper: "What is so funny, anyway?" Enid Bennett, playing Lady Marian, seems like a good actress, but it is hard to tell, as she's given little more to do than faint whenever a fight starts and wake up once the action's over. Her romance with Robin Hood, however, is definitely worth watching. My favorite scene in the whole movie was their first kiss: When Robin leans in toward her, she modestly turns away, and he settles with kissing the hem of her sleeve instead.

C.K. Dexter Haven Fantastic production design which set the standard, and still probably does for Medieval epics. The Castle Fairbanks had constructed stone by stone, the costumes and the literal "cast of thousands" in the opening hour are second to none. Great attention to detail. The story itself however is half and half. Fairbanks was a great choice to play Robin Hood, it's just too bad we don't get to see him swing into action as the bandit of Sherwood until after a long, drawn-out first half concerning King Richard and Huntingdon (Robin) heading off for the Crusades. There is just too much time spent setting up how/why Huntingdon becomes Robin Hood to make it enjoyable as a purely Robin Hood movie. Errol Flynn's version improved on it by a mile in 1938, leaving out the fat and concerning itself only with Robin's adventures in Sherwood, and adding more heart and humor if not replicating the grand scale of pageantry depicted in this version.Providing a link between both films, of course, is Alan Hale Sr. playing Little John. Again, his most preferable portrayal is in the '38 version. As far as other cast members, Wallace Beery is memorable as King Richard and Sam de Grasse is a perfectly snide Prince John. The other cast members are adequate enough.The DVD edition of this film provides a very nice print and is well worth viewing if you enjoy old silents, or are a fan of the Robin Hood legend as I am. Many purists have complained about the musical soundtrack but not being an aesthete of Silent films myself I found it to be not too bad.Not the classic version of Robin Hood on film but still, there are many things to like about it.

David Atfield What other actor could leap around Sherwood Forest like Doug does? It is almost skipping! Certainly Errol Flynn was too butch for such things - and Kevin Costner couldn't do a jig if his ass was on fire. But beautiful balletic Fairbanks proves here that he was the ultimate swashbuckling hero - skipping and all! Needless to say his stunts are superb, the sets amazing and the crowd scenes crowded (have there ever been that many merry men ever?).Allan Dwan was not the greatest silent director - his visual style is not as strong as say Fred Niblo or Rex Ingram - but there are some memorable visuals - and a particularly gorgeous final image.The film gets off to a rather slow start - I could have done with less of the build-up to the Sherwood scenes, which are certainly the highlight. But Wallace Beery, Enid Bennett and Alan Hale (he played Little John again in 1939) are all excellent. Special mention should go to Sam De Grasse as the villainous Prince John - he is terrific. The rest of the characters don't get much of a look in - it's Fairbanks all the way - and who can resist that?