screenman Richard Todd's first full-length outing into the world of medieval England isn't half bad. There's a great all-British cast featuring Peter Finch as a very believable baddie in the form of Nottingham's Sheriff, whilst James Robertson Justice weighs-in as John Little.The script is quite good for such an otherwise heroic tub-thumper. There's one or two nice subtle exchanges, reminiscent of a more academic work like 'Becket'. There's some fine castle set-pieces that are obviously 'worked' with a little imagination. Colours are vibrant, with sly little shifts from sepia B&W intros.Action scenes and sword fights are a wee bit stilted. They lack the enthusiasm of Errol Flynn's version, and Todd himself seems a little reticent in the athletics department. One or two scenes are needlessly long, like the introductory sparring between Robin & Friar Tuck at the river. Whereas the archery contest, which could have been much more fun, passed in a bit of a flash. That's an editing/directing/production issue. There were probably worthy pieces that finished-up on the cutting-room floor.All in all, not a bad version, if a little bit pedestrian in the swash-buckling department.

loza-1 This is a later version of Robin Hood, made a decade and a half after The Adventures of Robin Hood. It follows the Disney formula of using good actors rather than well-known stars, and a terrific attention to detail.This film does not take as many liberties with known history as does The Adventures. If you are an expert historian, you can find faults, but they are kept to a minimum.In many places, this film is as good as, and sometimes surpasses The Adventures. But it lacks Michael Curtiz's touch, and - sorry to say - Richard Todd is no match for Errol Flynn.

bkoganbing I remember as a small lad seeing this on Walt Disney's hour television show where he regularly segmented his feature films for broadcast. Unfortunately this Robin Hood gets overlooked next to Errol Flynn's and the silent with Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. but it has enough merit to stand on its own.Richard Todd is a dashing Robin Hood and he was at the height of his career when he did this film for Walt Disney. Todd was a fine performer and should have had a much bigger career than he did.The cast is filled out with a fine group of British performers. Two in my opinion really stand out. Peter Finch gets his first real exposure to American audiences as the villainous Sheriff of Nottingham. He probably had the biggest career of all the cast members.Secondly the booming James Robertson Justice as Little John is never bad in any film he was ever in. The classic battle between Robin Hood and Little John with staffs on a log bridge was never done better.During the 1950s this version also had competition from television where Richard Greene had a successful series for about seven years. The TV series was a good one, but this film doesn't have to yield to it either.A fine adventure film, the kind just not being made any more.

Alf Riley This was an outstanding film, with superb acting, a wonderful musical score, and colourful scenes that unfold from the Disney picture book of life in the middle ages. I remember seeing it around 1956 as a 10 yer old, and was fascinated by the lives of the outlaws, sheltering in the glades of Sherwood Forest from the wicked Prince John and his cunning assistant the Sheriff of Nottingham.The script was tight and delivered in impeccable olde English by actors who often went on to become household names in the acting profession later on in life. The beautiful scenes of woodland glades, the sun shimmering brightly as it cascaded through the trees into the outlaws' camp, brought to life the story of their fight for freedom and justice, and added a strangely surreal visual effect.There are a number of memorable scenes, friar tuck singing with himself as he munched his capon pie among the most notable. The most captivating for me, however, was the sight of Tuck walking behind Robin and Marian out of an eerie Sherwood Forest, with the lilt of Alan A Dale's voice as he sang a pleasant, melodic little tune .Yes, a very pleasant, uncomplicated film.