Hammer Films of Robin Hood.

 

 Hammer Films made four Robin Hood films of variable but entertaining quality. However, the dark style of Hammer will always ensure them a loyal audience. Above: David Warbeck as Robin Hood in the gritty "Wolfshead" (1969), made by London Weekend television and purchased by Hammer.
Men of Sherwood Forest saw Robin Hood and his Merry Men use a dark cave for their base of operations.
Will Scarlet faces the Sherif of Nottingham's dungeons in A Challenge For Robin Hood.
Robin Hood gives Maid Marian a passionate kiss in Sword of Sherwood Forest.
Oliver Reed made a brief yet powerful and villianous appearance in Sword of Sherwood Forest.
Maid Marian is seriously injured in A Challenge For Robin Hood.
Robin Hood and Will Scarlet on the Hammer Horror style gallows in Challenge for Robin Hood.

Click on the titles above to read film review. See more pictures from Hammer Studios Robin Hood films on THIS LINK, and more pictures from the darker side of Robin Hood's legend on THIS LINK. Also visit the main Robin Hood website for more information about Robin Hood films http://robinhoodtree.blogspot.com/ .

Maid Marian and Robin Hood costumes.

Above and below: Maid Marian and Robin Hood as they appear in The Adventures of Robin Hood. Olivia De Havilland wore a seemingly endless series of exotic costumes throughout the colourful film.

Above and below: Maid Marian costumes as they appear in Sword of Sherwood Forest and A Challenge for Robin Hood. The costumes are still colourful but possibly more realistic than the earlier Hollywood style.

Above: Maid Marian costumes in Robin of Sherwood took on a more austere and realistic look. Below: Robin and Marian as they appeared in the first internet movie version, Beyond Sherwood Forest.
Maid Marian pictures can also be found here, here, and throughout the Robin Hood website http://robinhoodtree.blogspot.com/  To see where Robin Hood and Maid Marian were married click THIS LINK.

Robin Hood and his Merry Men

Above: Friar Tuck, Little John, and Will Scarlet from Bandit of Sherwood Forest (1946)
Above: From the New Adventures of Robin Hood (1997).
Above: Partick Troughton as Robin Hood, with his Merry Men of Sherwood, in the rare, original BBC series.

Above: Robin Hood and his Merry Men as depicted in A Challenge for Robin Hood.
Above: Robin Hood and his Merry Men hide in Sherwood Forest in Errol Flynn's The Adventures of Robin Hood.
Above: Robin and Merry Men Will Scarlet and Friar Tuck, in the Walt Disney film The Story of Robin Hood, which continues to gain in popularity.
Above: The Merry Men don't look quite so merry as they take shelter from the Sheriff of Nottingham in an early episode of the Richard Greene television series.
Above: Richard Greene as Robin Hood with his outlaws in Sword of Sherwood Forest.
Above: Don Taylor as Robin Hood with his Merry Men in The Men of Sherwood Forest.
Above: Robin Hood and his Merry Men as depicted in an emotional funeral scene from Robin of Sherwood.

Hammer Horror and Robin Hood

Even in their first colour film there was something unmistakably evident of what would soon be referred to as the Hammer Horror style. These pictures are from The Men of Sherwood, the first Robin Hood film to be made by the famous Bray Studios. To find more information about The Men of Sherwood click here.

Hammer films would be associated with thre more Robin Hood films. Sword of Sherwood Forest (1960), Challenge for Robin Hood (1976), and Wolfshead (1969).

Alan A Dale, outlaw of Sherwood Forest

Alan A'Dale was an accomplished balladeer, able to provide humorous comment on the news of the day, or even embellish the many stories about Robin Hood himself as they sprang up across Nottinghamshire. He has become almost inextricably confused with Will Scarlet in many versions of the Robin Hood story, but they were two entirely different characters. Alan A Dale was not the best of archers or swordsmen, but his skills as a woodsman, trapping and hunting, were highly valued. He could also deliver a sentimental folk song around the camp fire to outlaws who were a long way from their sweethearts.
Above left: Elton Hayes as Alan A'Dale was central to the structure of the Walt Disney film The Story of Robin Hood, his musical appearances being used to move the plot along in much the style of an Olde English ballad. Above right: Alan A'Dale (John Schlesinger) makes his first appearance in television's The Adventures of Robin Hood, the early series of which would always be introduced with a ballad in the same manner.
Hear Alan A Dale sing! on THIS LINK. To see where Alan A Dale met Robin hood in Papplewick, see THIS LINK.

 

Robin Hood and Will Scarlet (Scarlett)

Robin Hood (Erroll Flynn) and Will Scarlet (Patric Knowles) would have been hard pressed to hide from the Sheriff of Nottingham in these clothes in The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938).
Ronald Howard would continue the concept of Will Scarlet as being a combination of fashion conscious dandy and minstrel in the 1950s Robin Hood television series. But his Will Scarlet certainly has more of an eye for the ladies than for Robin.
Ray Winstone restored the credibility of the outlaw Will Scarlet as Robin Hood's loyal, though somewhat argumentative follower in Robin of Sherwood.

sheriff of nottingham pictures

Above: Alan Rickman in Prince of Thieves, possibly the definitive Sheriff of Nottingham in all the movies made about Robin Hood.

Above: Alan Wheatley as the Sheriff of Nottingham in the Richard Greene television series The Adventures of Robin Hood. Wheatley's superb performance would link him for all time with the "dastardly villain" of legend.
Above left: Robert Shaw as the aging Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin and Marian. Robert Shaw's Sheriff of Nottingham has the temperament of an army general, craving the action packed battles of his youth. Above centre: The accomplished actor Peter Finch was inexcusably poor as the Sheriff of Nottingham in the first Walt Disney film of The Story of Robin Hood. Maybe he was having a bad hair day. Above right: Nicholas Grace played the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin of Sherwood, giving a superb performance which had to match Robert Addie as Guy of Gisburne as Robin Hood's main adversary.
Above: The arrows from Robin Hood and his Merry Men find their target in the early episodes of The Adventures of Robin Hood.