For April’s installment of Sidewalk Film 101, we’re headed to the beautiful Technicolor woodlands of Sherwood Forest with Errol Flynn in Michael Curtiz’s swashbuckling classic The Adventures of Robin Hood. Flynn, the charismatic Australian star who reached movie stardom in Curtiz’s 1935 pirate classic Captain Blood alongside Olivia de Havilland. Flynn and de Havilland would star in nine films together, seven of which were directed by Curtiz, one of the studio system’s most prolific and reliable filmmakers. A Hungarian talent brought to Hollywood by Warner Bros., Curtiz made most of his American films at the studio, directing films of a variety of genres that now number among the most beloved films of the era. He directed James Cagney to stardom in the gangster film Angels with Dirty Faces and to an Academy Award in the musical biopic Yankee Doodle Dandy; he brought the complicated noir-tinged melodrama Mildred Pierce to the screen, featuring Joan Crawford’s Oscar-winning lead role; and he made arguably the most-adored romantic drama of all time with stars Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, the 1942 classic Casablanca. And while those films are masterworks, there is a charge to Curtiz’s adventure films that you won’t find in the work of his peers, thanks to the indelible charm of his stars, the exquisitely detailed sets, and the genuine daring of the films’ stunt work. The Adventures of Robin Hood is exemplary, expertly crafted studio entertainment you won’t want to miss on the big screen.
Before you join us for The Adventures of Robin Hood on Thursday, April 16, at 7 p.m., or Sunday, April 19, at 1 p.m. for our Sidewalk Film 101 screenings, check out these links to some supplementary reading on the film and the L.A. Rebellion.
- A detailed piece on the conception, creation and impact of The Adventures of Robin Hood from Deep Focus Review: https://www.deepfocusreview.com/definitives/the-adventures-of-robin-hood/
- An excellent summary and analysis of the film from FilmSite.org: https://www.filmsite.org/adve.html
- From the Library of Congress’s National Recording Preservation Board, an essay focusing on the invaluable contributions of Oscar-winning composer Erich Wolfgand Korngold: https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-recording-preservation-board/documents/TheAdventuresOfRobinHood.pdf
Join us at either of our Sidewalk Film 101 screenings for a special intro by the Sidewalk Cinema programming director, Corey Craft, before the film. We hope to see you there!
Get tickets to our Sidewalk Film 101 screenings of The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) here.