By Richard Harland Smith
A Challenge for Robin Hood
Brief Synopsis
Robin Hood gathers a band of rebels to fight against his scheming cousin and the evil sheriff.
Cast & Crew
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C. M. Pennington-richards
Director
Barrie Ingham
Robin Hood
James Hayter
Friar Tuck
Leon Greene
Little John
Peter Blythe
Roger de Courtenay
Gay Hamilton
Maid Marian
Film Details
Also Known As
The Legend of Robin Hood
MPAA Rating
Genre
Adventure
Drama
Release Date
Jun
1968
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
Hammer Film Productions, Ltd.; Seven Arts Productions
Distribution Company
Twentieth Century--Fox Film Corp.
Country
United Kingdom
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 36m
Sound
Mono (RCA Sound System)
Color
Color (DeLuxe)
Synopsis
In the era when Richard the Lion-Hearted is absent on his Crusade and his evil brother John is ruling England with a tyrannical hand, Sir John de Courtenay dies and bequeaths his estate to his two sons, Roger and Henry, and their cousin, Robin. When Roger murders his brother and tries to incriminate Robin, Robin flees with the loyal Friar Tuck to the relative safety of Sherwood Forest. Upon encountering a band of outlaws, Robin displays such skill with the bow and arrow that he is elected their leader. Before long, he becomes the legendary Robin Hood, robbing the rich to help the poor, while outwitting Roger and the Sheriff of Nottingham. Determined to lure Robin into a trap, the sheriff and Roger decide to hang an innocent man at a fair. Robin and his men save the man, however, and later storm Courtenay Castle to rescue Lady Marian, the sister of one of Robin's men. Though Roger is killed, the sheriff escapes. Robin then marries Maid Marian and returns with Friar Tuck to his band of Sherwood Forest outlaws.
Director
C. M. Pennington-richards
Director
Cast
Barrie Ingham
Robin Hood
James Hayter
Friar Tuck
Leon Greene
Little John
Peter Blythe
Roger de Courtenay
Gay Hamilton
Maid Marian
Alfie Bass
Pie merchant
Jenny Till
"Lady Marian"
John Arnatt
Sheriff of Nottingham
Eric Flynn
Alan-a-Dale
John Gugolka
Stephen
Reg Lye
Much
William Squire
Sir John
Donald Pickering
Sir Jamyl de Penitone
Eric Woofe
Henry de Courtenay
John Harvey
Wallace
Douglas Mitchell
Will Scarlet
John Graham
Justin
Arthur Hewlett
Edwin
Norman Mitchell
Dray driver
Crew
Chris Barnes
Film Editor
Laurie Barnett
Sound Recording
Bowie Films
Special Effects
Peter Bryan
Screenwriter
Michael Carreras
Executive Producer
Maurice Carter
Art Director
Bryan Coates
Production Manager
Ray Corbett
Assistant Director
Peter Diamond
Fights Arrangements
Arthur Grant
Director of Photography
Moray Grant
Camera Operator
Bill Griffiths
Hairstyles
Gary Hughes
Music Composition
Jack Knight
Sound Editing
Irene Lamb
Casting
Philip Martell
Music Supervisor
Dulcie Midwinter
Wardrobe mistress
Michael Morris
Makeup
James Needs
Film Editor
Clifford Parkes
Producer
George Stephenson
Sound mix
Elizabeth Wilcox
Cont
Film Details
Also Known As
The Legend of Robin Hood
MPAA Rating
Genre
Adventure
Drama
Release Date
Jun
1968
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
Hammer Film Productions, Ltd.; Seven Arts Productions
Distribution Company
Twentieth Century--Fox Film Corp.
Country
United Kingdom
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 36m
Sound
Mono (RCA Sound System)
Color
Color (DeLuxe)
Articles
A Challenge For Robin Hood
However heavily it invested in the horror trade, Great Britain's Hammer Film Productions never rested on its laurels. Despite the windfall reaped with the success of Hammer's classic monster line, which rebooted Dracula, the Wolf Man, the Mummy, and the Frankenstein Monster and reawakened a genre that had lain dormant for nearly a decade, the company maintained a diverse catalogue of psychological thrillers, science fiction adventures, combat pictures, comedies - even westerns and swashbucklers. Hammer turned out no less than three films based on the legend of Robin Hood: Val Guest's Men of Sherwood Forest (1954), Terence Fisher's Sword of Sherwood Forest (1960), and Cyril Pennington-Richards' A Challenge for Robin Hood (1967), starring Barrie Ingham in the title role. A more meat and potatoes protagonist than Errol Flynn, the barrel-chested Ingham's central performance shifts focus away from movie star grandstanding in favor of ensemble heroics, supporting themes of camaraderie and cooperation that are integral to the Robin Hood ethos. Notable among the support players are James Hayter as Friar Tuck and John Arnatt as the Sheriff of Nottingham - both holdovers from Disney's The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men (1952). Less a reboot of the mythos than a droll send-up of its requisite clichés and setpieces, A Challenge for Robin Hood sidesteps irony to deliver solid matinee excitement for young and old.
By Richard Harland Smith
By Richard Harland Smith
A Challenge For Robin Hood
However heavily it invested in the horror trade, Great Britain's Hammer Film Productions never rested on its laurels. Despite the windfall reaped with the success of Hammer's classic monster line, which rebooted Dracula, the Wolf Man, the Mummy, and the Frankenstein Monster and reawakened a genre that had lain dormant for nearly a decade, the company maintained a diverse catalogue of psychological thrillers, science fiction adventures, combat pictures, comedies - even westerns and swashbucklers. Hammer turned out no less than three films based on the legend of Robin Hood: Val Guest's Men of Sherwood Forest (1954), Terence Fisher's Sword of Sherwood Forest (1960), and Cyril Pennington-Richards' A Challenge for Robin Hood (1967), starring Barrie Ingham in the title role. A more meat and potatoes protagonist than Errol Flynn, the barrel-chested Ingham's central performance shifts focus away from movie star grandstanding in favor of ensemble heroics, supporting themes of camaraderie and cooperation that are integral to the Robin Hood ethos. Notable among the support players are James Hayter as Friar Tuck and John Arnatt as the Sheriff of Nottingham - both holdovers from Disney's The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men (1952). Less a reboot of the mythos than a droll send-up of its requisite clichés and setpieces, A Challenge for Robin Hood sidesteps irony to deliver solid matinee excitement for young and old.
By Richard Harland Smith
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
Copyright length: 96 min. Released in Great Britain in December 1967; running time: 96 min. The working title of this film is The Legend of Robin Hood.
Miscellaneous Notes
Released in United States Summer June 1968
Released in United States Summer June 1968
