The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)

“Men, if you're willing to fight for our people, I want you!” 

            The Adventures of Robin Hood was my first Errol Flynn film and my first Olivia de Havilland film. I had heard of this famous classic acting duo but I have never seen them in their own films let alone together. I watched this last year in a Music in Film class I took and I loved it when it was over I considered it one of my favorite films and still do.

            The legends of Robin Hood are hundreds of years old originating in the thirteen hundreds. Robin Hood and his Merry Men take from the rich and give to the poor. The main story that everyone knows takes place during the Crusades when King Richard the Lion Hearted left England to fight in the Holy Land. His brother Prince John takes over but he is cruel and corrupt and taxes the English people until they have nothing left. Robin Hood creates much havoc for the prince and his group of Norman friends he is constantly playing tricks on them and capturing their knights.

             The Adventures of Robin Hood was written from several stories and variations of Robin Hood. On the Blu Ray special features a literary historian explains how Robin Hood started out as a trickster and how he used to coax people into duels and fights to see if they were worthy enough for his group. This was put into the film in three scenes. The historian also explains how the story of the character changed with the times such as when he needed to be a brave man and stand up to tyranny he was made to do and when he needed to be romantic and in love he was. Maid Marion was introduced during the Romantic Period in the eighteen hundreds she was never in the original stories. I love literature and I find it fascinating how stories are suited to their times so I found this very interesting.

            So pretty much in the film Robin Hood is a trickster and he is very smart. He and his men are fiercely loyal to King Richard and want to get rid of Prince John. His arch nemesis in the film is a character named Sir Guy of Gisbourne (Basil Rathbone). Robin and Sir Guy are the perfect foils because they are both smart and keep one step ahead of the other but no for very long.

            Robin falls in love with Maid Marian after he kidnaps her as she was riding with Sir Guy and the Sheriff of Nottingham (who here is the comic relief). At first she is not happy with being the rogue’s prisoner but he shows her what her Norman friends have been doing to the people and she feels awful. They are  taken with each other and both fall in love quickly. When Robin is captured and sentenced to death Marian with the help of the Merry Men help him escape.

            We all know that King Richard returns and order is returned to Nottingham and England and that Marian and Robin live happily ever after.

            From start to finish this film is so enjoyable. I was left feeling to happy and so entertained after seeing this. A commentator on the special features perfectly described the film as a fairytale in Technicolor. There is no way the film would have worked so well had it not been filmed in Technicolor it is what makes the film so much more fantastic.

            Also on the special features much is made of the cast. Leonard Maltin says that if you break down the cast and their talents then look at them as a whole it is the perfect movie cast. Many of the supporting cast members were stock character actors who had been in the film industry since the silent era so they were seasoned pros at what they did. Every one of their qualities greatly added to the film they were all so fantastic. He was so cute but I barely recognized him without his pencil thin mustache.  

            The four man cast members- Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Basil Rathbone, and Claude Rains- deserve so much credit they were flawless in their roles. This was Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland’s second film together. What always made them work and what made them work especially well in the film was that they were such good actors and they were so beautiful that you could believe Robin Hood and Maid Marian could love each other like they did. I remember as I was watching this film I knew de Havilland was Joan Fontaine’s older sister so I had to pull Fontaine on up my phone to see how much they looked alike. In some ways they do but Olivia is adorable she is not gorgeous she is just ridiculously cute while Joan is more pretty(Olivia is definitely was more talented than her sister I will say). They definitely share the same high cheekbones. As I watched this film the other night I just gushed like an idiot over how adorable de Havilland was and I could not get over the fact that she was twenty-two when she made this film. Errol Flynn was his usual devilishly handsome self and was the personification of Robin Hood. The moment I saw him I thought he was handsome even though he was wearing tights and an awful wig. The guy really did light up the screen and had such a magnetic and charming screen personality. The first time I saw Claude Rains I died laughing he looked so awful and so silly with his wig, fake beard and colorful costumes. I kept thinking of the guy in Casablanca and just laughed so hard. Basil Rathbone was incredible he was such a perfect bad guy. He had the best evil stares and just carried that air of meanness so well.

            I still cannot get over the flamboyant costumes designed by Milo Anderson. The first time sitting through this I laughed so hard over the clothing but now watching it they pop out so well and make the film that much more amazing and colorful. Olivia de Havilland worked with Anderson on her costumes she did a lot of research and would then bring her ideas back to him. Anderson liked working with her because she was very nice and helpful. The costumes have a bit of a contemporary feel to them not only with the coloring but the way they were made you can see the little bit of Art Deco influence in them. Also de Havilland’s eyebrows and makeup are contemporary in style.

            Erich Wolfgang Korngold created an amazing score and one that is greatly revered today. Korngold did not accept the job at first but once Hitler took over in Eastern Europe he took the job. The story of Robin Hood’s fight against tyranny paralleled the fight in Europe. Korngold’s score is a symphony with a film accompanying it, it is so strong and so full it almost takes on a life of its own. The score is so complex and strong that this complexion and strength even extends into the filler music. The score is also a perfect example of music syncing with the movements of the characters especially in the fight at the end between Robin and Sir Guy it follows their every movement.

            There are two directors for this film. William Kieghley was the first director but Warner Bros felt that he was not creating enough action so they turned to Michael Curtiz who was known for making some action film. Flynn got along great Keighley whom he had worked with before but he did not get along with Curtiz whom he also worked with but did not like. Curtiz is one of my favorite directors I like what he did with the film.

            The Adventures of Robin Hood is such a great film. It is one of those perfect light happy films that just make my day. There seriously are no flaws with this film it is just utter classic Hollywood perfection. I am so happy that this was both my first Olivia de Havilland and Errol Flynn film and my first film I had seen of their pairing they were so adorable together. I have seen just about every one of their films together and this one is the best.

            The Adventures of Robin Hood is a classic film definitely not to be missed and should be seen no matter if you love classic films or not

Back Street (1932)

Out of all the Irene Dunne films I have seen Back Street has been her weakest although it was a big hit for Paramount when it was released in 1932. The film is a soap opera in every sense of the word and one that just gets more boring as it progresses. I think it might just be me though I hate stories where a woman loves a man so much that she will do anything for him and not live her own life. The ending put the nail in coffin for me not liking this it was so cheesy.

            Dunne plays a woman named Ray Schmidt. Ray lives in Cincinnati with her father, step-mother and step-sister. She is a care free girl who can go out with any man she pleases and does. One day while bringing her friend Kurt to the train station she meets one of his friends a man named Walter Saxel. Ray and Walter begin to see each other even though he is engaged. Walter tells Ray that she must meet his mother and then they can be together instead of him marrying his fiancé. Unfortunately Ray gets held up and never gets to the bandstand where they are supposed to meet in time.

            Five years later Ray and Walter meet again in New York. They still love each other and carry on a very long affair. He keeps her comfortable to where she never has to have a job so he can see her whenever he wants. His wife never finds out about the affair but everyone else knows including his children when they are older. Walter tells his son that Ray is the only person in his life that means something very special to him and no one else fulfills a place in his life more than she does and has. In the end his son comes to care for Ray.

            Blah…. If I explain anymore I will bore myself all over again. The film is just a total 1930s woman, soap opera film. When I initially started the film I got twenty minutes in before I got bored and turned it off and when I continued it I could barely pay attention. I will say Back Street is interesting in concept but the acting was horrible and I hate saying that because Irene Dunne is amazing. She was not bad she was the only one who acted decently but everyone else was crap. John M. Stahl directed this film and he was known for his women’s films. Like Parnell it is as if he is not directing his actors he did not get the best he could out of them. I am beginning to think the only film the man made that was actually amazing is Leave Her to Heaven where he actually got something out of Gene Tierney because she was nominated for an Academy Award.

            Back Street is not one of the best classic films I have ever seen. I felt like I wasted my time watching it and I hate it when that happens no matter what era the movie is from. The film was remade twice (poor Irene Dunne all her films get remade over and over again. No wonder no one knows who she is today) with the 1941 version with Charles Boyer apparently being the best one (the other was made in 1961 with Susan Hayward). Dunne’s version is very hard to find and with a good reason. I suggest watching Back Street only if you really, really like Irene Dunne otherwise just skip it. 

Gilda (1946)

“Hate is a very strong emotion.”

            Gilda is one of those classic films that gets a lot of hype. It has been endlessly referenced in other films and lives on as Rita Hayworth’s most memorable role. After watching Gilda I definitely see why the film is one of classic Hollywood’s most popular and why men even to this day dream of a woman with the looks and sexiness of the character.

            The film is narrated by a guy named Johnny Farrell (Glenn Ford). Johnny just won a lot of money by cheating in a game of dice. He almost gets killed by one of the men he beat but another man named Ballin Mundson saves him. Mundson tells Johnny that there is an illegal high-class casino but warns him not to cheat there. Johnny goes to the casino but he does not heed the man’s warning and gets taken away by two men to see their boss. Their boss happens to be Mundson. Johnny talks the man into giving him a job at the casino and as a personal body guard.

            Johnny quickly gains his boss’s confidence following him around constantly and almost acting like the man’s slave. He will do anything for his boss. One day Mundson tells Johnny that he will be going away for a week to do business and that the casino will be left to him for the time. When Mundson comes back he surprises Johnny by showing him that he has gotten married and brought his wife home with him. The woman Mundson has married is named Gilda. There is recognition of the other on both their faces. Mundson senses their recognition and hostility towards each other but when asked they both deny they know each other. When they are left alone Johnny and Gilda confront each other and let it be known about their love-hate relationship that ended badly.

            Mundson somehow knows about the two of them but he tells Johnny to keep an eye on his wife. Gilda is constantly looking for a good time so she sneaks out with other men. His fierce loyalty to Mundson and knowing how much he loves his wife makes Johnny furious with Gilda making him more abusive. But Gilda knows her romping is making her ex-lover angry so she does it even more and tells him that she hates him so much she is willing to destroy herself to take him down. Mundson keeps repeating that “hate is a very strong emotion” and eventually Johnny and Gilda’s hatred of each other leads to a very passionate embrace and kiss.

            Mundson has gotten tied up with Germans and dealings in tungsten. He does not want to give up his shares. He shoots one of the German messengers and fakes his own death to get away leaving Johnny everything. As a punishment to both of them Johnny marries Gilda and practically imprisons her even when she gets away.

            After things do go well with the casino and Jonny finds out that Gilda never did half the things he believes she did the two reconcile and apologize for their harsh treatment of each other.

            I can definitely see why Gilda is such a popular and much talked about classic film. It has many of the great elements of a Noir with a beautiful femme fatale who men fall had over heels and do bad things out of love for her, illegal activity, and jealous lovers. I liked the film very much however I did not find it as exciting and thrilling as other Noirs I have seen. I found the plot to be a little boring making my attention wander a bit in some parts.

            I truly believe much of the hype that carries this film comes from Rita Hayworth. She was beautiful and sexy. Her best scene was her introduction when Ballin takes Johnny into her room and asks if she is decent and she answers as she is flipping her hair over. Hayworth’s striptease as she drunkenly sings “Put the Blame on Mame” to embarrass Johnny is fabulous. The scene is sexy without Hayworth showing too much.

            Glenn Ford was ok I have never seen him in a film before this. I could not see him as a tough, gambling man jealously in love with Gilda.

            Charles Vidor did a great job with the direction. He got some great shots especially of Johnny and Gilda together. Vidor’s direction was greatly enhanced by Rudolph Mate’s excellent cinematography which set a great tone for the darkness of the relationships.

            Gilda is in no doubt a classic Film Noir. Gilda is one of the ultimate femme fatales of the 1940s. Although I found the plot boring in some parts I did enjoy seeing a much talked about classic film. I do find it to be what I call “designer movies” meaning it is one that everyone likes and talks about but it is not that great (I call all of Audrey Hepburn’s films and her “designer”). I would not say that Gilda is a film I could watch over and over again but it is worth seeing at least once. 

A Little Help (2011)

When I found out Jenna Fischer was in a new movie called A Little Help I had to see this but unfortunately the movie was on a limited release and not playing anywhere around me. I endlessly looked up clips and trailers and what I could find was really funny. The other day I went to a video store looking for two movies which of course were not there. I was walking out the store when I happened to see A Little Help on DVD. I nearly passed out but as soon as I saw it I grabbed it and bought it. I had no idea it was out already when it had just been released in July.

            Laura’s marriage is not going to well at the moment. Her husband Bob (Chris O’Donnell) is constantly working and she thinks he is cheating on her. Her son cannot tolerate her at all and is always asking why Bob is not around more. Laura is not even happy with herself, she has been drinking a lot and smoking thinking no one notices.

            On the night of a family party Bob and Laura argue about what is wrong with their marriage and blaming all the problems on the other. Bob has not been feeling good most of the day and does not want to talk about it. Laura runs out of the house and as Bob is running after her he collapses grabbing his chest. The doctor at the hospital says that Bob is just suffering from anxiety there is nothing wrong with him. That night though while Laura is trying to please him Bob has an arrhythmia and dies.

            Now Laura’s life is really turned upside down. She could barely keep herself together with Bob around and now everything around her is just falling apart. Her son hates her even more, her sister has gone behind her back and talked to a lawyer for medical malpractice, Bob left her nothing, and her son lied about Bob’s death to his new friends at school saying that he died in 9/11 (the movie takes place in 2002).

            Laura feels that everyone besides her brother-in-law Paul (Rob Benedict) is against her and bearing down on her. She cannot straighten herself out while everyone is putting pressure on her.

            Jenna Fischer to me is one of the greatest actresses around today but her talent is barely noticed because most everyone knows her as Pam Beesley from The Office. Yes, like many people I first knew her as Pam but the more I see of her in movies the more I adore her as an actress. She was excellent in this film. She really looked like a wreck and acted like such a wreck she was totally believable. This was not a glamorous role but Fischer went for it and she was perfect I cannot imagine anyone else in the role.

            The rest of the cast was very well chosen. It was weird seeing Chris O’Donnell be an asshole and cursing but he was great in his few scenes. Daniel Yelsky who played Dennis, Laura’s son, was so good and this was his first movie. Ever since I saw him on Alias years ago I can only see Rob Benedict as this small nerdy guy Sydney Bristow put through the ringer in the first episode of season four but now after this movie he is a grown up guy haha. Along with Fischer he was the best part of the movie I liked his character very much. Brooke Smith as Laura’s sister was annoying which was the point of the character I guess. She wanted everything perfect. Smith will always be Dr. Erica Hahn from Grey’s Anatomy to me so whatever she is in it is always weird. (Can you tell I watch way too much TV? Haha)

            A Little Help is a very good independent movie. The story is very touching and at times funny. Jenna Fischer gives a fantastic performance. The story makes you think twice about some of the decisions you make in life. The best scenes are of Laura and Paul reminiscing about when they were young and seeing how perfect they get along when no one else is.  If you can find A Little Help to view I highly suggest seeing.