The Men of Sherwood Forest is a 1954 British adventure film directed by Val Guest and starring Don Taylor, Reginald Beckwith, Eileen Moore and David King-Wood.[1] It was written by Allan MacKinnon. The score was by Doreen Carwithen. The film follows the exploits of Robin Hood and his followers.[2]
| The Men of Sherwood Forest | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | Val Guest |
| Written by | Allan MacKinnon |
| Produced by | Michael Carreras |
| Starring | Don Taylor Reginald Beckwith Eileen Moore |
| Cinematography | Walter J. Harvey |
| Edited by | James Needs |
| Music by | Doreen Carwithen |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Exclusive Films Astor Pictures (US) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 77 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Plot
editIn 1194, on his return from the Third Crusade, Richard the Lionheart is taken prisoner in Germany. Disguised as a troubadour, Robin Hood builds a plan to rescue him from this tight spot but is captured. The Merry Men then have to fulfil a double mission: find Robin Hood and save the King.
Cast
edit- Don Taylor as Robin Hood
- Reginald Beckwith as Friar Tuck
- Eileen Moore as Lady Alys
- David King-Wood as Sir Guy Belton
- Douglas Wilmer as Sir Nigel Saltire
- Harold Lang as Hubert
- Ballard Berkeley as Walter
- Patrick Holt as King Richard
- Wensley Pithey as Hugo
- Leslie Linder as Little John
- John Van Eyssen as Will Scarlett
- Leonard Sachs as Sheriff of Nottingham
- Raymond Rollett as Abbot St. Jude
- Toke Townley as Father David
- Vera Pearce as Elvira
- John Kerr as Brian of Eskdale
- John Stuart as Moraine
- Bernard Bresslaw as Garth
- Edward Hardwicke as Outlaw
- Jack May as Villager
Production
editProduced by Hammer Films it was shot at the company's Bray Studios with sets designed by the art director J. Elder Wills. Exteriors were shot at Bodiam Castle in Sussex.
Val Guest called it "a merry romp, it was a send-up of all the Robin Hood things... It was a fun picture, but nothing really riveting or historical."[3]
Critical reception
editThe Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "This unassuming addition to the Robin Hood saga is in the real Sherwood tradition. Don Taylor makes a good-natured Robin Hood, and the tone of the film generally is genial, although Friar Tuck's rollicking joviality is at times played up at the expense of the action."[4]
David Parkinson noted in the Radio Times "a cheap and cheerful Hammer outing to Sherwood, with production values on a par with the infamously parsimonious ITV series starring Richard Greene", concluding "Val Guest directs with little feel for the boisterous action, but it's a tolerable frolic all the same."[5]
TV Guide wrote that "this low-budget swashbuckler is good fun for the undiscriminating".[6]
References
edit- ^ "The Men of Sherwood Forest". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
- ^ "Men of Sherwood Forest". BFI. Archived from the original on 16 January 2009.
- ^ Fowler, Roy (1988). "Interview with Val Guest". British Entertainment History Project.
- ^ "The Men of Sherwood Forest". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 21 (240): 179. 1 January 1954. ProQuest 1305810751 – via ProQuest.
- ^ David Parkinson. "Men of Sherwood Forest". RadioTimes.
- ^ "Men Of Sherwood Forest". TV Guide.
External links
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