A Challenge for Robin Hood *** (1967, Barrie Ingham, James Hayter, Leon Greene) – Classic Movie Review 3475

Director C Pennington Richards’s lively but undistinguished 1967 British version of the Sherwood Forest legend was made for Hammer Films, which had already filmed Sword of Sherwood Forest in 1960 with a different cast. This time Barrie Ingham stars as a stalwart but rather mild Robin de Courtenay, aka Robin Hood, fighting an uphill struggle against memories of famous Robin Hoods such as Douglas Fairbanks Sr, Errol Flynn, Richard Greene and Richard Todd.

James Hayter re-creates his notable Friar Tuck role from The Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men (1952), Leon Greene plays Little John, Eric Flynn is Alan-a-Dale and John Arnatt’s the Sheriff of Nottingham. All these performers help it along nicely, but Richards’s rather flaccid, often paceless direction does not. Arnatt also played the Sheriff in the Richard Greene 1955-58 TV series when Alan Wheatley was unavailable.

Also in the cast are Peter Blythe, Gay Hamilton, William Squire, Jenny Till, Alfie Bass, Reg Lye and Douglas Mitchell.

© Derek Winnert 2016 Classic Movie Review 3475

Link to Derek Winnert’s home page for more reviews: http://derekwinnert.com/