Sword of Sherwood Forest *** (1960 Richard Greene, Peter Cushing, Niall MacGinnis, Nigel Green, Richard Pasco) – Classic Movie Review 2957

Director Terence Fisher’s enjoyable 1960 TV adventure spinoff finds the Hammer Films studio temporarily abandoning horror films and bringing in Richard Greene, the star of Fifties TV’s long-running The Adventures of Robin Hood, to re-create his renowned ITV role for the big screen. It’s a reminder that Hammer first got into business bringing radio and TV shows to the big screen before they completely became known as the House of Horror.

Writer Alan Hackney provides a middling, but reasonably entertaining new tale about The Sheriff of Nottingham’s plot to kill the Archbishop of Canterbury, who has spoken out against the Sheriff’s plan to confiscate the estate of the Lord of Bortrey, who has died on the Crusades. Robin Hood pretends to undertake the assassination of the Archbishop for the plotters and Maid Marian, thinking it’s for real, leads him into a trap.

The movie itself is a bit undercooked, but, in a series of jolly, tasty performances, Peter Cushing, Nigel Green, Richard Pasco and Niall MacGinnis enjoy themselves as the Sheriff of Nottingham, Little John, the Earl of Newark and Friar Tuck.

And it’s certainly good to have Greene’s sterling performance immortalised on celluloid. Fifties crooner Dennis Lotis makes a ideal Alan A’Dale. Also in the cast are Sarah Branch as Maid Marian Fitzwalter, Oliver Reed as Lord Melton, Vanda Godsell as The Prioress, Derren Nesbitt as Martin of Eastwood, Desmond Llewelyn as a wounded fugitive, Edwin Richfield as The Sheriff’s Lieutenant, Brian Rawlinson, Patrick Crean, Reginald Hearne, Jack Cooper, Adam Keane, Charles Lamb as Old Bowyer, Jack Hoey and John Franklyn.

Unlike TV viewers of the day, we get colour and widescreen, and cinematographer Ken Hodges films it quite nicely in Eastmancolor.

Like the TV series, the movie begins and ends with a short song.

Richard Greene, Desmond Llewelyn, Nigel Green, Richard Pasco, Brian Rawlinson, Charles Lamb and Ivor Collin (crew member as master of horse) all appeared in TV’s The Adventures of Robin Hood, while Terence Fisher directed 11 episodes of the series.

© Derek Winnert 2015 Classic Movie Review 2957

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