If you're at all a fan of early Hollywood films, you've almost certainly seen something that Michael Curtiz directed. He's one of the most prolific directors of this era, and he did everything - horror, romance, action, comedies, musicals and more. He'd racked up credits on over a hundred films in Europe before he got to Hollywood, where he proceeded to work for the next three and a half decades on a slew of familiar classics. "Casablanca" is his most iconic film, and "Yankee Doodle Dandy" is one of my favorite musicals, but I feel he had the most influence with his action adventure films, especially the ones that he made with Errol Flynn and Olivia De Havilland. They both became stars thanks to Curtiz's "Captain Blood," but the height of their popular success was undoubtedly "The Adventures of Robin Hood."
I rewatched "The Adventures of Robin Hood" specifically for this post, after many, many years, and was surprised at how gorgeous the film looks. It's all sumptuous pageantry and swashbuckling spectacle, rendered in lush Technicolor, and an absolute pleasure to look at. It was Warner Brothers' most expensive production at the time, and they spared no expense . There's no attempt whatsoever to make the costumes look historically accurate. Instead, Robin has metallic studs sewn into his clothing to add a little extra glitz, and the colors are all incredibly bright and saturated to show off the capabilities of the new color film stock. Maid Marian's outfits are art deco masterpieces, sometimes covered in patterns and details that need a large screen to fully appreciate. The storybook visuals are very reminiscent of "The Wizard of Oz," which was released a year later.
I don't believe "The Adventures of Robin Hood" was intended to be a children's film at the time of its' release, but it comes off as one now. The story is never more complicated than simple good versus evil, courage over cowardice, and love conquering all. There's an innocence to the characters and a straightforwardness to their morality that feels strange to me after decades of revisionist and modernized takes on the Robin Hood legend, many of them built on the tropes laid out in this film. Even the animated Disney version from 1978 borrows an awful lot from Curtiz. When many people picture the cinematic Robin Hood, this is still the version that remains the most obvious point of reference. Robin is the intrepid young Erroll Flynn, full of fun and charm and energy. Marion is the brave, lovely Olivia DeHavilland, who eventually takes matters into her own hands. The scheming, dastardly villains are Claude Rains and Basil Rathbone, of course.
The action sequences are still the main event - the archery tournament, the daring escape from the gallows, and the final showdown where Flynn and Rathbone have their thrilling sword duel. The behind-the-scenes drama of the film's creation offers many contradictory stories, but one of the common explanations for Curtiz replacing the film's original director is that the producer wanted someone who could add more action and thrills. Similarly, Flynn was a natural choice for Robin Hood after "Captain Blood," and was game to do many of his own stunts. Much has been written and recounted about the efforts it took to get many of those arrow tricks and sword fighting scenes to look right, and it was worth the effort. There's still a heady thrill to seeing some of those stunts being performed to this day.
Curtiz was so versatile and so productive in his time in Hollywood, he's one of those directors, like Howard Hawks, who was often seen as being an extension of the studios. There's been some debate over whether he really had his own style as a director, and whether he should be treated as an auteur. However, there's no doubt that he was incredibly technically proficient, an excellent manager, and so deft at orchestrating all the talent involved in these huge productions that he was considered Warners' top director through most of the '40s. He could make any kind of picture, and was instrumental in the creation of some of the most iconic ones ever made. A noted workaholic, he kept making movies into his 70s, the last released in 1961.
Auteur or not, he was a great director.
What I've Seen - Michael Curtiz
Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933)
Captain Blood (1935)
Anthony Adverse (1936)
The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
Angels With Dirty Faces (1938)
Four Daughters (1938)
Dodge City (1939)
The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939)
The Sea Hawk (1940)
Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)
Casablanca (1942)
This is the Army (1943)
Mildred Pierce (1945)
Life With Father (1947)
The Breaking Point (1950)
White Christmas (1954)
We're No Angels (1955)
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