A Challenge for Robin Hood
Falsely accused of murder, Sir Robin of Loxley seeks refuge in the untamed wilds of Sherwood Forest, where he encounters a group of outlaws. Initially wary of the aristocrat's motives, the men are soon won over by his integrity and prowess, and Robin reshapes them into a formidable fighting force, stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. As tales of his fame and valour spread, a legend is born.
Director(s)
C.M. Pennington-Richards
Cast & Crew
Details
Reviews
John Chard
Alas poor Fitzwarren, I knew him well. A Challenge for Robin Hood is directed by C.M. Pennington-Richards and written by Peter Bryan. It stars Barrie Ingham, Peter Blythe, James Hayter, John Arnatt, Gay Hamilton, John Gugolka, Eric Flynn, Leon Greene and Douglas Mitchell. Music is by Gary Hughes and cinematography by Arthur Grant. A Seven Arts-Hammer production in De Luxe Color, this is another variant on the Robin Hood legend. Very much operating from the Norman and the Saxon feud, pic has all the requisite swashbuckling shenanigans to entertain the family. It's very colourful, both in camera lensing and costuming, robust with the action scenes, and thrives on the good olde goodies versus baddies nature of the origin story. The Masked Monk! It's all very fanciful of course, with derring-do and machismo the order of the day, which unfortunately renders the Maid Marian (Hamilton) character as being an outsider looking in. Yet the camaraderie of the merry men, the earning of trusts and surrogate kinship's, ensures there's nary a dull moment in the tale. The pies have it. Whilst the choreography is not high end, the standard of the buckling of the swashes is better than average, while there is some fun sequences that can't fail to raise a smile. Pennington-Richards and his team have managed to not let the modest budget bog the picture down; modern day car glimpsed in the background of one shot not withstanding! Mr. Kipling makes exceedingly good cakes. The cast is made up of mostly unknowns, but that is absolutely fine as the likes of Ingham and Blythe are attacking their roles with such relish, with a glint in their eyes, it's hard not to just buy into the frothy fun of it all. The standout is Hayter as Friar Tuck, the voice of a major cake advertising campaign in Britain, he steals every scene he is in here and he actually on his own makes this well worth watching. There are far better Robin Hood movies out there, for sure this one feels at times like it's clinging on to the swashbuckling coat tails that had long since gone as the 70s approached. Yet sometimes all you need from this type of film to entertain is guts and frivolity, and this has it in spades. 7/10
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A Challenge for Robin Hood FAQs
C.M. Pennington-Richards is the director of A Challenge for Robin Hood.
The cast of A Challenge for Robin Hood includes Alfie Bass as Pie Merchant, Norman Mitchell as Dray Driver, James Hayter as Friar Tuck, Peter Blythe as Sir Roger de Courtenay, John Arnatt as Sheriff of Nottingham, Gay Hamilton as Lady Marian Fitzwarren, Leon Greene as Little John, Douglas Mitchell as Will Scarlett, Jenny Till as The Imposter Lady Marian, John Gugolka as Stephen Fitzwarren, the boy, Reg Lye as Much, Barrie Ingham as Robin de Courtenay, alias Robin Hood, and more.
The duration of A Challenge for Robin Hood is 1h 32 mins.
A Challenge for Robin Hood was released on 01 Jul 1967.
A Challenge for Robin Hood is listed under Adventure on Fanbiz.
A Challenge for Robin Hood has 1 review on Fanziz, with an average rating of 7.0/10. One reviewer wrote: "Alas poor Fitzwarren, I knew him well. A Challenge for Robin Hood is directed by C.M. Pennington-Richards and written by Peter Bryan. It stars Barrie Ingham, Peter Blythe, Ja..."
