14 March 2025

The Bandit of Sherwood Forest (1946) Reviewed

Movie poster for The Bandit of Sherwood Forest (1946).

The Bandit of Sherwood Forest (1946) is a passable and largely forgettable tale in the history of Robin Hood's various modern-concocted progeny, which, in this case, is Robert of Nottingham (played by Cornel Wilde). Early in the film, the master plan is revealed. The King's Regent, William of Pembroke (Henry Daniell), is plotting the assassination of the young King Henry III (Maurice Tauzin) and his own ascension to the throne, which will culminate in the destruction of the Magna Carta and anything else that stands in the way of his assumption of absolute power. The threat of autocratic rule was painfully fresh in the memories of those who survived the Second World War, and this is by far the most powerful and memorable scene in the film. Unfortunately, the film devolves rapidly into a series of standard genre clichés conveyed with generic adequacy (except for Henry Daniell's outlandish scenery-chewing that may have directly inspired Henry Polic's Sheriff of Nottingham in When Things Were Rotten and Edgar Buchanan's wiley prospector take on Friar Tuck). The only surprise is the quality of Cornel's fencing (which wouldn't surprise those who know that Cornel once turned down a place in the U.S. Olympic fencing team), but it is, alas, compromised by its brevity. Other action scenes are rendered less effective by being shrouded in darkness. What could have been a rousing swashbuckling parable against tyranny is instead a hasty romp through the usual Robin Hood wardrobe and sets.

[Slightly edited on 15 March 2025.]

Writing: Mediocre
Directing: Mediocre
Acting: Mediocre
Cinematography: Mediocre/Fair
Stunts: Fair
Swordplay: Good
Panache: Mediocre

Overall Rating: Mediocre
Swashbuckling Rank: Fair

Written by: Wilfrid H. Pettitt and Melvin Levy
Based on: Son of Robin Hood by Paul A. Castleton
Directed by: Henry Levin and George Sherman
Performed by: Cornel Wilde, Anita Louise, Jill Esmond, Henry Daniell, Russell Hicks, Edgar Buchanan, George Macready, Maurice Tauzin, et al.