Excellent characters with emotional depth. My wife, daughter and granddaughter all enjoyed it...and me, too! Very good movie! You won't be disappointed.

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

Now, this is actually worth going to some trouble to see. Probably not to everyone's taste -- the opening sequence, with a nimble-footed and saturnine Alan-a-Dale strumming the theme-song ballad, will sort out the sheep from the goats of those who simply can't stand this sort of thing -- but despite the live-action Disney label, it stands up well amongst all its predecessors and successors.It steers a skillful and essential line between tendentious over-seriousness and pie-in-the-face humour, and contrives a fresh view on the familiar set-pieces -- the shivered arrow on the bull's-eye, Friar Tuck and the river crossing, the recruitment of Little John -- with, unusually, a sizable part for the formidable Eleanor of Aquitaine as the mother of the King and Prince John. In the title role, Richard Todd makes a charming curly-headed rogue, whose merry eyes betray his identity beneath the most enveloping of disguises, and he brings the necessary charisma and impudence to the character: this is the recognisable Robin Hood of legend, whom men follow for freedom and for the fun of it. A little easy-going, perhaps, with little of the passion against injustice that flashes beneath the laughter of Errol Flynn, but this is Disney after all.Joan Rice is a spitfire wilful Marian, whose involvement is plausibly scripted without any anachronism; she also provides a couple of the best moments in the film, whether belabouring Robin on her fellow-travellers' behalf or silencing him with an athletic embrace at the end. James Hayter as Friar Tuck and Peter Finch as the black-avised Sheriff of Nottingham also give memorable performances -- and could that really have been avuncular Hubert Gregg, of all people, convincing us as Prince John?My main source of irritation about this film lay in some of the archery embellishments. Every arrow-shot we see zips past with the whine of a ricocheted bullet, presumably in order to make the fights sound more exciting in the absence of gunfire, and the system of signalling by firing colour-coded arrows in relays at one another seemed not only out of place but highly risky (credibility not helped by what I surely didn't imagine as people turning round to look as they hear the arrow coming!) The distinctly unpleasant fate of the forsworn Sheriff, on the other hand, was glossed over in suspicious silence, without so much as a cry.But caveats aside, the film scores well on sheer energy, with a healthy dash of humour. The 1967 "A Challenge for Robin Hood" (despite featuring Hayter as Friar Tuck again!) is an over-bright and sanitised Ladybird rendition; the 1990 "Robin Hood" (the non-Costner version) went the other way and overdid the historical grime. The latter is the better film, but neither of them has the enjoyability and spirit of the 1952 offering. This isn't on the same scale as the Curtiz/Keighley classic of 1938, and Todd remains an engaging boy rather than a rollicking leader of men, but it perhaps comes closest to matching the verve of its illustrious predecessor.

This was an outstanding film, with superb acting, a wonderful musical score, and colourful scenes that unfold from the Disney picture book of life in the middle ages. I remember seeing it around 1956 as a 10 yer old, and was fascinated by the lives of the outlaws, sheltering in the glades of Sherwood Forest from the wicked Prince John and his cunning assistant the Sheriff of Nottingham.The script was tight and delivered in impeccable olde English by actors who often went on to become household names in the acting profession later on in life. The beautiful scenes of woodland glades, the sun shimmering brightly as it cascaded through the trees into the outlaws' camp, brought to life the story of their fight for freedom and justice, and added a strangely surreal visual effect.There are a number of memorable scenes, friar tuck singing with himself as he munched his capon pie among the most notable. The most captivating for me, however, was the sight of Tuck walking behind Robin and Marian out of an eerie Sherwood Forest, with the lilt of Alan A Dale's voice as he sang a pleasant, melodic little tune .Yes, a very pleasant, uncomplicated film.

As with 1938's "The Adventures of Robin Hood" w/ Errol Flynn and Olivia de Haviland Disney tries at making it's own version of the famous Robin Hood legend and succeeds admirably! Richard Todd is the perfect Robin Hood being a classic 1950s heartthrob and sporting a 50s haircut to boot and Joan Rice is a sweet and convincing Maid Marian. The script also presents a clever touch at including a wandering minstrel who weaves the story together in song. The only flaw I found was the overly-bright lighting causing the cinematography to be suffering a budget. But other than that, "The Story of Robin Hood" is very well-written, well-directed, well-acted and well worth the purchase of the video.

This live action Walt Disney produced Robin Hood adaptation is among the best in the genre, perhaps second only to the outstanding Errol Flynn version of 1938 ("The Adventures of Robin Hood"). The cast is solid, led by the energetic and charismatic Richard Todd as Robin Hood.This version has a few features not commonly found in Robin Hood films. Eleanor of Aquitaine (the Queen of England and mother to both King Richard and Prince John) is a major supporting character and is played by veteran actress Martita Hunt. The real-life Eleanor is one of the most famous and powerful women of medieval English history and one that is (unfortunately) only rarely portrayed in film. Another historic figure that is represented is the Archbishop of Canterbury (played by Antony Eustral). Absent from this version is the traditional conflict between Normans and Saxons, but there is plenty of evil-doing on the part of Prince John and the Sheriff of Nottingham for Robin to deal with.This rousing adventure is not to be missed, particularly by those who profess to have an interest in classic adventure. Don't let the association with Walt Disney Studios fool you. Though the film isn't brutally violent, there is sufficient 1950s death and mayhem to satisfy most fans of the genre.