I found a nice used copy of The Prince Of Thieves for cheap and picked it up. It's a 1948 adaptation of an Alexander Dumas novel called Le Prince des voleurs. It's a novel about Robin Hood. The screenplay is by Charles H. Schneer and Maurice Tombragel. Charles would later produce several films with Ray Harryhausen. It's directed by Howard Bretherton and produced by Sam Katzman. Jon Hall, Patricia Morison, Adele Jergens, Alan Mowbray and HB Warner are in the cast. It's a Cinecolor process film. Sadly, it's drawback is that it can't reproduce green well. Kind of bummer for the traditionally green Robin Hood costumes.
The story is about Robin putting a stop to an arranged marriage so that another arranged marriage can take place. Lady Christabel is betrothed to Sir Allan Claire. He's been away with King Richard fighting and when he returns home he finds Lady Christabel is now betrothed to a nobleman in league with Prince John. No one likes those dicks so Robin and the Merrie Men kick some noble ass and everything is OK.
It was fun enough but not a great Robin Hood film. Jon Hall is a passable Robin but he won't be my favorite. Still, I liked it enough to want to see again and I liked it more than the Kevin Costner film of the same name. I won't even both to have a copy of that movie.
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