The first three to be made were silent British films - in Robin Hood And His Merry Men (1908) Robin rescues a man from the gallows; in Robin Hood Outlawed (1912) he rescues Maid Marian from an evil knight and in Days Of Robin Hood (1913) he disguises himself as a monk to rescue one of his men from the Sheriff of Nottingham.
 
Across the pond, the first two silent US films were Robin Hood (1912), not to be confused with Robin Hood (1913).

By 1922 another film - inspiringly called Robin Hood - was in the pipeline, starring Douglas Fairbanks Senior as Robin. Apparently he didn't fancy playing "a flat-footed Englishman walking through the woods", but he was eventually persuaded and went on to produce this classic film and write the screenplay. Its lavish sets made it the most expensive films ever made at that time. Fairbanks performed several daring stunts, and the story is crammed with swordfights and jousts.

The Adventures Of Robin Hood (1938) is seen by many as the ultimate Robin Hood film. It stars the dashing Errol Flynn as Robin, Olivia De Havilland as Maid Marian, Claude Rains as evil Prince John, Basil Rathbone as Sir Guy of Gisbourne and Alan Hale as Little John. With its swashbuckling action scenes and the perfect casting of Flynn as the charming but cocky Robin Hood, it became one of Warner Bros Studios greatest hits and won three Academy Awards. Find out more about Basil Rathbone's memorable role as Sherlock Holmes here.

Its success led to a string of Robin Hood-themed movies, including The Bandit Of Sherwood Forest (1946), Prince Of Thieves (1948), Rogues Of Sherwood Forest (1950), Tales Of Robin Hood (1951) and The Story Of Robin Hood And His Merrie Men (1952), starring Richard Todd as Robin. Made by Disney at great expense, it didn't do as well at the box office as expected.

Another handful of films were made before the release of the huge hit Robin Hood (1973), a Disney animated film in which all the characters are played by animals. Peter Ustinov provided the voice of Prince John.

A blood-thirsty, tongue-in-cheek minstrel song about Robin, Brave And Bold, features in Monty Python And The Holy Grail (1975). Read more about the Monty Python here. A year later came the epic Robin And Marian, starring Sean Connery and Audrey Hepburn playing older-than-usual versions of the lead characters.

The 1980s and beyond

Python team members Terry Gilliam and Michael Palin were both involved in the 1981 movie Time Bandits (Gilliam as director and, with Palin, co-writer). This highly original fantasy tale, which was influenced by Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, follows a young boy who accidently joins a band of dwarves as they jump timescales looking for treasure to steal. Fellow Python John Cleese makes an appearance as Robin Hood. Read more about Alice's Adventures In Wonderland here

In 1991, the film Robin Hood, starring Patrick Bergin and Uma Thurman, was joined at the box office by Kevin Costner's epic Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves - some of which was filmed at Hadrian's Wall. Read more about Hadrian's wall here. Costner starred as a rather American-sounding Robin of Locksley, and one of the overriding memories of the film is its theme tune, Bryan Adams' (Everything I Do) I Do It For You, which topped the UK charts for 16 weeks. The film also features a cameo performance from Sean Connery as King Richard.

Directed and co-written by Mel Brooks, Robin Hood: Men In Tights pokes fun at several films versions of the legendary tale -  including The Adventures of Robin Hood and Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves. Its tagline says it all: "The legend had it coming... Find out where Robin Hood put his Little John, what made Will Scarlet, and what did Friar Tuck into his tights that Maid Marion all of a quiver?"

TV depictions

Not surprisingly, the legend has also been made into several TV series over the years. The first was The Adventures Of Robin Hood, which ran from 1956-1960 and was aimed at children. Still remembered with great affection, there have been many re-runs. The English-made show - starring the Plymouth-born Hollywood star Richard Greene as Robin - has been sold throughout the world. Paul Eddington, who was to later star in Yes, Minister, played Will Scarlett.


In 1975 the BBC produced the cult TV serial The Legend of Robin Hood, followed almost a decade later by Robin of Sherwood (1984), with Michael Praed in the title role and Jason Connery - son of Sean - playing Robert of Huntingdon. The programmes had a strong fantasy element and the haunting musical score was composed and performed by Irish folk/rock group Clannad. Jason Connery played Robin in the third and final series which meant that Robert of Huntingdon became the new Robin.