The Suspense of signing the Magna Carta

 THE ROGUES OF SHERWOOD FOREST (1950)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

"The Rogues of Sherwood Forest" has the spirit of adventure and the grand use of locations that we can come to expect from this oft-told tale, particularly the grayish interiors of castles lit by torches and the shades of bright green of Sherwood Forest that shaped the masterful "The Adventures of Robin Hood." Technically a sequel, intended or not, to the classic Errol Flynn film, it looks terrific in Technicolor and often the colors jump out of the screen. What the film does not have is a rousing hero, only the rousing nature of the aged Merry Men.

The story is fairly basic - the greedy and evil King John (George Macready, ushering in the accented tones of Claude Rains) wants to tax all Englishmen and kill Robin Hood's son (John Derek) so that he can't inspire anyone to join forces to keep the King in line. In other words, nothing new other than King John wants to recruit Flemish mercenaries to help thwart the Englishmen and, oh some business about the signing of the Magna Carta. 

One of the delights of this semi-sequel is seeing Alan Hale Sr. reprise the role of Little John, a role he played with great joy in the Errol Flynn classic and the Fairbanks Sr. film version. The other Merry Men are fun to watch yet John Derek (who looks like Errol Flynn's son) has no elegance in the role - the look is right but there is no attitude, no spark. Same with Diana Lynn as a passionless Lady Marianne De Beaudray - whatever she sees in Robin's son must have been left on the cutting room floor.

The action scenes are hardly spectacular, not to mention the swordfights. There is no real flair to even the endless scenes of a cluster of horses running through Sherwood Forest - sometimes, the same angle is repeated in different locations. So a decent villain in King John followed by a dull hero and intermittent merriment from the Merry Men makes for talky, only barely exciting fare. Let's be honest - a climax where the Merry Men pressure the King to sign the Magna Carta doesn't exactly stir the imagination. 

To Live or Not to Live in Sin

 ILLICIT (1931)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

Barbara Stanwyck usually appeared as a woman of intelligence, a woman who sought to be on her own and stand up for her beliefs. It is a little disappointing that such an actress who could not follow through on that promise in 1931's harmless though enticing "Illicit." 

Stanwyck plays Anne Vincent who has been fraternizing around town with the wealthy and lovable Dick (James Rennie). The opening scenes shows them preparing dinner for each other, eggs and toast and some tea. There is something lovably sweet about these scenes because it convinces us that both are in love. When Dick brings up marriage, Anne doesn't seem sure fearing a life where it all boils down to having children and eventual divorce rather than fueling the romance. It is a striking thing to hear women talk that way then and Stanwyck milks it beautifully for what it is worth. Once Dick and Anne get married, she makes it clear she wants time to herself and Dick is not receptive. So both have affairs, or at least one of them does (an offscreen kiss in a kitchen as seen by Anne and her company of friends is one for the Pre-Code books). So I suspected that "Illicit's" ending would have Anne living her independence, to be the free spirit who is not beholden to anyone. It doesn't turn out that way at all. 

I like some of the supporting characters especially the lively and charismatic Ricardo Cortez as Baines, who is in love with Anne despite Anne maintaining solely friendship terms; Charles Butterworth as the lovably drunk Georgie Evans, and Claude Gillingwater as Dick's father who shows with subtle humor how scandalous it is to live in sin yet comforts the seemingly free Anne all the same. "Illicit" doesn't stick to Anne's rebellious nature through the end. Love wins and yet I can't say that such a predictable finish dissatisfies me. Either way, Barbara Stanwyck makes it memorable.