The Errol Flynn Blog

The Mail Bag brings us this interesting list of mistakes in Errol’s classic The Adventures of Robin Hood from our fellow Flynnmeister Jan Vander vliet:

Enjoy!

Revealing mistake: When Will Scarlet finds the injured Much in Sherwood Forest about three quarters of the way through the movie, a white vehicle can be seen travelling from right to left in the background.

Revealing mistake: When Robin jumps off the scaffold after being saved from hanging, you can see one of the soldiers spear tips bend under his weight.

Continuity mistake: In the scene where Robin is rescued from hanging, watch the shadows on the church in the background. It keeps going in and out of shadow.

Continuity mistake: After winning his fight with Guy of Gisbourne, Robin races to Marian’s door with his badly bent sword in hand. The moment he enters Marian’s chamber, the sword is perfectly straight again.

Continuity mistake: When Robin is competing in the golden arrow archery contest, Marion’s veil alters between being behind her right shoulder to in front of her shoulder, depending on which camera is shooting her.

Continuity mistake: The horse Robin is on when he is exhorting his men to return to Sherwood and the one he is on when he rides over to the right to slash the portcullis rope could be two different horses as their saddle cloths are different colours.

Continuity mistake: In the final swordfight, Basil Rathbone lunges past Errol Flynn, who dodges him and leaps to the floor below. Rathbone continues on dropping his sword at the base of the steps. In the next cut, however, the sword lies between Rathbone and Flynn – a good eight feet away – allowing Robin Hood to pick it up gallantly and offer it back.

Continuity mistake: The scene where Robin is being chased through Sherwood Forest, early on in the film, is supposed to be taking place at night. But, at several times, blue sky can be seen overhead. This was corrected on the DVD.

Continuity mistake: After escaping from hanging, Robin heads for the castle gate. The first time we see it, the portcullis rope Robin later cuts is hanging away from the castle in a nice loop. In the next shot it is hanging vertically, but reverts to being a loop again for the rest of the scene.

Continuity mistake: At the beginning of the movie when Errol Flynn is escaping from within the castle he starts with five arrows in his quiver. He shoots ten, and when he’s finished he still has five left.

Continuity mistake: Robin, in his escape from the scaffold, pauses on his horse before the portcullis and exhorts his men to return to Sherwood. He then rides over to the right, draws a sword from behind him and slashes through the rope which activates the portcullis and rides the rope to the top of the wall. No sword is seen on the horse when he is exhorting his men.

Continuity mistake: When the soldiers have the man tied to some wine barrels, they begin filling a metal jug, but then they throw a wooden mug over his head.

Continuity mistake: In the scene near the beginning when Robin is in the “great hall” — a spear is thrown at his chair. He arises in time to avoid injury, but the spear goes through the back of the chair. However, the next time you see the chair, there is no hole in it.

Continuity mistake: When Robin escapes from hanging, he jumps from the scaffold onto his horse and rides off, all with his hands tied behind his back. When he jumps, just briefly before the shot changes, you can see his hands break the breakaway bindings and grab the horse’s saddle.

Continuity mistake: In the feast in the forest scene which occurs after Robin Hood and his men capture Sir Guy’s entourage, Robin sits next to Marian and offers her a roasted bird. She refuses the bird, but when the camera cuts back to Robin he has a mutton leg. Next the camera goes back to Marian who looks at Robin who now has the bird agaain.

Thanks, Jan!

— David DeWitt