King Arthur is in need of a good holiday. Off he goes, accompanied by his daughter and trusted knight Sir Edmund. Unfortunately, no-one knows that Edmund is a traitor, working to kill Arthur and usurp the throne. It turns out that the only fly in Edmund's ointment is archery outlaw Robin - sorry, Robert - who rescues the princess and goes off in search of Merlin.
One can see the hand of uncredited producer Charles H Schneer quite clearly - as with the Harryhausen films he produced, he has a knack of putting on screen production values well in excess of his budget (courtesy, in this instance, of expensive battle scenes lifted wholesale from other movies) while, at the same time, being unable to conceal telltale hints that his films aren't blessed with the budget to match their ambitions.
This film looks attractive - bright colour widescreen images dressed with good quality costumes, sets and locations (and, in the case of Ronald Lewis' outlaw Robert, a rather lovely tight leather vest and pants and an even more fab blonde hero's wig), and Janette Scott is always a welcome presence on screen. Where it falls down is in the script, which is clunky, and some of the performances, which are clunkier.
I have no problem with the story, which cobbles together Arthurian legend, Robin Hood, and generic mediaeval battle nonsense generally), and the whole thing is fairly jolly, unassuming stuff, but perhaps it lacks something to meet the demands of current audiences.
One can see the hand of uncredited producer Charles H Schneer quite clearly - as with the Harryhausen films he produced, he has a knack of putting on screen production values well in excess of his budget (courtesy, in this instance, of expensive battle scenes lifted wholesale from other movies) while, at the same time, being unable to conceal telltale hints that his films aren't blessed with the budget to match their ambitions.
This film looks attractive - bright colour widescreen images dressed with good quality costumes, sets and locations (and, in the case of Ronald Lewis' outlaw Robert, a rather lovely tight leather vest and pants and an even more fab blonde hero's wig), and Janette Scott is always a welcome presence on screen. Where it falls down is in the script, which is clunky, and some of the performances, which are clunkier.
I have no problem with the story, which cobbles together Arthurian legend, Robin Hood, and generic mediaeval battle nonsense generally), and the whole thing is fairly jolly, unassuming stuff, but perhaps it lacks something to meet the demands of current audiences.