Robin Hood

Douglas Fairbanks at full scale — literally the biggest production in Hollywood history at the time, with a castle set so enormous that it remained standing in Hollywood for years after filming wrapped. Fairbanks plays the Earl of Huntingdon, a noble knight who follows King Richard on the Crusades, returns to find England under Prince John's tyranny, and takes to the greenwood as Robin Hood. The first half is a surprisingly detailed medieval pageant; the second half unleashes Fairbanks at his most athletic, swinging from drawbridge chains, scaling castle walls, and dueling his way through armies of soldiers with irrepressible glee. The sheer physical exuberance is infectious — Fairbanks makes every leap and sword thrust look like the most fun a human being could possibly have. The definitive screen Robin Hood until Errol Flynn came along.