At the beginning of the last century, Douglas Fairbanks was one of the best-paid actors in the world. But in 1919, when a new decade knocked on the door, "The King of Hollywood" ran into problems. Fairbanks' popularity was beginning to wane, and his employer, Paramount Pictures, refused to renew his contract. Fortunately, Douglas Fairbanks was a creative guy. Together with Mary Pickford and best pal Charlie Chaplin, the actor instead formed his own movie company. Soon, United Artists was a power to be reckoned with in Tinseltown.
Douglas Fairbanks kick-started his career at the new company with two popular swashbucklers. And as "The Three Musketeers" and "The Mark of Zorro" became big hits at the box-office, he continued in the same way. With one important exception. When the actor did "Robin Hood", he wrote and produced the movie himself. Like his good friend Charlie Chaplin had done before him, Douglas Fairbanks wanted to control as much of his pictures as possible.
The movie was shot just outside Santa Monica in California. In an open field Douglas Fairbanks had a near-life-sized replica of the 12th century town of Nottingham constructed. The giant castle that dominated the set was more expensive to build than most pictures of the 1920' cost to produce. But that didn't stop Fairbanks. The star knew exactly what he wanted his film to look like, and he wasn't going to let trivialities like financial considerations get in the way.
The film was based on the stories of Robin Hood and his Merry Men. It was one of the first productions to feature the medieval adventurer who would become immortal to movie audiences worldwide. But for the King of Hollywood, it didn't end so well. Although Fairbanks was considered one of the biggest stars in America in the 20s, his career quickly declined with the advent of the "talkies". Douglas Fairbanks was almost forgotten when he died in 1939, only 56 years old.
Douglas Fairbanks kick-started his career at the new company with two popular swashbucklers. And as "The Three Musketeers" and "The Mark of Zorro" became big hits at the box-office, he continued in the same way. With one important exception. When the actor did "Robin Hood", he wrote and produced the movie himself. Like his good friend Charlie Chaplin had done before him, Douglas Fairbanks wanted to control as much of his pictures as possible.
The movie was shot just outside Santa Monica in California. In an open field Douglas Fairbanks had a near-life-sized replica of the 12th century town of Nottingham constructed. The giant castle that dominated the set was more expensive to build than most pictures of the 1920' cost to produce. But that didn't stop Fairbanks. The star knew exactly what he wanted his film to look like, and he wasn't going to let trivialities like financial considerations get in the way.
The film was based on the stories of Robin Hood and his Merry Men. It was one of the first productions to feature the medieval adventurer who would become immortal to movie audiences worldwide. But for the King of Hollywood, it didn't end so well. Although Fairbanks was considered one of the biggest stars in America in the 20s, his career quickly declined with the advent of the "talkies". Douglas Fairbanks was almost forgotten when he died in 1939, only 56 years old.