The Bandit of Sherwood Forest is a 1946 American Technicolor adventure film directed by Henry Levin and George Sherman and starring Cornel Wilde, Anita Louise, Jill Esmond and Edgar Buchanan.
Many years have elapsed since Robin Hood and his merrie men charged out of Sherwood Forest to force the Magna Carta on King John. Now England is under a new wave of tyranny, thanks to a wicked Regent who plans to revoke the Magna Carta and murder the boy king, Henry III. He is frustrated in his plans by Robert, son of Robin Hood, who comes to the rescue of the Queen Mother and the beautiful Lady Catherine.
- Bad Habits: To gain access to Nottingham Castle, Lady Catherine disguises herself as the Prioress of Buxton Abbey with Robert, Friar Tuck and Little John posing as her attendants.
- Chairman of the Brawl: Lady Catherine stops the Sheriff of Nottingham from throwing his sword into Robert's back by tossing a chair at him.
- Denied Food as Punishment: William of Pembroke keeps Robert locked up for three days without food and water to weaken him before their trial by combat.
- Dressing as the Enemy: After infiltrating the castle, Robin Hood and his merry men capture the Sheriff's men, take their uniforms, and take their place on the battlements.
- Flynning: The final duel between Robert of Huntingdon and William of Pembroke is pure Flynning. The great Ralph Faulkner, fencing master and fight coordinator on most of the great Hollywood swashbucklers of the 1930s and 1940s, here doubles Henry Daniell (William of Pembroke) in the climactic duel scene, much as he had done six years earlier in The Sea Hawk (1940), when Daniell (described as "completely helpless" in a memo to Hal B. Wallis, because he couldn't handle a sword) had to fight Errol Flynn.
- High-Dive Escape: After their escape plan is exposed, Little John, Friar Tuck and the young king escape by jumping off the battlements and into the moat, but are forced to leave Robert, Catherine and Allan behind.
- Historical Villain Upgrade: William Marshall, Earl of Pembroke who was eulogized as "the best knight that ever lived" and renowned for his loyalty, is turned into a scheming villain plotting to murder young king Henry and revoke Magna Carta.
- Make It Look Like an Accident: William of Pembroke instructs the Sheriff to move the king to West Tower; pointing out how high it is and how easy it would be for the king to fall to his death from there.
- Men of Sherwood: The film opens with Robin Hood summoning his old merry men back together to oppose the evil regent William of Pembroke. The group numbers in the dozens, with only the usual suspects being named (Little John, Friar Tuck, Will Scarlet, Allan-a-Dale), and despite being constantly described as old men, are able to cut a swathe the enemy troops with scarcely a casualty on their side.
- Outdoor Bath Peeping: Robert first comes across Lady Catherine when she is dipping her legs in a stream in Sherwood Forest. He hides behind a bush and admires the view, but he is gentleman enough to make his presence known when she starts to remove her dress.
- Regent for Life: William of Pembroke, Regent of England imprisons the young King of England, and moves to repeal the Magna Carta returning England to autocratic rule.
- Shoot the Rope: Robert saves a peasant from being hanged by the Sheriff by severing the rope with an arrow and then riding in and scooping him on to his horse before the Sheriff's men can react.
- Throwing Your Sword Always Works: During their final battle, William of Pembroke attempts to escape the wounded Robert by running up the stairs. At the top of the stairs, he turns and prepares to to hurl his sword at Robert like a javelin. However, Robert is quicker and throws his own sword first, spearing Pembroke through the chest.
- *Twang* Hello: Robert's first appearance has him shooting an arrow into the proclamation announcing the revocation of the Magna Carta as a soldier is nailing it to a tree.
- The X of Y
