About Early Films

T he movie Robin Hood was madein 1922, and it was the mostexpensive movie of its time.

Outdoor scenes of jousting and outlaws inthe forest were filmed on a ten-acre lot,bigger than seven football fields. Castlescenes were filmed indoors on a setconstructed by 500 carpenters. The walls ofthe castle were 90 feet high! Special effects,such as split-screen shooting (when Marianthinks she sees Robin Hood’s profile on thewall), were developed for this film.

Actors and actresses in early films were asfamous as Brad Pitt and Jennifer Anistonare today. Douglas Fairbanks, who playsRobin Hood, was married to Mary Pickford,an actress known as America’s Sweetheart,and they lived in a Hollywood mansioncalled “Pickfair.” Together with the comicactor Charlie Chaplin, they founded theirown movie studio: United Artists.Douglas Fairbanks lovedswashbuckling roles— RobinHood, Zorro, The Black Pirate.His friend, director Alan Dwan,included some of Fairbanks’favorite stunts in Robin Hood.Watch for these tricks:

In some ways Robin Hood is much likemovies that you see today—it has a story,good and bad characters, indoor andoutdoor scenes, special effects— but inmany ways it is different from today’sfilms. It is in black and white, and it has nosound. These inventions came later. Whatother differences do you notice? Is the styleof acting the same or different? Read on todiscover more about early films.

The first movies were invented about ahundred years ago. They were “movingpictures” and worked like flip books, withstill pictures that appeared to move whenthey were projected onto a screen. Whenexplanations were needed or the actorstalked to each other, the words werewritten out on cards, photographed, andinserted into the sequence of images. Thewritten words were short and to the point;

the story was toldthrough action,body language,facial expressions,and other visualmeans.

Silent films werenot completelysilent. Theatermanagers hiredlocal musicians—

pianists, organists, or even orchestras— toplay music during the film. The musichelped tell the story— a beautiful song forthe love scenes, a march for the Crusades,or a spooky tune for a mysterious forest,for example. The musicians played from“scores” or books of sheet music providedwith the movie, but they also used theirown musical skills and ideas.

Stunts in Robin Hood� Robin Hood climbs up a castle wall

(handles are hidden in the ivy);� Robin Hood jumps from a high

window onto a horse (there is ahidden trampoline);

� Robin Hood slides down a 100-footlong curtain (a long playground slideis hidden behind the curtain).

Young Audiences 2

Who Was Robin Hood?Did Robin Hood Really Exist? Who Was He?

A Renaissance Nobleman?A few centuries later, Robin Hoodbecame a nobleman and social rebel whogave the money that he stole to the poor.Notice how the medieval illustration of ayeoman (like Robin Hood), has changed:Robin Hood is shown in richclothing, with Maid Marian, amonk, and two other men. IsRobin Hood still a horseman?How can you tell?

A Medieval Yeoman?If you could time travel to the Englandof 700 years ago, you would hearminstrels singing ballads about a braveyeoman (archer) named Robin Hoodwho lived as an outlaw in the forest.The ballads told stories of Robin Hooddisguising himself to rob the rich andpowerful. Over the centuries thissimple story changed, and newcharacters and episodes were added.

A Modern Superhero?In the 19th and 20th centuries, the adventures of Robin Hoodwere made into popular children’s books. The illustration onthe right was drawn by Louis Rhead in 1912; compare hisRobin Hood to the older illustrations! In our own time thelegend of Robin Hood has been made into movies, cartoons,television shows, and video games. No one knows if RobinHood really existed, but if you visit your school or local libraryyou can find books about Robin Hood. You may find storiesand characters that did not appear in the movie!

Young Audiences 2

About the InstrumentsWe chose musical instruments that would have beenfamiliar to people in medieval and Renaissance England.

These are all fipple flutes (like whistles)with 8, 6, and 3 finger holes. A pipe andtabor player holds a pipe in one hand,dangling a drum from the wrist and strikingit with a stick held in the other hand.

Recorder Whistle Pipe and Tabor

The viola da gamba (viol) is like abowed guitar. Its cousin, the violin,started life in a dance band.

Viola da gamba Violin

Cornetto Shawm Rauschpfife Sordoune

A cornetto lookslike a wooden flutebut it is playedwith a trumpetmouthpiece.

These are double reeds, ancestors ofour modern oboes and bassoons.

The lute and guitar are plucked. The lute, modeled on the Arabicoud, was the most popular amateur instrument of the Renaissance.Its cousin the guitar was a favorite of King Louis XIV of France.

Lute Guitar

The Crusaders brought the kamenj and thevielle back to Europe in the 12th century. Thebow was also an Islamic invention.

The Middle Eastern dumbek says its namewhen you hit the center of the head (dum)and then its rim (bek).

Kamenj Vielle

Dumbek

Instruments Islamic Worldfro

mthe

Stringed Instruments

Wind Instruments

t

Young Audiences 2

About Hesperus

Tina Chancey Director, viola da gamba, vielle, kamenj, rebec, recorderScott Reiss Director, recorders, sordune, whistles, percussionGrant Herreid Lute, early guitar, saz, recorder, tenor voiceNell Snaidas Soprano voice, recorder, early guitar

Hesperus plays many different kinds of music—European medieval, Renaissance, and Baroquemusic; cultural portraits mixing early andtraditional music of a particular country orregion; and crossover programs fusing medieval,Renaissance, Appalachian, gospel, blues, Cajun,and Irish styles. For Robin Hood Hesperuscreated a soundtrack using renaissance musicfrom the time of Henry VIII for the courtlyscenes set in England, and medieval music whenthe king went on Crusade.

Hesperus offers many residency activities toaccompany a performance of the Robin Hoodfilm. These include teacher training sessions,lecture/demos, instrument demonstrations, andstudent workshops related to Robin Hood, aswell as a 20 minute play, Robin Hood and thePotter edited for student performance from a17th century ballad. Some presenters partnerwith their community to put on a renaissancefair, complete with archers, jugglers and a royalcourt. Curriculum materials for school visitscorrelate with the national standards for music,drama, language arts, social studies, visual art,and media studies.

More Information About Robin Hood A timeline of film history www.filmsite.org/filmh.htmlMusic for silent films: www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2298/is_n2_ v11/ai_14061779About Robin Hood www.boldoutlaw.com/robages/robages9.html,

www.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/rh/rhhome.stmRenaissance and Medieval www.s-hamilton.k12.ia.us/antiqua/instrumt.htmlmusical instruments

For information about Hesperus, Visit our website at www.hesperus.org or call (703) 525-7550

FO R K I D S —Hesperus chose the music andinstruments especially for this film. Howdo you think they decided what music touse? Did they…

1. Draw from time periods that relateto the Robin Hood legend;

2. Look for music to fit a particularcharacter;

3. Choose music that suits certainactions or moods?

Or do you think all three of thesecriteria were used at some point in thefilm? Notice how the music is cued tothe action on the screen. When is itloud? Soft? When the knights are on theCrusade, how does the music change?

Writer/editors: RebeccaArkenberg & Tina Chancey ©2005 Hesperus

General Audience

Pretend that you are choosing the music for a moviewith the following scenes. Would the music be…

� fast or slow?� loud or soft?� high or low?� happy (major) or sad (minor)?

MOVIE SCENE MUSIC YOU WOULD CHOOSE

A fight

A love story

A sad scene

A rescue

A funny scene

?

There are no right or wrong answers. For example, in the original score forRobin Hood, the music for the love scenes is “Oh Promise Me,” a song thatwas popular when the movie was made in 1922. Hesperus uses a song thatwas popular in the 1500s.

Your Turn To

Direct!

This tune is played byHesperus during themovie. It is from the1500s, found in a book ofmusic belonging to KingHenry VIII of England,who was a fan of theRobin Hood legends.

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There are many characters and different places in the movie Robin Hood. Well-dressed lordsand ladies dance in the castle. In the village, merchants and peddlers offer food and goodsfor peasants to buy. Robin Hood and his men practice archery in the forest, and MaidMarion strolls through the garden. Crusaders pitch their tents in foreign lands. There arejousts, feasts, religious services, and fights. What music would you choose for the sceneyou have drawn?

Draw Your Favorite Scene Here.

Young Audiences 1

About Early Films

T he first “moving pictures” wereexactly that: sequences of stillimages strung together and

projected onto a screen. They hadflickering black and white action (muchlike a flip book), and came without arecorded soundtrack. All dialogue and storyexplanations were written out on cards,filmed, and inserted into the sequence.Written words were short and to the point;the plot primarily unfolded through action,gestures, meaningful glances, and othervisual cues. Some people call this actingstyle histrionic; it was developed to conveythe plot without spoken words.

“Silent films” were not entirely silent.Theater managers would hire localmusicians— pianists, organists, or eventrios, quartets, and orchestras— to playmusic during the film. The music wasappropriate to the action, thecharacter, or the setting; forexample, an expressive song forthe lovely heroine, a march usedas travel music, or a progressionof minor chords for a mysteriousforest. Musicians often worked

from a score provided by the studio, butsometimes they improvised as theywatched the film, relying on theirknowledge of music and their familiaritywith the plot. The original score to RobinHood includes the 1920s hit song “OPromise Me” for the love scenes.

Douglas Fairbanks, an actor known for hisswashbuckling roles (including Zorro andThe Black Pirate) played a dashing and

athletic Robin Hood.His friend, directorAlan Dwan,incorporated some ofFairbanks’ favoritestunts in the film.Watch for thesetricks: Fairbanks scalesa castle wall (withhandholds hidden inthe ivy); he jumps onto

a horse from a high window (onto ahidden trampoline); and he slides down an100-foot long curtain (on a playgroundslide placed behind the curtain). DouglasFairbanks was married to “America’sSweetheart,” actress Mary Pickford, andtogether with Charlie Chaplin, theyfounded the United Artists Motion PictureStudio.

FOR KIDS—� How does the acting style differ from

today’s films? How do the actorsshare their feelings and thoughts?

� Rent a movie you have never seenand turn the sound off. Can you tellwhat is going on?

� What kind of music do you thinkwould fit the silent scenes that youwatched?

The 1922 film Robin Hood was themost expensive movie of its time. � It was filmed on a ten-acre lot (notice the

forest and jousting scenes).� A crew of 500 carpenters constructed the

monumental 90 feet high set (see how thetall castle dwarfs the actors).

� Many special effects, including split-screenshooting techniques (when Marion seesRobin’s profile on the wall) were developedfor this film.

General Audience

Who Was Robin Hood?Did Robin Hood Really Exist? Who Was He?

T he ballads of Robin Hoodtraveled with the minstrels, andwere told anywhere people

gathered. Later the same stories wereprinted on broadsheets and published asbooks (like the one below). The charactershad universal appeal, having been drawnfrom every walk of life— there are monks,minstrels, royalty, merchants, men, andwomen. The stories unfold in familiarvenues: banquet halls, towns, forests,castles, inns, prisons, and monasteries.Pastimes like hunting, archery, fencing,feasting, buying, selling, or worshipping,are all realistically portrayed. The legendalso embodies the theme of social justice.Robin Hood is the original superherowho, time and time again, outwitsauthorities who misuse their power.

More than 700 years ago, minstrels inEngland began singing ballads about abrave yeoman (archer) named Robin Hoodwho lived as an outlaw in the forest. Theballads were adventure stories; tales ofcombat, contests, disguises, and stratagemsin which Robin Hood outwitted theauthorities of the time— merchants,churchmen, the sheriff, even the King!Over time the story changed, newcharacters and episodes appeared. Robinhimself became a nobleman, a hero, and asocial rebel who gave the money that hestole to the poor. Maid Marion appeared,possibly as a result of the 13th century

French pastoral plays of Robin and Marionthat were incorporated into the May gamesof 15th century England. Henry VIII ofEngland popularized Robin Hood in the16th century.

We don’t know if a real Robin Hood everexisted, but his story lives on into the 21stcentury in books, poems, comics, plays,movies, television shows, costumes,websites, and computer games.

FOR KIDS—� Look in the newspaper to see if you

can find any “outlaws” that might becompared to Robin Hood?

� Did they outwit the authorities in away that might be justified?

� Do they rob from the rich and give tothe poor?

General Audience