KIDS NO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME (especially the William Tell-inspired stunts)!! This short consists of Howard Hill (who did a lot of the trick archery shots in THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD) demonstrating his craft in full color. I think they chose to do this short in color because the beginning incorporated scenes from this Errol Flynn movie, as normally color film stock was prohibitively expensive--and not widely used in most shorts (aside from MGM's travelogue series). While this color isn't especially realistic, it is very nice for the time--though the details on the print are a tad washed out in many of the scenes.
Hill's skills are rather amazing and the film is entertaining--and quite exciting towards the end. If you see the Errol Flynn film (and you must), look for Hill in a small role as the Captain of the Archers. If you want to see this short, however, the only way I know it can be see is to get the DVD of THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD--as it's one of the extras on the second DVD included in the set.
Hill's skills are rather amazing and the film is entertaining--and quite exciting towards the end. If you see the Errol Flynn film (and you must), look for Hill in a small role as the Captain of the Archers. If you want to see this short, however, the only way I know it can be see is to get the DVD of THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD--as it's one of the extras on the second DVD included in the set.