The Scarecrow Of Romney Marsh (aka Dr. Syn, Alias The Scarecrow) (1964)

During the oppressive reign of King George III, a General (Geoffrey Keen) and his troop are sent to a small village to smash a ring that smuggles brandy from France to avoid paying revenue to His Majesty. The leader of the smugglers is a masked man known as The Scarecrow, who smuggles not for his own profit but to pass the proceeds to the overtaxed villagers and other needy people. Based on the DOCTOR SYN books by Russell Thorndike and directed by James Neilson (THE MOON SPINNERS). Originally conceived by Walt Disney for a three part television event in the U.S., an edited version was shown theatrically in Europe and in the 1970s eventually shown in U.S. cinemas. Previously made into films in 1937 and 1962, this version is a more family friendly effort (violence is kept to a minimum). Patrick McGoohan plays the title character, who when not the masked Scarecrow is the village vicar. It's a pleasing and well acted action/adventure yarn with a nice period detail and enough plot complications to keep adults and youngsters engaged. If you prefer your adventure movies darker and more adult, you might be better off with the 1962 version, CAPTAIN CLEGG but they both work equally well. With Kay Walsh, Michael Hordern, Patrick Wymark, George Cole and Eric Pohlmann.