Post by Dennis of Ravenscar on Mar 6, 2023 16:08:27 GMT
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Plot
After the Bayeux Tapestry titles, we are briefly told in captions about the Crusades and King Richard, just in case we didn’t know. We are immediately whisked away to a Jerusalem jail in 1194AD where we see Robin and Peter sporting implausible beards and being picked on by the nasty Saracens. Peter is accused of stealing bread and will have his hand chopped off for it. Robin says he will not survive it and tells the guards that he stole the bread. The guard decides to chop both their hands off. Just as the big sword descends to chop off Robin’s appendage, he pulls the guard into the way and the first fight scene commences. Robin tries to release the English prisoners but he can’t cut the chains. He frees a Moor who is under a death sentence and promises to show them the way out of the dungeons. They escape out of a drain into a Jerusalem street. Unfortunately, Peter is shot in the back by one of the sentries on the wall. He gives Robin his ring and makes him promise to find his sister, Marian, and protect her, then he sacrifices himself so that the others can escape. Robin and Azeem (for the Moor was he) hide in an alley and Azeem swears he will stay with Robin until he can save his life in return. They introduce themselves.
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In Locksley, we see Robin’s father writing a letter to someone who might be able to tell him of his son’s fate in the Holy Land. Somewhat blatantly, we are told that Robin bears his father ill will and that the country is in a mess. A servant, Duncan, turns up with a peasant in tow who tells Locksley that ‘they’ have taken his daughter. Locksley rides out. It turns out that he has been betrayed by the peasant and the whole thing was a trap. There are lots of people on horses wearing masks. Locksley recognises the leader (as if we haven’t actually worked it out) who asks him to join them. He refuses and takes them on. He is killed.
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‘Four months later’ and Robin is home (yeah, right). Robin tries to get rid of Azeem, but the Moor beats up the guy that Robin had paid to get him. Off they trudge together to Locksley which is apparently only a day’s walk from Dover (via Hadrian’s Wall). On the way, they have a conversation about women and Robin finds out that Azeem was under a death sentence because he slept with another man’s wife. As Azeem starts to pray Robin hears something and goes to investigate.
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A boy is being chased by soldiers and tries to escape by climbing up a tree. There is a confrontation between Gisburne and Robin, then our hero proceeds to beat up all the soldiers. Azeem finishes his prayers before coming to help. Robin sends Gisburne to the Sheriff with a message (surprise, surprise), just as Azeem turns up. Robin has a go at him and when he talks to the boy, the kid runs away.
In Nottingham, Gisburne interrupts the Sheriff’s little tryst to tell him about Robin and Azeem, and a statue of the Sheriff is delivered.
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At Locksley, the castle is ruined, Robin’s father is dead (quite gory, actually) and Duncan is blind. He tells them that the Sheriff accused his father of devil worship then killed him and Gisburne put out Duncan’s eyes. In the morning at Locksley’s grave, Robin swears to avenge his death. Azeem decides to stay with him until he can fulfil his own vow. Off the trio go.
Back at Nottingham, the Sheriff is looking for the witch Mortianna in the nasty catacombs. She foresees the return of the King and their deaths at the hands of Robin and Azeem. They must both die.
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Meanwhile, Robin, Duncan and Azeem are at Peter’s place. Robin is finally allowed to enter, on his own and without his weapons. Inside, he waits for Marian. There is a comedy moment outside with Duncan and Azeem, then we go back to Robin who meets ‘Marian’. She tells him that she does not need his protection and leaves as a masked stranger forces Robin out with a sword at his back. He attacks the stranger and a brief fight scene follows. Azeem manages to break in just as Robin unmasks the real Marian and is kicked where it hurts in return for his efforts. Later, and Robin and Marian are talking outside. He tells her of her brother’s death and gives her the ring. She is a cousin of the King and feels it is her duty to stay where she is and look after the poor. They almost have an argument, but Robin apologises and Marian tells him not to believe what the Sheriff accused his father of. Azeem spots Gisburne and his soldiers on the way. There is a silly moment with a telescope (not actually invented yet, but who cares?) and Robin refuses to leave. Marian tells Gisburne that they are stealing her horses and they have to go, taking a couple of horses and heading for Sherwood.
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As they hide in the conifers (in Sherwood?), Gisburne taunts Robin. He leaves because his soldiers are afraid of the ghosts in the forest. Further into the forest, the boys discover that the ghosts are actually wind chimes. They come to a river.
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Robin tries to cross but is tripped by a rope under the surface. Little John challenges Robin, demanding that he hand over his father’s medallion as taxes to the outlaws. We discover that the boy from earlier is John’s son. There is a fight scene and after a few amusing false starts, Robin wins. He introduces himself and for some reason Will is not happy about this news. That night in Sherwood they have dinner and Robin is introduced to the gang. They tell him about the Sheriff and his witch Mortianna and Robin reckons that they should fight back. There is a little bit of Will and his attitude as the scene closes.
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The next morning it is Sunday, and the outlaws are waking. In Nottingham, mass is being taken and Marian is giving alms to the poor. As she prays alone, Robin turns up in disguise and talks to her. She tells him about the price on his head and about the Sheriff getting an army together. Whatever can it be for? Robin leaves her. In the Bishop’s chambers Robin greets the Bishop; they used to know each other before Robin went away. Meanwhile, the Sheriff is talking to Marian. He offers to protect her from the outlaws, but she refuses, with veiled threats about the King. The Sheriff gives a valuable dagger and leaves. The Bishop is telling Robin his side of Locksley’s confession of devil worship. Robin doesn’t believe him. As he opens the door to go, he comes face to face with the Sheriff. He cuts his cheek and slams the door, buying time to think of an escape. The Sheriff gives chase, but Robin steals the sheriff’s horse and rides to freedom, leaving a poor guard to face his anger.
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Back in Sherwood, John and Will are more than a little displeased at what Robin has done. Our hero makes a quick speech and tells them all that he wants to lead them.
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In Nottingham the Sheriff is having his cheek sewn up. He is not a happy bunny and decides to turn the people against Robin. There now follows a montage of soldiers pillaging, raping and burning. The homeless find their way to Sherwood where Will confronts Robin. He tries to stab Robin from behind but Wolf shouts a warning and instead Robin shoots Will through the hand. He runs away. Robin does a big speech and suddenly everyone is on his side. There now follows another montage, this time of training scenes. For no apparent reason Robin splits an arrow. There are some stealing from the rich scenes and then a giving to the poor scene. It all fits, you see.
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The steward is telling the Sheriff about all that Robin and his men have stolen and that no-one will turn him in because they love him. The Sheriff gets all upset and shouts a bit because they can’t find Robin no matter how hard they try.
In the forest, another plan goes into action. The outlaws are attacking a couple of carts, one of beer being driven by Friar Tuck. The plan is successful and the clearing deserted when Gisburne gets back to it. Robin and the boys find a lot of gold in the other cart. Tuck and Robin have a quick comedy fight after which he decides to join them.
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Bull and Much are waiting in ambush for two women who turn out to be Marian and her lady-in-waiting, Sarah. They trick the boys and Marian is taken to see Robin. He is having a bath under a waterfall but Marian pretends not to have seen his naked bum. Marian is impressed by the camp. There are a few ‘this is a happy camp’ moments, then Robin shows Marian all the gold they have captured which the Sheriff means to use to bribe the barons into standing against the King. She gives him her new dagger for his cause. He invites her to dinner and she accepts. There is a party with implausibly modern music, during which Robin and Marian talk about his father. The fight was over a woman Locksley took after Robin’s mother died. Wolf races into the scene; his mother is dying. There is a Dr Quinn scene in which Azeem delivers Fanny’s baby and saves both of them. The whole camp uses it as an excuse to carry on the party.
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At dawn as Marian is leaving. Robin asks her to take Duncan with her and to warn the King about the Sheriff. She agrees to do it and kisses him.
The Sheriff is worried that his plan is failing. Mortianna advises to get the Celts in on it and to put his own child on the throne by allying with royal blood.
Marian has written a letter and gives it to the Bishop. He sends an emissary to the King, accompanied by Sarah. The emissary hits Sarah over the head after pretending that his horse is lame.
Marian is all alone at night, sewing, when she hears a noise. It turns out to be a cat. Oh, no, it wasn’t; it was lots of soldiers come to get her. She puts up a fight but they get her anyway. Duncan gets on his very own Champion, the Wonder Horse and makes his way to Sherwood. He tells Robin about Marian being taken, but he was followed (horrors!) and the Celts attack. The outlaws make it to the trees but the Sheriff uses flaming arrows to burn the camp to the ground. Wolf and Will are captured. There is fire and death and destruction everywhere and to top it all, Robin falls after saving Fanny and her baby.
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In Nottingham, Marian learns of the Bishop’s betrayal and is forced into agreeing to marry the Sheriff when he threatens the lives of the captured children. He shows her Robin’s medallion and she runs off, crying.
That night in Sherwood, the gang search the camp. Then, from the light in the distance emerges our hero to a big flourish of music.
In the dungeons, the Sheriff threatens the prisoners and Will volunteers to go to the forest and kill Robin.
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The next morning, the boys are burying their dead in the greenwood and Robin is feeling sorry for himself. Will turns up and tells them about Marian and their men who are to be executed the next day. Robin wants to know why Will hates him so much. Apparently, Locksley’s lover was Will’s mother; they are half-brothers! This news spurs Robin into action and a plan is set. Azeem starts concocting some ‘black powder’ and Robin gets all the others organised.
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In the courtyard at Nottingham, the plan swings into action perfectly. There are a couple of hitches but after the fight scene starts in earnest, there is only one side out there. The Sheriff grabs Marian and drags her into the castle, followed by Robin and Azeem. In his private chapel, the Sheriff insists on marrying Marian before he will take her. The Bishop is forced into doing the dirty deed. Robin leaves Azeem to carry on trying to break the door down while he goes to find another way in. Mortianna attacks Azeem with a spear but he manages to get her with the spear right through her body. As the Sheriff tries to take Marian, Robin swings off the castle roof and in through the chapel window. There is the final confrontation fight, which is really cool. During this, we also see the Bishop getting some money together to run away and Tuck shoving him out of a window.
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Back to the fight, and Robin gets cornered without a sword. The Sheriff turns for a moment to talk to Marian and Robin stabs him with Marian’s dagger. The Sheriff dies a traditionally OTT death. As he turns to the love of his life, Mortianna appears and attacks. In the nick of time, the door bursts open and Azeem hurls his sword across the room. It gets the witch right in the middle of her chest and sends her flying across the room to land at the feet of the dead Sheriff. Robin and Marian are reunited.
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In the forest a wedding is in progress. At the last minute, it is interrupted by Richard the Lionheart himself, sounding very Scottish for a Norman. He wants to give his cousin away. He thanks Robin and the wedding continues, ending with a big cheer and doves released into the trees. Everyone lives happily ever after.
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Review
As you may have gathered by now, there are a lot of things wrong with this film. The costumes seem to come from any period the designers felt would look good, the plot relies heavily on coincidence and cliche, the creators have assumed that the audience is stupid, historical fact seems irrelevant (gunpowder and telescopes!) and, of course, the accents are, in general, appalling. However, the main problem I have with this film is the total disregard for the essential Englishness of the legend. I could ignore the accents, but turning Robin Hood into some kind of All-American hero fighting for Truth, Justice and the American Way is taking it a little bit too far. Not being a big Costner fan, I find his big green-eyed ‘I’m the good guy, gotta love me’ attitude more than a little bit irritating and, frankly, quite boring. The stunts and fight scenes tend to make up for this a little bit, but Robin has never been this saintly before. The problem is, he doesn’t seem to have any faults and it gets so dull after a while. Similarly, the Sheriff has never been this evil; he even worships the Devil! Of course, Alan Rickman is totally wonderful, as always, but the attraction of the character comes from the actor’s contribution, not from any brilliance on the part of the writers or the director. It is as if the audience has to be shown exactly how to react at every turn. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work. I don’t know anyone who has seen this film who doesn’t want the Sheriff to win, simply because he is more interesting than all the ‘good’ guys put together. I feel especially sorry for Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio and Christian Slater. Both are very good actors stuck with the unenviable task of making their boring characters a bit more interesting. Mastrantonio does quite well, despite the writers insistence on making her a plot device. When it is necessary for her to fight, she does so, when necessary for her to squeal and look helpless, she does so. Somehow, she manages to make this quite believable. The same goes for Slater. He somehow makes Will oddly plausible given the totally implausible history of the character. Everything about character and plot is pure Hollywood. As is very common in action films, anything that is necessary to make the spectacle work they use, and they use mercilessly. That is the problem with this film; England has been virtually ejected and a pseudo-America put in its place.
There are, however, some saving graces. Prince of Thieves is not as bad as everyone says or as I may have made it sound. Kevin Costner is miscast, as are Mike McShane and most of the supporting cast. The British actors save the day. They form the solid base of bad guys on which the film balances. Alan Rickman shines as always, with his ‘cousin’ Michael Wincott oozing evil at his side and the lovely Geraldine McEwan cackling her way effortlessly through a difficult part. They bring a little bit of variation to what could have become a boring, uniform chunk of nastiness against which our hero would have to fight. This negates the effect of the uniformly good guys; boredom.
The other saving grace has to be the action. The film manages to maintain an audience’s interest through the virtue of some very impressive and exciting set pieces. The pace draws you in, takes you along with it and forces you to enjoy what you see. There are moments of quiet, just when you need them to prepare for the next bit of action. Prince of Thieves is a well put together film; one that has pace, excitement, romance and a certain appeal. This film can be enjoyed, no matter what the critics said about it and no matter how you feel about our friends across the ocean stealing all our decent heroes. Just sit back, relax and don’t think about all the inaccuracies of plot, dialogue, costume and character; let yourself go.
Great lines
Basically any of Alan Rickman’s lines, but here are a few choice examples anyway.
Robin: This is English courage. (!)
Locksley: Never fear Duncan. Good will overcome. Trust in that.
Gisburne: Might I have the pleasure of your name before I have you run through?
Azeem: You whine like a mule. You are still alive.
Mortianna: Something vexes thee?
Sheriff: Cancel kitchen scraps for beggars and orphans, no more merciful beheadings and call off Christmas!
Duncan: He fancies you, m’lady.
Marian: There is only one man who can heal the wounds of this land; Robin Hood.
Sheriff: I had a very sad childhood, I’ll tell you about it sometime. I never knew my parents. It’s a wonder I’m still sane.
I will not take her until we are properly wed. For once in my life, I will have something pure.
Do you mind, Locksley, we’ve just been married.
Comments
It is interesting to note that two little bits of the Sheriff’s character development were cut from the final film. Apparently, there was supposed to be a scene in which we find out that Mortianna is the Sheriff’s mother and that she killed the real Sheriff’s son and put her own baby in its place. Also, as he was dying, the Sheriff was supposed to say, “I wonder, who was daddy?”. The story goes that Costner wanted these removed because they made the Sheriff more sympathetic than Robin and he wanted to stop that. He failed.
Cast
Robin of Locksley....Kevin Costner
Azeem....Morgan Freeman
Marian....Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio
Will Scarlett....Christian Slater
Sheriff of Nottingham....Alan Rickman
Mortianna....Geraldine McEwan
Friar Tuck....Michael McShane
Lord Locksley....Brian Blessed
Guy of Gisburne....Michael Wincott
Little John....Nick Brimble
Fanny....Soo Drouet
Wolf....Daniel Newman
Bull....Daniel Peacock
Duncan....Walter Sparrow
Bishop....Harold Innocent
Much....Jack Wild
Peter....Liam Halligan
Sarah....Imogen Bain
Scribe....John Tordoff
Small Girl....Sarah Alexandra
Executioner....Richard Strange
Crew
Director - Kevin Reynolds
Writers - Pen Densham, John Watson
Music - Michael Kamen
Cinematography - Douglas Milsome
Film Editing - Peter Boyle
Costume Design - John Bloomfield
Filming Locations
Seven Sisters, East Sussex - English White Cliff coast
Sycamore gap, Hadrians Wall - Locksley gives directions to Azeem
Old Wardour Castle, Shaftsbury, Wiltshire - Locksley Castle
Aysgarth Falls, North Yorkshire - Scene fight with Little John
Burnham Beeches, Nr. A335, North of Slough, Bucks - Sherwood Forest Camp
Hulne Priory, nr Alnwick, Northumberland - Nottingham Cathedral
Priory Church of St Bartholomew The Great, Smithfield, London - Nottingham Cathedral, interior
Alnwick Castle, Alnwick, Northumberland - Nottingham Castle
Plot
After the Bayeux Tapestry titles, we are briefly told in captions about the Crusades and King Richard, just in case we didn’t know. We are immediately whisked away to a Jerusalem jail in 1194AD where we see Robin and Peter sporting implausible beards and being picked on by the nasty Saracens. Peter is accused of stealing bread and will have his hand chopped off for it. Robin says he will not survive it and tells the guards that he stole the bread. The guard decides to chop both their hands off. Just as the big sword descends to chop off Robin’s appendage, he pulls the guard into the way and the first fight scene commences. Robin tries to release the English prisoners but he can’t cut the chains. He frees a Moor who is under a death sentence and promises to show them the way out of the dungeons. They escape out of a drain into a Jerusalem street. Unfortunately, Peter is shot in the back by one of the sentries on the wall. He gives Robin his ring and makes him promise to find his sister, Marian, and protect her, then he sacrifices himself so that the others can escape. Robin and Azeem (for the Moor was he) hide in an alley and Azeem swears he will stay with Robin until he can save his life in return. They introduce themselves.
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In Locksley, we see Robin’s father writing a letter to someone who might be able to tell him of his son’s fate in the Holy Land. Somewhat blatantly, we are told that Robin bears his father ill will and that the country is in a mess. A servant, Duncan, turns up with a peasant in tow who tells Locksley that ‘they’ have taken his daughter. Locksley rides out. It turns out that he has been betrayed by the peasant and the whole thing was a trap. There are lots of people on horses wearing masks. Locksley recognises the leader (as if we haven’t actually worked it out) who asks him to join them. He refuses and takes them on. He is killed.
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‘Four months later’ and Robin is home (yeah, right). Robin tries to get rid of Azeem, but the Moor beats up the guy that Robin had paid to get him. Off they trudge together to Locksley which is apparently only a day’s walk from Dover (via Hadrian’s Wall). On the way, they have a conversation about women and Robin finds out that Azeem was under a death sentence because he slept with another man’s wife. As Azeem starts to pray Robin hears something and goes to investigate.
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A boy is being chased by soldiers and tries to escape by climbing up a tree. There is a confrontation between Gisburne and Robin, then our hero proceeds to beat up all the soldiers. Azeem finishes his prayers before coming to help. Robin sends Gisburne to the Sheriff with a message (surprise, surprise), just as Azeem turns up. Robin has a go at him and when he talks to the boy, the kid runs away.
In Nottingham, Gisburne interrupts the Sheriff’s little tryst to tell him about Robin and Azeem, and a statue of the Sheriff is delivered.
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At Locksley, the castle is ruined, Robin’s father is dead (quite gory, actually) and Duncan is blind. He tells them that the Sheriff accused his father of devil worship then killed him and Gisburne put out Duncan’s eyes. In the morning at Locksley’s grave, Robin swears to avenge his death. Azeem decides to stay with him until he can fulfil his own vow. Off the trio go.
Back at Nottingham, the Sheriff is looking for the witch Mortianna in the nasty catacombs. She foresees the return of the King and their deaths at the hands of Robin and Azeem. They must both die.
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Meanwhile, Robin, Duncan and Azeem are at Peter’s place. Robin is finally allowed to enter, on his own and without his weapons. Inside, he waits for Marian. There is a comedy moment outside with Duncan and Azeem, then we go back to Robin who meets ‘Marian’. She tells him that she does not need his protection and leaves as a masked stranger forces Robin out with a sword at his back. He attacks the stranger and a brief fight scene follows. Azeem manages to break in just as Robin unmasks the real Marian and is kicked where it hurts in return for his efforts. Later, and Robin and Marian are talking outside. He tells her of her brother’s death and gives her the ring. She is a cousin of the King and feels it is her duty to stay where she is and look after the poor. They almost have an argument, but Robin apologises and Marian tells him not to believe what the Sheriff accused his father of. Azeem spots Gisburne and his soldiers on the way. There is a silly moment with a telescope (not actually invented yet, but who cares?) and Robin refuses to leave. Marian tells Gisburne that they are stealing her horses and they have to go, taking a couple of horses and heading for Sherwood.
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As they hide in the conifers (in Sherwood?), Gisburne taunts Robin. He leaves because his soldiers are afraid of the ghosts in the forest. Further into the forest, the boys discover that the ghosts are actually wind chimes. They come to a river.
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Robin tries to cross but is tripped by a rope under the surface. Little John challenges Robin, demanding that he hand over his father’s medallion as taxes to the outlaws. We discover that the boy from earlier is John’s son. There is a fight scene and after a few amusing false starts, Robin wins. He introduces himself and for some reason Will is not happy about this news. That night in Sherwood they have dinner and Robin is introduced to the gang. They tell him about the Sheriff and his witch Mortianna and Robin reckons that they should fight back. There is a little bit of Will and his attitude as the scene closes.
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The next morning it is Sunday, and the outlaws are waking. In Nottingham, mass is being taken and Marian is giving alms to the poor. As she prays alone, Robin turns up in disguise and talks to her. She tells him about the price on his head and about the Sheriff getting an army together. Whatever can it be for? Robin leaves her. In the Bishop’s chambers Robin greets the Bishop; they used to know each other before Robin went away. Meanwhile, the Sheriff is talking to Marian. He offers to protect her from the outlaws, but she refuses, with veiled threats about the King. The Sheriff gives a valuable dagger and leaves. The Bishop is telling Robin his side of Locksley’s confession of devil worship. Robin doesn’t believe him. As he opens the door to go, he comes face to face with the Sheriff. He cuts his cheek and slams the door, buying time to think of an escape. The Sheriff gives chase, but Robin steals the sheriff’s horse and rides to freedom, leaving a poor guard to face his anger.
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Back in Sherwood, John and Will are more than a little displeased at what Robin has done. Our hero makes a quick speech and tells them all that he wants to lead them.
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In Nottingham the Sheriff is having his cheek sewn up. He is not a happy bunny and decides to turn the people against Robin. There now follows a montage of soldiers pillaging, raping and burning. The homeless find their way to Sherwood where Will confronts Robin. He tries to stab Robin from behind but Wolf shouts a warning and instead Robin shoots Will through the hand. He runs away. Robin does a big speech and suddenly everyone is on his side. There now follows another montage, this time of training scenes. For no apparent reason Robin splits an arrow. There are some stealing from the rich scenes and then a giving to the poor scene. It all fits, you see.
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The steward is telling the Sheriff about all that Robin and his men have stolen and that no-one will turn him in because they love him. The Sheriff gets all upset and shouts a bit because they can’t find Robin no matter how hard they try.
In the forest, another plan goes into action. The outlaws are attacking a couple of carts, one of beer being driven by Friar Tuck. The plan is successful and the clearing deserted when Gisburne gets back to it. Robin and the boys find a lot of gold in the other cart. Tuck and Robin have a quick comedy fight after which he decides to join them.
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Bull and Much are waiting in ambush for two women who turn out to be Marian and her lady-in-waiting, Sarah. They trick the boys and Marian is taken to see Robin. He is having a bath under a waterfall but Marian pretends not to have seen his naked bum. Marian is impressed by the camp. There are a few ‘this is a happy camp’ moments, then Robin shows Marian all the gold they have captured which the Sheriff means to use to bribe the barons into standing against the King. She gives him her new dagger for his cause. He invites her to dinner and she accepts. There is a party with implausibly modern music, during which Robin and Marian talk about his father. The fight was over a woman Locksley took after Robin’s mother died. Wolf races into the scene; his mother is dying. There is a Dr Quinn scene in which Azeem delivers Fanny’s baby and saves both of them. The whole camp uses it as an excuse to carry on the party.
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At dawn as Marian is leaving. Robin asks her to take Duncan with her and to warn the King about the Sheriff. She agrees to do it and kisses him.
The Sheriff is worried that his plan is failing. Mortianna advises to get the Celts in on it and to put his own child on the throne by allying with royal blood.
Marian has written a letter and gives it to the Bishop. He sends an emissary to the King, accompanied by Sarah. The emissary hits Sarah over the head after pretending that his horse is lame.
Marian is all alone at night, sewing, when she hears a noise. It turns out to be a cat. Oh, no, it wasn’t; it was lots of soldiers come to get her. She puts up a fight but they get her anyway. Duncan gets on his very own Champion, the Wonder Horse and makes his way to Sherwood. He tells Robin about Marian being taken, but he was followed (horrors!) and the Celts attack. The outlaws make it to the trees but the Sheriff uses flaming arrows to burn the camp to the ground. Wolf and Will are captured. There is fire and death and destruction everywhere and to top it all, Robin falls after saving Fanny and her baby.
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In Nottingham, Marian learns of the Bishop’s betrayal and is forced into agreeing to marry the Sheriff when he threatens the lives of the captured children. He shows her Robin’s medallion and she runs off, crying.
That night in Sherwood, the gang search the camp. Then, from the light in the distance emerges our hero to a big flourish of music.
In the dungeons, the Sheriff threatens the prisoners and Will volunteers to go to the forest and kill Robin.
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The next morning, the boys are burying their dead in the greenwood and Robin is feeling sorry for himself. Will turns up and tells them about Marian and their men who are to be executed the next day. Robin wants to know why Will hates him so much. Apparently, Locksley’s lover was Will’s mother; they are half-brothers! This news spurs Robin into action and a plan is set. Azeem starts concocting some ‘black powder’ and Robin gets all the others organised.
i.imgur.com/IZ6fLA9.png
In the courtyard at Nottingham, the plan swings into action perfectly. There are a couple of hitches but after the fight scene starts in earnest, there is only one side out there. The Sheriff grabs Marian and drags her into the castle, followed by Robin and Azeem. In his private chapel, the Sheriff insists on marrying Marian before he will take her. The Bishop is forced into doing the dirty deed. Robin leaves Azeem to carry on trying to break the door down while he goes to find another way in. Mortianna attacks Azeem with a spear but he manages to get her with the spear right through her body. As the Sheriff tries to take Marian, Robin swings off the castle roof and in through the chapel window. There is the final confrontation fight, which is really cool. During this, we also see the Bishop getting some money together to run away and Tuck shoving him out of a window.
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Back to the fight, and Robin gets cornered without a sword. The Sheriff turns for a moment to talk to Marian and Robin stabs him with Marian’s dagger. The Sheriff dies a traditionally OTT death. As he turns to the love of his life, Mortianna appears and attacks. In the nick of time, the door bursts open and Azeem hurls his sword across the room. It gets the witch right in the middle of her chest and sends her flying across the room to land at the feet of the dead Sheriff. Robin and Marian are reunited.
i.imgur.com/WxHM683.png
In the forest a wedding is in progress. At the last minute, it is interrupted by Richard the Lionheart himself, sounding very Scottish for a Norman. He wants to give his cousin away. He thanks Robin and the wedding continues, ending with a big cheer and doves released into the trees. Everyone lives happily ever after.
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Review
As you may have gathered by now, there are a lot of things wrong with this film. The costumes seem to come from any period the designers felt would look good, the plot relies heavily on coincidence and cliche, the creators have assumed that the audience is stupid, historical fact seems irrelevant (gunpowder and telescopes!) and, of course, the accents are, in general, appalling. However, the main problem I have with this film is the total disregard for the essential Englishness of the legend. I could ignore the accents, but turning Robin Hood into some kind of All-American hero fighting for Truth, Justice and the American Way is taking it a little bit too far. Not being a big Costner fan, I find his big green-eyed ‘I’m the good guy, gotta love me’ attitude more than a little bit irritating and, frankly, quite boring. The stunts and fight scenes tend to make up for this a little bit, but Robin has never been this saintly before. The problem is, he doesn’t seem to have any faults and it gets so dull after a while. Similarly, the Sheriff has never been this evil; he even worships the Devil! Of course, Alan Rickman is totally wonderful, as always, but the attraction of the character comes from the actor’s contribution, not from any brilliance on the part of the writers or the director. It is as if the audience has to be shown exactly how to react at every turn. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work. I don’t know anyone who has seen this film who doesn’t want the Sheriff to win, simply because he is more interesting than all the ‘good’ guys put together. I feel especially sorry for Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio and Christian Slater. Both are very good actors stuck with the unenviable task of making their boring characters a bit more interesting. Mastrantonio does quite well, despite the writers insistence on making her a plot device. When it is necessary for her to fight, she does so, when necessary for her to squeal and look helpless, she does so. Somehow, she manages to make this quite believable. The same goes for Slater. He somehow makes Will oddly plausible given the totally implausible history of the character. Everything about character and plot is pure Hollywood. As is very common in action films, anything that is necessary to make the spectacle work they use, and they use mercilessly. That is the problem with this film; England has been virtually ejected and a pseudo-America put in its place.
There are, however, some saving graces. Prince of Thieves is not as bad as everyone says or as I may have made it sound. Kevin Costner is miscast, as are Mike McShane and most of the supporting cast. The British actors save the day. They form the solid base of bad guys on which the film balances. Alan Rickman shines as always, with his ‘cousin’ Michael Wincott oozing evil at his side and the lovely Geraldine McEwan cackling her way effortlessly through a difficult part. They bring a little bit of variation to what could have become a boring, uniform chunk of nastiness against which our hero would have to fight. This negates the effect of the uniformly good guys; boredom.
The other saving grace has to be the action. The film manages to maintain an audience’s interest through the virtue of some very impressive and exciting set pieces. The pace draws you in, takes you along with it and forces you to enjoy what you see. There are moments of quiet, just when you need them to prepare for the next bit of action. Prince of Thieves is a well put together film; one that has pace, excitement, romance and a certain appeal. This film can be enjoyed, no matter what the critics said about it and no matter how you feel about our friends across the ocean stealing all our decent heroes. Just sit back, relax and don’t think about all the inaccuracies of plot, dialogue, costume and character; let yourself go.
Great lines
Basically any of Alan Rickman’s lines, but here are a few choice examples anyway.
Robin: This is English courage. (!)
Locksley: Never fear Duncan. Good will overcome. Trust in that.
Gisburne: Might I have the pleasure of your name before I have you run through?
Azeem: You whine like a mule. You are still alive.
Mortianna: Something vexes thee?
Sheriff: Cancel kitchen scraps for beggars and orphans, no more merciful beheadings and call off Christmas!
Duncan: He fancies you, m’lady.
Marian: There is only one man who can heal the wounds of this land; Robin Hood.
Sheriff: I had a very sad childhood, I’ll tell you about it sometime. I never knew my parents. It’s a wonder I’m still sane.
I will not take her until we are properly wed. For once in my life, I will have something pure.
Do you mind, Locksley, we’ve just been married.
Comments
It is interesting to note that two little bits of the Sheriff’s character development were cut from the final film. Apparently, there was supposed to be a scene in which we find out that Mortianna is the Sheriff’s mother and that she killed the real Sheriff’s son and put her own baby in its place. Also, as he was dying, the Sheriff was supposed to say, “I wonder, who was daddy?”. The story goes that Costner wanted these removed because they made the Sheriff more sympathetic than Robin and he wanted to stop that. He failed.
Cast
Robin of Locksley....Kevin Costner
Azeem....Morgan Freeman
Marian....Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio
Will Scarlett....Christian Slater
Sheriff of Nottingham....Alan Rickman
Mortianna....Geraldine McEwan
Friar Tuck....Michael McShane
Lord Locksley....Brian Blessed
Guy of Gisburne....Michael Wincott
Little John....Nick Brimble
Fanny....Soo Drouet
Wolf....Daniel Newman
Bull....Daniel Peacock
Duncan....Walter Sparrow
Bishop....Harold Innocent
Much....Jack Wild
Peter....Liam Halligan
Sarah....Imogen Bain
Scribe....John Tordoff
Small Girl....Sarah Alexandra
Executioner....Richard Strange
Crew
Director - Kevin Reynolds
Writers - Pen Densham, John Watson
Music - Michael Kamen
Cinematography - Douglas Milsome
Film Editing - Peter Boyle
Costume Design - John Bloomfield
Filming Locations
Seven Sisters, East Sussex - English White Cliff coast
Sycamore gap, Hadrians Wall - Locksley gives directions to Azeem
Old Wardour Castle, Shaftsbury, Wiltshire - Locksley Castle
Aysgarth Falls, North Yorkshire - Scene fight with Little John
Burnham Beeches, Nr. A335, North of Slough, Bucks - Sherwood Forest Camp
Hulne Priory, nr Alnwick, Northumberland - Nottingham Cathedral
Priory Church of St Bartholomew The Great, Smithfield, London - Nottingham Cathedral, interior
Alnwick Castle, Alnwick, Northumberland - Nottingham Castle