Post by Dennis of Ravenscar on Feb 12, 2023 8:12:53 GMT
A Review by Kathy Lye (nee Davey)
i.imgur.com/q5Bw4XK.jpg
Plot
Before the titles start, we see three apples on an anonymous window sill. Then a sword, a vulture, an old man and sand. A siege is revealed. Soldiers are loading a catapult and two men on horseback watch them. We later find out that these are Robin Hood and Little John. Robin speaks for King Richard. They are after a legendary treasure, but the old man claims it is just a stone. The King and his men ride up. He doesn't believe the old man; he wants his treasure and he wants it now. He orders Robin to get it. Robin, being the man he is, refuses. Now we find that he has been following Richard for twenty years. An argument ensues. The old man in the castle throws an arrow (yes, throws it; doesn't shoot it, throws it) and it gets the King in the neck. Richard is not too happy, to say the least. He breaks that goddamn arrow and charges that pesky castle. Slaughter ensues.
i.imgur.com/y2N8BfW.png
Oops. It turns out that the 'treasure' was a stone after all. Now there is the little problem of removing an arrowhead from the King's neck. The surgeon is understandably nervous as Richard is angry. He talks about Robin and how they met. Robin has got above himself in the last twenty years. Richard gets even more agitated and pulls out the arrowhead himself. He decides he wants to go inside.
Robin and John have been arrested and imprisoned and they are arguing. They settle down a bit after the subject turns to their lives and how good they have been. Then (surprise, surprise), Robin decides it is time to escape. They start working on one of the stones. Morning arrives just as they work the stone loose. Unfortunately, so does a guard, who takes them to see the King. They find him 'celebrating his demise' at a quiet party in full swing. His neck is still bleeding. After a little bit of complaining about life in general, Richard gets angry with Robin again, who is obviously not in a partying mood. Richard the Lionheart, King of England, then collapses and dies in Robin Hood's arms. What a way to go!
i.imgur.com/U82zD2e.jpg
We cut to the funeral procession. Robin and John are watching. They decide it is time to return to England. Immediately, they are back, galloping free and happy across the green, green fields of home. Then, at last, "There she is" - Sherwood. Next thing you know, Robin and John are getting a bit lost in the greenwood. They find the old camp after a time, but there isn't a lot left of it. Suddenly, they are attacked by two 'old men' who recognise them and turn out to be Will Scarlet and Friar Tuck. The boys are back in town! Around the campfire, they talk about the past and the legends that have grown up around them. The Sheriff and Marian are still alive and the kingdom is in a mess, but Robin thinks he is too old to fight anymore.
i.imgur.com/FpV3pku.png
In Nottingham, soldiers are training under the watchful eye of the Sheriff. He shows off a bit and takes on two of them, easily beating the wimps. Sir Ranulf comes to get him and off they go.
Robin and the boys are going to Kirklees. On the way, they break the news to him that Marian is a nun in the abbey.
i.imgur.com/jUkJidU.png
Marian herself is quietly tending a patient when Robin turns up and almost chickens out. Marian is actually the Abbess! She is angry and says she doesn't want him any more; she likes her new life. She is waiting for the Sheriff to come and lock her up because of King John's fight with the Pope. Typically, Robin wants to save her. The Sheriff arrives and Marian volunteers to go. Robin knocks her out and rides away to Sherwood with her. The old feud is reopened. In the forest, Robin and Marian talk about the times they had together and the twenty years that they spent apart. Marian explains that she found a peace in the Church that she never had when she was with him. Robin agrees to take her to Nottingham in the morning.
i.imgur.com/q0AdYMu.jpg
The morning at the camp is a quiet, peaceful scene, just like old times. First, they have to go to Kirklees to get Marian's things. At the abbey, only one nun is left. She escaped when the Sheriff took the others. They know it is a trap, but Robin and John go to rescue them anyway, stealing a cart on the way. They're back, they're bad and they're loving it! The Sheriff spots them as they arrive and start setting up a stall. An old peasant and his son object because it was their table. The old man recognises Robin from somewhere. Robin and John spot the nuns and in they go. After a quick bit of tension caused by the guards and the nuns being thick, the action starts. The nuns get out just before the portcullis comes down, trapping Robin and John. They promptly start climbing up to the ramparts where there is, obviously, a fight. Marian arrives in time to see Will and Tuck join in from outside the walls with their bows. The old peasant realises who Robin is, just as Will and Tuck get a hay cart in position under the ramparts. Marian gets in the stolen cart with the nuns, Robin and John jump into the hay and away to Sherwood they go. The Sheriff almost has a tantrum. When Ranulf suggests going after them, he advises against it, but the stupid knight goes anyway.
Marian and the nuns end up in the river along with their cart; "She never did have the touch to drive". There is a bit of mucking about in the water, then a very touching conversation between Robin and Marian where she says she wouldn't have the strength to lose him again. They almost kiss, but the alarm is raised and off he goes.
i.imgur.com/lGx6ZDq.jpg
Ranulf's soldiers are picked off one by one. John is about to kill Ranulf, but Robin stops him. After a brief but eloquent exchange, Robin sends him on his way with a threat (as any Robin has a tendency to do). They return to camp. Marian goes off to the river and Robin follows her. The scene between them is one of the most poetic and touching scenes in the film. She is looking for who she is - Mother Jennet or Marion. As he holds her, she finds what she had been missing; "I've felt so little for so long, Robin. Hurt me, make me cry". He kisses her and she is his Marian again. Back at the camp, some peasants arrive. They have come to find Robin and to fight with him. Marian is proud of him again.
At a rather more comfortable camp, the King is sending a nasty message to the Pope and making a valiant attempt to fend off his young bride's half-naked advances. Sir Ranulf arrives and demands two hundred men to go to Sherwood and kick some peasant butt. King John gives him some men; he wants Robin (surprise, surprise).
i.imgur.com/0KHGAwt.jpg
Back in the forest, the men are training and the women are making lots of green clothes. Ranulf, on his way back, meets up with the Sheriff, who takes command. They ride on to Sherwood and make camp just outside, in a field. Robin and John watch them from a tree. (NB. Sean Connery fans should note that as he drops out of the tree, there is a brief but clear shot of his bum. Exciting, eh?). Robin wants everyone ready for a dawn attack. At dawn, there is no attack. It's a waiting game we're playing, folks. Eventually, Robin, John, Will and Tuck ride out, kill the border guards and ride back again. Nobody follows. Everyone says they should stay where they are, Robin obviously thinks otherwise. That night in their 'house', Marian confronts Robin. She knows that he wants to go out to fight the Sheriff. She will leave him if he does because she doesn't want to mourn him again. Marion goes to find John to get him to talk Robin out of it. He reveals that he, too, loves her (well, who wouldn't?) and promises to look after Robin.
i.imgur.com/V1Z46tr.jpg
Next day, everyone prepares for a fight. Marian says goodbye and leaves. As they ride out, the Sheriff comes out to meet them. Robin wants to settle the stalemate with champions and the Sheriff agrees. Robin tells John to keep his word if the Sheriff kills him. Marian sees the fight from the cart and despite what she said, she has to go and watch. Both men are seriously wounded, but carry on until finally, Robin kills the Sheriff. Ranulf and his men attack and John kills Ranulf. Robin's boys run into Sherwood as John and Marian help Robin off the field. They take him to Kirklees.
i.imgur.com/CE0UVEh.jpg
At the abbey, in her room, Marian mixes something in a cup and drinks it, sending John to guard the gates. She gives Robin the same medicine, saying it will take away the pain. Robin talks about the life they will have in Sherwood together. Then he realises he has been poisoned and calls for John. He turns to Marion, who is also dying and asks her why. She explains that she loves him too much. Robin accepts that it is better this way. As they reach out for each other, John bursts in. Robin stops him and asks for his bow, which John helps him fire out of the window. "Where this falls, John, put us close and leave us there". As the arrow flies, the camera tilts down and we see the apples on the windowsill, decayed and rotting. Not a dry eye in the house.
i.imgur.com/TWUYhuw.jpg
Review
Let's get something straight right from the start. This will not be an objective review. I love this film. I think it is the best film adaptation of the Robin Hood legend ever. I know it inside out and backwards. OK, now that's out of the way, I'd better tell you why.
Robin and Marian looks at the story from a different angle. It is twenty years after Robin's original adventures and a lot has changed, but the essentials are all there. Everything that Robin Hood should be, this film is, with some lovely extras. Robin and John may be a bit older, but they are still swashbucklers to be reckoned with. They love it. The style, the energy and the twinkle in the eye is all there as Sean Connery battles against Robert Shaw to win the heart of the fair Audrey Hepburn. The atmosphere is just right from the very beginning. The colours are subtle and autumnal without being either flat or dull, reminding us that the legend is drawing to a close. The emphasis is constantly on the past, the way things were and how some things may change but other things will always remain the same. Robin is still sexy, reckless and brave, Marian is still beautiful and delicate but headstrong and proud, John is still a gentle giant and Tuck is still fat. The people still believe the legends and they will still follow Robin anywhere. The Sheriff is still nasty and after Robin's blood and King John is still a power-mad prat. The real change is that everyone is aware of time catching up on them. The past was good and they all leap at the chance of recapturing it.
Very few Robin Hoods have ever been killed off and I love the way they handle his inevitable death. They stay true to the legend; he is killed by the Abbess of Kirklees and he does shoot that arrow. Anyone who can watch this ending without at least a lump in their throat must have a heart of granite. It is somehow both touching and in a way, joyful. They had their time together, it was good and now it has to end before they lose what they have. Their love is so deep, death does not matter. However many times I see it, I still end up in a soggy heap on the sofa. A classic scene for romantics everywhere.
Sean Connery is perfect. He twinkles and charms, but it is clear that losing the man he was scares him. He loves life and would rather die than live it less. Everything he was is encapsulated in his relationship with Marian. He may be older, but he is not much wiser. Reckless and sexy, he can still take on the world. The chemistry between him, Audrey Hepburn and Nicol Williamson is lovely and particularly poignant. Audrey Hepburn was and always will be one of the most beautiful and talented women in the world. One of my friends once said that she was an angel who visited us for a while. This ethereal quality shines through her performance as Marian. Her love for Robin is too great for this world, as is her spirit. Having said that, she is still a strong-willed, independent woman, just one who also needs to feel the way she used to. She desperately needs Robin, but is strong enough to leave him to save herself more pain. Audrey is more than a match for Sean and equals him at every turn. Sparks fly between them; Robin and Marian are made for each other. Robert Shaw's Sheriff is in many ways a parallel to Robin. As soon as his old enemy is back on the scene, the Sheriff wants to kill him and throws himself into the task. He, too, cannot resist the temptation. Robert Shaw is wonderful. He is mean, nasty and ruthless and he loves it. Nicol Williamson is equally excellent. His relationship with Robin is one of the best aspects of the film. They have been through everything together and it is mainly through John that we see this. He tries to protect Robin from himself even though he knows he can't. Nicol is tender and terrible and he shines.
Watch out for Richard Harris' King Richard. Not that you could easily miss it. It is a realistic interpretation for once. He is a selfish, bull-headed child playing at war games. He even admits that he doesn't like England and was hardly ever there. Richard was not the great king most people make him out to be and this film says so without fear.
A lot of people may not like the thought of an entire film about the relationship between Robin and Marion. There is far more to this film than just a love story. It is about the past, time, love, passion and life. Everything about this film is good. An excellent cast, beautiful music, lovely photography and a simple but extraordinarily poetic script; what more could you ask for? It is a gentle, atmospheric film which inspires laughter, nostalgia, joy and tears. Well worth the price of a couple of boxes of tissues.
Comments
Does anyone else think it is more than a mere coincidence that Audrey Hepburn's Marian gives Sean Connery's Robin the same reason for killing him that Judi Trott's Marion gives Jason Connery's Robin for leaving him to become a nun at Kirklees Abbey? Had someone on Robin of Sherwood been watching this film too often? Are they trying to tell us something? One wonders, doesn't one?
In the final scene, it does seem to take John a hell of a long time to get to Robin when he calls. Twice as long, in fact, as it took him to wander to the gates in the first place. Shouldn't he have been running?
Best Lines
A quick selection from a script full of lovely lines.
Robin: "I never mean to hurt you, but it's all I ever do."
"I've never kissed a member of the clergy. Would it be a sin?"
Marian: "I love you. More than all you know. I love you more than children. More than fields I've planted with my hands. I love you more than morning prayers or peace or food to eat. I love you more than sunlight, more than flesh or joy or one more day. I love you more than God."
(Actually, Audrey gets all the best speeches).
John: "You're Rob's lady. But if you were mine, I'd never have left you."
Richard: "Clever fellow, Death is."
Sheriff: "He's a little bit in love with Death. He flirts, he teases. I can wait."
Ranulf: "Have you ever tried to fight a legend?"
Cast
Robin Hood...Sean Connery
Marian...Audrey Hepburn
Little John...Nicol Williamson
Sheriff of Nottingham...Robert Shaw
Sir Ranulf...Kenneth Haigh
Will Scarlet...Denholm Elliott
Friar Tuck...Ronnie Barker
King Richard...Richard Harris
King John...Ian Holm
Mercadier...Bill Maynard
Old man in castle...Esmond Knight
Sister Mary...Veronica Quilligan
Surgeon...Peter Butterworth
Jack...John Barrett
Jack's apprentice...Kenneth Cranham
Queen Isabella...Victoria Merida Roja
1st Sister...Montserrat Julio
2nd Sister...Victoria Hernandez Sanguino
3rd Sister...Margarita Minguillon
Director...Richard Lester
Producer...Denis O'Dell
Screenplay...James Goldman
Photography...David Watkin
Editor...John Victor Smith
Music...John Barry
Art Director...Michael Stringer
Filming Locations (May-July 1975)
Villalonso, Zamora, Castilla y León, Spain - Castle
Artajona, Navarra, Spain - Nottingham
Sierra de Urbasa, Navarra, Spain - Edge of Sherwood Forest
Urbasa, Quinto Real and Orgi, small villages in Navarre, Spain - Misc Scenes
i.imgur.com/q5Bw4XK.jpg
Plot
Before the titles start, we see three apples on an anonymous window sill. Then a sword, a vulture, an old man and sand. A siege is revealed. Soldiers are loading a catapult and two men on horseback watch them. We later find out that these are Robin Hood and Little John. Robin speaks for King Richard. They are after a legendary treasure, but the old man claims it is just a stone. The King and his men ride up. He doesn't believe the old man; he wants his treasure and he wants it now. He orders Robin to get it. Robin, being the man he is, refuses. Now we find that he has been following Richard for twenty years. An argument ensues. The old man in the castle throws an arrow (yes, throws it; doesn't shoot it, throws it) and it gets the King in the neck. Richard is not too happy, to say the least. He breaks that goddamn arrow and charges that pesky castle. Slaughter ensues.
i.imgur.com/y2N8BfW.png
Oops. It turns out that the 'treasure' was a stone after all. Now there is the little problem of removing an arrowhead from the King's neck. The surgeon is understandably nervous as Richard is angry. He talks about Robin and how they met. Robin has got above himself in the last twenty years. Richard gets even more agitated and pulls out the arrowhead himself. He decides he wants to go inside.
Robin and John have been arrested and imprisoned and they are arguing. They settle down a bit after the subject turns to their lives and how good they have been. Then (surprise, surprise), Robin decides it is time to escape. They start working on one of the stones. Morning arrives just as they work the stone loose. Unfortunately, so does a guard, who takes them to see the King. They find him 'celebrating his demise' at a quiet party in full swing. His neck is still bleeding. After a little bit of complaining about life in general, Richard gets angry with Robin again, who is obviously not in a partying mood. Richard the Lionheart, King of England, then collapses and dies in Robin Hood's arms. What a way to go!
i.imgur.com/U82zD2e.jpg
We cut to the funeral procession. Robin and John are watching. They decide it is time to return to England. Immediately, they are back, galloping free and happy across the green, green fields of home. Then, at last, "There she is" - Sherwood. Next thing you know, Robin and John are getting a bit lost in the greenwood. They find the old camp after a time, but there isn't a lot left of it. Suddenly, they are attacked by two 'old men' who recognise them and turn out to be Will Scarlet and Friar Tuck. The boys are back in town! Around the campfire, they talk about the past and the legends that have grown up around them. The Sheriff and Marian are still alive and the kingdom is in a mess, but Robin thinks he is too old to fight anymore.
i.imgur.com/FpV3pku.png
In Nottingham, soldiers are training under the watchful eye of the Sheriff. He shows off a bit and takes on two of them, easily beating the wimps. Sir Ranulf comes to get him and off they go.
Robin and the boys are going to Kirklees. On the way, they break the news to him that Marian is a nun in the abbey.
i.imgur.com/jUkJidU.png
Marian herself is quietly tending a patient when Robin turns up and almost chickens out. Marian is actually the Abbess! She is angry and says she doesn't want him any more; she likes her new life. She is waiting for the Sheriff to come and lock her up because of King John's fight with the Pope. Typically, Robin wants to save her. The Sheriff arrives and Marian volunteers to go. Robin knocks her out and rides away to Sherwood with her. The old feud is reopened. In the forest, Robin and Marian talk about the times they had together and the twenty years that they spent apart. Marian explains that she found a peace in the Church that she never had when she was with him. Robin agrees to take her to Nottingham in the morning.
i.imgur.com/q0AdYMu.jpg
The morning at the camp is a quiet, peaceful scene, just like old times. First, they have to go to Kirklees to get Marian's things. At the abbey, only one nun is left. She escaped when the Sheriff took the others. They know it is a trap, but Robin and John go to rescue them anyway, stealing a cart on the way. They're back, they're bad and they're loving it! The Sheriff spots them as they arrive and start setting up a stall. An old peasant and his son object because it was their table. The old man recognises Robin from somewhere. Robin and John spot the nuns and in they go. After a quick bit of tension caused by the guards and the nuns being thick, the action starts. The nuns get out just before the portcullis comes down, trapping Robin and John. They promptly start climbing up to the ramparts where there is, obviously, a fight. Marian arrives in time to see Will and Tuck join in from outside the walls with their bows. The old peasant realises who Robin is, just as Will and Tuck get a hay cart in position under the ramparts. Marian gets in the stolen cart with the nuns, Robin and John jump into the hay and away to Sherwood they go. The Sheriff almost has a tantrum. When Ranulf suggests going after them, he advises against it, but the stupid knight goes anyway.
Marian and the nuns end up in the river along with their cart; "She never did have the touch to drive". There is a bit of mucking about in the water, then a very touching conversation between Robin and Marian where she says she wouldn't have the strength to lose him again. They almost kiss, but the alarm is raised and off he goes.
i.imgur.com/lGx6ZDq.jpg
Ranulf's soldiers are picked off one by one. John is about to kill Ranulf, but Robin stops him. After a brief but eloquent exchange, Robin sends him on his way with a threat (as any Robin has a tendency to do). They return to camp. Marian goes off to the river and Robin follows her. The scene between them is one of the most poetic and touching scenes in the film. She is looking for who she is - Mother Jennet or Marion. As he holds her, she finds what she had been missing; "I've felt so little for so long, Robin. Hurt me, make me cry". He kisses her and she is his Marian again. Back at the camp, some peasants arrive. They have come to find Robin and to fight with him. Marian is proud of him again.
At a rather more comfortable camp, the King is sending a nasty message to the Pope and making a valiant attempt to fend off his young bride's half-naked advances. Sir Ranulf arrives and demands two hundred men to go to Sherwood and kick some peasant butt. King John gives him some men; he wants Robin (surprise, surprise).
i.imgur.com/0KHGAwt.jpg
Back in the forest, the men are training and the women are making lots of green clothes. Ranulf, on his way back, meets up with the Sheriff, who takes command. They ride on to Sherwood and make camp just outside, in a field. Robin and John watch them from a tree. (NB. Sean Connery fans should note that as he drops out of the tree, there is a brief but clear shot of his bum. Exciting, eh?). Robin wants everyone ready for a dawn attack. At dawn, there is no attack. It's a waiting game we're playing, folks. Eventually, Robin, John, Will and Tuck ride out, kill the border guards and ride back again. Nobody follows. Everyone says they should stay where they are, Robin obviously thinks otherwise. That night in their 'house', Marian confronts Robin. She knows that he wants to go out to fight the Sheriff. She will leave him if he does because she doesn't want to mourn him again. Marion goes to find John to get him to talk Robin out of it. He reveals that he, too, loves her (well, who wouldn't?) and promises to look after Robin.
i.imgur.com/V1Z46tr.jpg
Next day, everyone prepares for a fight. Marian says goodbye and leaves. As they ride out, the Sheriff comes out to meet them. Robin wants to settle the stalemate with champions and the Sheriff agrees. Robin tells John to keep his word if the Sheriff kills him. Marian sees the fight from the cart and despite what she said, she has to go and watch. Both men are seriously wounded, but carry on until finally, Robin kills the Sheriff. Ranulf and his men attack and John kills Ranulf. Robin's boys run into Sherwood as John and Marian help Robin off the field. They take him to Kirklees.
i.imgur.com/CE0UVEh.jpg
At the abbey, in her room, Marian mixes something in a cup and drinks it, sending John to guard the gates. She gives Robin the same medicine, saying it will take away the pain. Robin talks about the life they will have in Sherwood together. Then he realises he has been poisoned and calls for John. He turns to Marion, who is also dying and asks her why. She explains that she loves him too much. Robin accepts that it is better this way. As they reach out for each other, John bursts in. Robin stops him and asks for his bow, which John helps him fire out of the window. "Where this falls, John, put us close and leave us there". As the arrow flies, the camera tilts down and we see the apples on the windowsill, decayed and rotting. Not a dry eye in the house.
i.imgur.com/TWUYhuw.jpg
Review
Let's get something straight right from the start. This will not be an objective review. I love this film. I think it is the best film adaptation of the Robin Hood legend ever. I know it inside out and backwards. OK, now that's out of the way, I'd better tell you why.
Robin and Marian looks at the story from a different angle. It is twenty years after Robin's original adventures and a lot has changed, but the essentials are all there. Everything that Robin Hood should be, this film is, with some lovely extras. Robin and John may be a bit older, but they are still swashbucklers to be reckoned with. They love it. The style, the energy and the twinkle in the eye is all there as Sean Connery battles against Robert Shaw to win the heart of the fair Audrey Hepburn. The atmosphere is just right from the very beginning. The colours are subtle and autumnal without being either flat or dull, reminding us that the legend is drawing to a close. The emphasis is constantly on the past, the way things were and how some things may change but other things will always remain the same. Robin is still sexy, reckless and brave, Marian is still beautiful and delicate but headstrong and proud, John is still a gentle giant and Tuck is still fat. The people still believe the legends and they will still follow Robin anywhere. The Sheriff is still nasty and after Robin's blood and King John is still a power-mad prat. The real change is that everyone is aware of time catching up on them. The past was good and they all leap at the chance of recapturing it.
Very few Robin Hoods have ever been killed off and I love the way they handle his inevitable death. They stay true to the legend; he is killed by the Abbess of Kirklees and he does shoot that arrow. Anyone who can watch this ending without at least a lump in their throat must have a heart of granite. It is somehow both touching and in a way, joyful. They had their time together, it was good and now it has to end before they lose what they have. Their love is so deep, death does not matter. However many times I see it, I still end up in a soggy heap on the sofa. A classic scene for romantics everywhere.
Sean Connery is perfect. He twinkles and charms, but it is clear that losing the man he was scares him. He loves life and would rather die than live it less. Everything he was is encapsulated in his relationship with Marian. He may be older, but he is not much wiser. Reckless and sexy, he can still take on the world. The chemistry between him, Audrey Hepburn and Nicol Williamson is lovely and particularly poignant. Audrey Hepburn was and always will be one of the most beautiful and talented women in the world. One of my friends once said that she was an angel who visited us for a while. This ethereal quality shines through her performance as Marian. Her love for Robin is too great for this world, as is her spirit. Having said that, she is still a strong-willed, independent woman, just one who also needs to feel the way she used to. She desperately needs Robin, but is strong enough to leave him to save herself more pain. Audrey is more than a match for Sean and equals him at every turn. Sparks fly between them; Robin and Marian are made for each other. Robert Shaw's Sheriff is in many ways a parallel to Robin. As soon as his old enemy is back on the scene, the Sheriff wants to kill him and throws himself into the task. He, too, cannot resist the temptation. Robert Shaw is wonderful. He is mean, nasty and ruthless and he loves it. Nicol Williamson is equally excellent. His relationship with Robin is one of the best aspects of the film. They have been through everything together and it is mainly through John that we see this. He tries to protect Robin from himself even though he knows he can't. Nicol is tender and terrible and he shines.
Watch out for Richard Harris' King Richard. Not that you could easily miss it. It is a realistic interpretation for once. He is a selfish, bull-headed child playing at war games. He even admits that he doesn't like England and was hardly ever there. Richard was not the great king most people make him out to be and this film says so without fear.
A lot of people may not like the thought of an entire film about the relationship between Robin and Marion. There is far more to this film than just a love story. It is about the past, time, love, passion and life. Everything about this film is good. An excellent cast, beautiful music, lovely photography and a simple but extraordinarily poetic script; what more could you ask for? It is a gentle, atmospheric film which inspires laughter, nostalgia, joy and tears. Well worth the price of a couple of boxes of tissues.
Comments
Does anyone else think it is more than a mere coincidence that Audrey Hepburn's Marian gives Sean Connery's Robin the same reason for killing him that Judi Trott's Marion gives Jason Connery's Robin for leaving him to become a nun at Kirklees Abbey? Had someone on Robin of Sherwood been watching this film too often? Are they trying to tell us something? One wonders, doesn't one?
In the final scene, it does seem to take John a hell of a long time to get to Robin when he calls. Twice as long, in fact, as it took him to wander to the gates in the first place. Shouldn't he have been running?
Best Lines
A quick selection from a script full of lovely lines.
Robin: "I never mean to hurt you, but it's all I ever do."
"I've never kissed a member of the clergy. Would it be a sin?"
Marian: "I love you. More than all you know. I love you more than children. More than fields I've planted with my hands. I love you more than morning prayers or peace or food to eat. I love you more than sunlight, more than flesh or joy or one more day. I love you more than God."
(Actually, Audrey gets all the best speeches).
John: "You're Rob's lady. But if you were mine, I'd never have left you."
Richard: "Clever fellow, Death is."
Sheriff: "He's a little bit in love with Death. He flirts, he teases. I can wait."
Ranulf: "Have you ever tried to fight a legend?"
Cast
Robin Hood...Sean Connery
Marian...Audrey Hepburn
Little John...Nicol Williamson
Sheriff of Nottingham...Robert Shaw
Sir Ranulf...Kenneth Haigh
Will Scarlet...Denholm Elliott
Friar Tuck...Ronnie Barker
King Richard...Richard Harris
King John...Ian Holm
Mercadier...Bill Maynard
Old man in castle...Esmond Knight
Sister Mary...Veronica Quilligan
Surgeon...Peter Butterworth
Jack...John Barrett
Jack's apprentice...Kenneth Cranham
Queen Isabella...Victoria Merida Roja
1st Sister...Montserrat Julio
2nd Sister...Victoria Hernandez Sanguino
3rd Sister...Margarita Minguillon
Director...Richard Lester
Producer...Denis O'Dell
Screenplay...James Goldman
Photography...David Watkin
Editor...John Victor Smith
Music...John Barry
Art Director...Michael Stringer
Filming Locations (May-July 1975)
Villalonso, Zamora, Castilla y León, Spain - Castle
Artajona, Navarra, Spain - Nottingham
Sierra de Urbasa, Navarra, Spain - Edge of Sherwood Forest
Urbasa, Quinto Real and Orgi, small villages in Navarre, Spain - Misc Scenes