Robin and Marian

8/14/2021

_**Robin Hood returns to England in his grey years**_ Coming back from the Crusades, Robin Hood and Little John (Sean Connery and Nicol Williamson) are still serving under King Richard the Lionhearted (Richard Harris) in France before finally making it back to England and reuniting with Marian (Audrey Hepburn) and their old nemesis the Sheriff of Nottingham (Robert Shaw). Directed by Richard Lester, "Robin and Marian" (1976) has an odd tone, combining the brutal realities of Medieval Europe with subtle humor and nobility. The fun element is low-key and meshed with melancholy, but such ‘dark comedy’ is lost on many today (even I had to acclimate). However, if you think about it, the blockbuster “Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves” (1991) had a similar mixed tone. In any case, the mo

6/19/2025

I didn’t really appreciate this film when I was younger. I much preferred the colourful flourishing of Errol Flynn and Michael Curtiz’s take on the Robin Hood legend and found this a bit slow. Now, though, I actually rather like this interpretation of just how this folk legend might have aged after his return from the crusades. It’s on those travels that the impetuous and frequently boozed-up King Richard (Richard Harris) falls foul of a rogue arrow and so when Robin (Sean Connery) returns to an England in the hands of King John, he finds that the Sheriff of Nottingham (Robert Shaw) is still ruling the roost and the Maid Marian (Audrey Hepburn) has taken her vows. With the Sheriff bent on arresting her, Robin arrives just in the nick of time to rescue her from his clutches and so reinvigor