Along with Cinderella, Dracula and Sherlock Holmes one of the staples of cinema has been Robin Hood. The legend of the man in Lincoln green robbing the rich to pay the poor sounds like a left wing wet dream and its seen dozens of films and TV shows that stretches back over 100 years. So with the release of The Death of Robin Hood now would seem right to take a look at the pivotal films about the legendary outlaw…..
Those pivotal Robin Hood films…..
The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
This was the first film that really grabbed the attention of cinema audiences due to the casting of Errol Flynn as Robin Hood and became the role that he is perhaps best remembered. Shot in technicolour the film was directed by Michael Curtiz after taking over from William Keighley. Curtiz had previously directed Flynn in ‘Captain Blood’ to much acclaim and was one the great Hollywood directors having gone on to helm Angels with Dirty Faces, White Christmas and of course Casablanca. But the director and star had a contempt for each other. Curtiz could be very demanding and Flynn had an often lassaiz-faire attitude to schedules
The film has a load of highlights and genre defining moments that included Robin splitting an arrow in half with another arrow he fires, the sound dept producing the distinctive arrow sounds that were used for decades afterwards. For the time it was a big budget film costing $1.6m that ballooned to $2m (the film used the most ever stuntmen at the time and a third of the budget had gone on building a recreation of Nottingham castle) but audiences loved it and the film was the studios biggest earner of the year and a sequel was planned but abandoned due to the US being drawn into WWII.
The Erotic Adventures of Robin Hood (1969)
The success of the film saw further Robin Hood films and the 1950’s alone saw five film alone but the permissive 1960’s saw what would become something of a staple for the adult film industry, the porno parody. Starring Ralph Jenkins who went on to do nothing else the film was softcore where Robin and his lust driven gang party in the forest until the sheriff kidnaps Marion and they have to rescue her. With expected full frontal nudity it had all the eroticism of a wet afternoon of Gemma Collins modelling for Victoria’s Secrets. Its notable only for actress Lynn Cartwright’s only nude scenes in a career that until then had seen her appear in a number of TV series that had included ‘Alfred Hitchcock presents’ and ‘Maverick’ amongst many others, Co-written by Erwin C Dietrich a Swiss actor who became a director and had increasingly included nudity in his films even if they did get cut out by the censors and would go on to achieve cult status
Robin Hood (1973)
Taking a far more wholesome approach to the legend would be Disney and the legend was an obvious story for the studio to turn its animation skills to. Walt Disney had passed away in 1966 and the style of animation had changed slightly from the smooth lines of the classic era that saw Dumbo and Bambi for a style that was now more of a scratchy outline that had begun to evolve after 1961’s ‘One Hundred and One Dalmations’. Their animated version of the film saw the cast as animals and was an enjoyable musical though without the stand out songs that had really ended with The Jungle Book (1967). And the film was the beginning of 10+ years of generally poorly regarded Disney animated features
Robin and Marion (1976)
For the first time the legend was beginning to be overhauled and this 1976 film saw an aging Robin returning from the Crusades to woo and win back Marion perhaps for the last time. Helmed by Richard Lester whose excellent version of Royal Flash and a couple of Muskateers films had performed well at the box office and was ideally suited to the period drama. It helped also that he had Sean Connery and Audrey Hepburn in the title roles along with Robert Shaw, Richard Harris, Nicol Williamson, Ian Holm and perhaps most unexpectedly Ronnie Barker as Friar Tuck. Connery’s post Bond career after 1971’s ‘Diamonds are Forever’ had been lacklustre with his best films having been all star ensemble ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ and ‘The Man who would be King’ with Michael Caine. Audrey Hepburn was very much coming to the tail end of her career making only four more films after this but she still had star appeal and was ideally suited to an aging mature Marion. It was a stylish interpretation of the legend that was aimed at a more mature market and set a precedent for exploring well known characters from a different perspective.
Robin Hood Prince of Thieves (1991)
Fifteen years after Robin and Marion the legend would return in two films released simultaneously and as had been so often seen with competing projects of the same story, only one could win and that would be Kevin Costner’s ‘Robin Hood Prince of Thieves’. By the time the film was made Costner was a an A-list star having been acclaimed for his directorial debut ‘Dances with Wolves’ which would win him an Oscar that would bizarrely trounce Scorsese’ masterpiece,’ Goodfellas’. Helmed by Costner’s friend Kevin Reynolds the film was an all-star version that included Morgan Freeman, Christian Slater and a barn storming scene stealing Alan Rickman still hot from another scene stealing role in Die Hard and was allowed carte blanche to play the role as he wished often ad-libbing the lines with ’Cancel Christmas’ being just one of many gems. A typically Hollywood version of British geography it saw Robin arrive at the white cliffs of Dover before getting to Nottingham via Hadrian’s Wall and a whole load of other geographically irrelevant locations. Perhaps best of all was an unexpected cameo flagged by the off camera word, ‘Stop!’ or more precisely ‘SCHTOP!’ immediately signifying the casting of Sean Connery in a brief cameo appearance at the end. The film was an enormous hit earning $390m coming third to Terminator 2 and Beauty and the Beast with perhaps the bigger downside of the films being Bryan Adam’s, ‘Everything I do’ being at No 1 for a record 15 weeks. (Take a look at our BLU-RAY disc review HERE)
But the other Robin Hood film that year starred Patrick Bergin in the title role. Directed by the late action-meister John Irvin (Hamburger Hill, Raw Deal) that had a far less starry cast though it did have Uma Thurman but would obviously struggle to compete with Costner’s film and in the US it did not get a theatrical release at all. It didn’t help either that Costner’s film was released first taking the steam out of Irvin’s film when it was released some months later. It bizarrely set a precedent for the simultaneous release of twin films about the same subject and the following year saw two Christopher Columbus films that both flopped with subsequent years seeing two Wyatt Earp films Tombstone & Wyatt Earp (1993), volcanos ( Dante’s Peak & Volcano), the Dalai Lama ( Kundun & Seven years in Tibet), asteroids (Deep Impact & Armageddon) space flights to Mars ( Red Planet & Mission to Mars). The list is endless and goes on even now with the similarly themed ‘Ready or Not 2’ and ‘They will kill you’ proving that Hollywood is either stubborn, stupid, arrogant or all three.
Robin Hood : Men in Tights (1993)
The flurry of Robin Hood films and the very nature of the legend meant that parody was long overdue and it was of course Mel Brooks who grabbed the opportunity with both hands. Ironically the lead role was played by Cary Elwes who had been offered the role in what would be Kevin Costner’s film. Brooks needed a hit after the critical drubbing and career low of his 1991 film , ‘Life Stinks’ and thus was a return to broad gags and slapstick that the legend was ripe for lampooning. The cast included Tracey Ullman, Patrick Stewart, Isaac Hayes and the frist credited role for a then upcoming comedian called Dave Chappelle. The film was a modest hit and would be Brooks penultimate film before retiring from directing in 1995. (Take a look at our list of Mel Brooks films listed)
Robin Hood (2010)
Films of the legend had been notoriously hit and miss but when Ridley Scott set his eyes on making his version hopes were raised. Casting Russell Crowe as his lead the film would be another start ensemble cast that included Cate Blanchett, Max Von Sydow, William Hurt, Danny Huston, Oscar Isaac and Mark Strong. Running an epic 140 minutes matched by an equally epic $200m budget it all turned out to be an epic bomb. Bloated and frankly boring there was nothing that even Scott’s visuals could lift in the well worn story with Crowe’s wobbly accent that travelled around England and eve Ireland drawing attention to itself.
The Death of Robin Hood (2025)
With the story of Robin Hood so well known its difficult to see how any film give it an overhaul but written and directed by Michael Sarnoski the film is a very different incarnation of the legendary figure. Gnarly and unforgivingly brutal Robin Hood as played by Hugh Jackman he is presented as a murderous criminal who finds respite in a priory after a brutal injury. For this incarnation of Robin Hood death is all around and no-one is spared. Men, women, children, animals – none are spared making this a revisionist version of the Lincoln legend.
related feature : How Russell Crowe filmed Robin Hood with broken legs!
related feature : ‘The Dog Stars’ World Premiere: Ridley Scott, Jacob Elordi & cast hit London
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