Horribly underrated. Eternally captivating.
Robin Hood, the latest screen incarnation about literature’s most famous bandit, has landed with an awkwardly (yet unsurprisingly) loud thud. Although there were some who found this Taron Egerton-led version shamelessly enjoyable, the majority of those who did see it, found the movie’s attempt to meld the classic story with modern flash and edge to be horrendously laughable. It was a sentiment echoed by moviegoers who showed little-to-no interest in the movie, making it one of the most costly bombs of the year.
Everyone involved with Robin Hood should be able to walk away from the carnage unscathed, and if nothing else, the movie’s very existence has given me free reign to pay tribute to my personal favorite cinematic retelling of the famous tale, 1976’s surprisingly poignant Robin and Marian.
Picking up years after events him out of Sherwood Forest, Robin Hood (Sean Connery) has come back to England from France following the death of King Richard (Richard Harris) with his faithful companion Little John (Nicol Williamson) by his side. Upon his return, he is reunited with former members of his gang of merry men including Will Scarlett (Denholm Elliott) and Friar Tuck (Ronnie Barker). His re-appearance also includes a reunion with Maid Marian (Audrey Hepburn), who has turned to a life of God and harbors feelings of both resentment and affection for Robin. Before the two former lovers have a chance to settle the past however, Robin comes face to face with his old foe, the Sheriff of Nottingham (Robert Shaw).
Robin and Marian benefits by the fact that it operates as a sequel to the original text. Each of the reunions Robin has, whether it be with Marian or the Sheriff, is carefully paced so as to allow the full impact of these characters suddenly finding themselves back in one another’s presence to sink in. Because it’s a sequel, Robin and Marian also has the benefit of hindsight with the characters knowing each other’s ways of thinking, making the dynamics between them all the more interesting to watch. Even though each version retains a sense of fun about it (a fact this film remembers by inserting bits of playfulness from time to time), it’s very obvious that Robin and Marian came from the 70s movie landscape; not only in the way its shot with a sort of free-flowing hand, but also in a lack of desire to play it safe, particularly where the violence is concerned. There’s also an elegiac quality throughout with themes of death and reflection present throughout the film, beginning almost instantly and continuing on through the incredibly suspenseful showdown. Meanwhile, the final act is loaded with a kind of sincerity missing from other Robin Hoods and is filled with the likes of great pathos and devastating heartbreak.
Speaking of heartbreak, one of the greatest attributes of Robin and Marian is its ability to be a totally absorbing love story that never once falls into schmaltz nor takes away from the film’s more adventurous elements. The evolution of both central characters is key in selling the romance angle of the film. When Robin encounters Marian years later, he finds a woman who has not only joined the convent but who has become rich in conviction. This film’s Marian is also very much a feminist in her own right, again signifying the era in which the movie was made. Throughout the proceedings we see our heroine wanting to take on the Sheriff herself, offering up input on the main plan of attack and defying Robin whenever she can for a variety of reasons, including (and especially) love. Time and age has given Robin a dose of conviction as well, despite his legendary reputation. Immediately after returning home he decides to settle the old score with the Sheriff for what begins as personal reasons before evolving into a larger mission to stop his old nemesis’ reign of terror throughout the land. Each moment Robin and Marian share speaks to great cinema romance as they contain both a regret and a rekindling between the two that’s given time to breathe and be explored, leading to some final moments which say more about love than perhaps any other screen version that came before.
Casting Connery and Hepburn as Robin Hood and Maid Marian proves even lovelier on the screen than it does on the page. The two actors lend their respective levels of electricity and pathos to the title roles every step of the way. While he was squarely known as James Bond and she oozed classic Hollywood, both stars are perfectly suites for their respective roles and are half the reason Robin and Marian soars. The amount of passion and love both actors bring to the screen is beyond magnetic and shows just how far both their talents could journey. Connery and Hepburn are wonderfully supported by the a solid collection of esteemed actors, all of whom bring the right kind of gravitas needed to elevate the project. Yet it’s Shaw as the quietly menacing Sheriff who gives the character a certain type of villainy and intrigue absent from all other incarnations.
Despite the high level of star power, Robin and Marian only enjoyed moderate success at the box-office upon its release in early 1976. Yet if the film was lacking in huge returns, it at least had the critics on its side, with the majority of reviews praising the movie’s take on the timeless story. Even so, time has sort of seemed to have forgotten about Robin and Marian as the film remains uncelebrated in recent years and seems to get lost in the shuffle when talking about the variety of other adaptations.
One of the things that’s so great about the many different cinematic illustrations about Robin Hood is how each one was able to have it’s own unique flavor in translating the story of one of literature’s most treasured characters. Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland beautifully set the standard in the 30s, while Disney’s animated version proved a staple for legions of children. The Kevin Costner-starring version exemplified the over-the-top blockbuster (earning as many detractors as it did admirers), Mel Brooks offered his own take just for laughs and Ridley Scott’s somewhat darker version proved admirable, if unspectacular. If Robin and Marian falls near the bottom of the list , it’s simply due to how unclassifiable of a film it is. The movie has so many trappings which call to mind classic Hollywood (especially when it comes to its stars), while also injecting aspects of the auteur filmmaking style of the decade. Beyond any of the flourishes however, Robin and Marian succeeds in the way that it does right by the characters themselves and what has made them so worthy of continuous revisiting.
