Robin Hood (1991)
VHS from 20th Century Fox
This film began life as a proposed big-budget production at
20th century Fox, and was to be directed by John McTiernen (Die
Hard). Upon hearing that Warner Bros. had secured Kevin Costner
for their Robin Hood movie, Fox shelved their plans for their
epic and slashed the budget to make this smaller version (and
McTiernen was replaced by British director John Irvin). Hoping
to beat the Costner film's release, this version was rushed into
production, which meant filming quickly during a rainy English
winter.
Patrick Bergan (Patriot Games) stars in the title role
with Uma Thurman (Kill Bill) as a feisty Marian who spends
much of the film disguised as a boy. Bergen fits into the role
a little more comfortably than Costner, and Jeroen Krabbé
and Jurgen Prochnow effectively counter him with black-hearted
villainy. This production also places the Saxon-Norman tensions
in the foreground (whereas Prince of Thieves ignored it
entirely). Shooting in the winter forced the film to be grey
and rainy much of the time. Still, it is better photographed
than Prince of Thieves.
Like the weather, the style of the film is also rude and gritty.
Traditionally, one expects Robin to woo Marian under the trees
of Sherwood on a warm sunny day. Here, however, they copulate
in a barn after taking shelter from the rain. This approach,
if less in keeping with tradition, is admittedly more historically
accurate.
It is not a bad production overall, but the limited scale and
generally shallow treatment give it the feel of a television
film.
Paul Andrew MacLean
© 2004
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LadyJanet@RenaissanceMagazine.com