Robin Hood (1991 British film)

Robin Hood is a 1991 British adventure film directed by John Irvin, executive produced by John McTiernan and starring Patrick Bergin, Uma Thurman, Jürgen Prochnow, Jeroen Krabbé and Edward Fox. Although originally intended for a theatrical release in the United States and South America, the film was premiered on the Fox network in those territories a month before the release of Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. It was released in cinemas in several countries in Europe and elsewhere, including Australia, New Zealand and Japan.^[3]

Plot synopsis

The film begins when a miller, who is poaching deer on lands belonging to the King of England, is detected by a hunting party led by the cruel Norman knight Sir Miles Folcanet (Jürgen Prochnow). The miller flees the hunting party until he runs into a Saxon earl, Robert Hode (Patrick Bergin), and his friend, Will. The miller pleads for help as the Normans arrive and threaten to poke the miller's eyes out. Before they can carry out the punishment, Hode (urged by Will) stops them. Folcanet is enraged and demands that Hode be punished by the local Sheriff (shire-reeve), Roger Daguerre (Jeroen Krabbé).

Daguerre is Robert's friend and initially orders a light punishment, but Hode feels betrayed, insults Daguerre, and is outlawed as a result. He flees into Sherwood Forest, meets John Little and the usual cast of Merry Men, and under the name "Robin Hood" takes up arms and fights against the Norman nobility. Robin also falls for Daguerre's niece, Mariane (Uma Thurman), who is promised to Folcanet, and the climax of the film is an attack on Nottingham Castle to stop the wedding.

Cast

• Patrick Bergin as Sir Robert Hode / Robin Hood^[4]
• Uma Thurman as Maid Marian
• Jürgen Prochnow as Sir Miles Folcanet
• Edward Fox as Prince John
• Jeroen Krabbé as Baron Roger Daguerre
• Owen Teale as Will Scarlett
• David Morrissey as Little John
• Alex Norton as Harry
• Jeff Nuttall as Friar Tuck
• Danny Webb as Much the Miller
• Carolyn Backhouse as Nicole, Roger's Mistress
• Barry Stanton as Miter
• Conrad Asquith as Lodwick
• Phelim McDermott as Jester
• Caspar De La Mare as Sam Timmons the Carpenter
• Cecily Hobbs as Mabel
• Gabrielle Reidy as Lily
• Stephen Pallister as Jack Runnel

Production

Characterisation

The film shares some of its underlying plot with the famous 1938 swashbuckler, The Adventures of Robin Hood, concentrating on the struggle between Normans and Saxons. Details of the storyline and the identities of the characters differ widely, however, between the two versions.

Although the familiar characters Little John, Friar Tuck, Will Scarlet and Much the Miller's Son appear in this version, the traditional Sheriff of Nottingham and Guy of Gisbourne have been replaced by original antagonists. The Baron Daguerre takes the Sheriff's place as the scheming, greedy tax collector (though in this version, he is originally Robin's friend), and Folcanet stands in for Guy as the violent, vindictive knight after Robin's head (and Marian's maidenhead).^[5] Unlike many modern versions of the story, King Richard does not appear at the end, and instead Daguerre is reconciled with Hode and promises a future where Saxons and Normans are treated equally.

Filming

It was filmed on location at Peckforton Castle in Cheshire, a medieval-style Victorian-era edifice built between 1842 and 1851. Some filming was also done near Betws-y-Coed in North Wales other filming locations were Beeston Castle and various locations within the Frodsham area including Heathercliffe and St Lawrence church

References

External links

• Robin Hood at the Internet Movie Database
• Robin Hood at Rotten Tomatoes
• Robin Hood at AllMovie
• Robin Hood at the TCM Movie Database