Robin und Marian (1976)

Robin und Marian: Directed by Richard Lester. With Sean Connery, Audrey Hepburn, Robert Shaw, Richard Harris. Robin Hood, aging none too gracefully, returns exhausted from the Crusades to woo and win Maid Marian one last time.

“If Sean Connery and Audrey Hepburn had a child together, he or she would probably be the best-looking kid ever. I assume that is what was going through the casting directoru0026#39;s head when she approached this film.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eu0026quot;Robin and Marianu0026quot; shows us a Robin Hood story we havenu0026#39;t seen before. Rather than an origin story, we get an outcome story. This is a welcome approach to a tale that has been told so many times that it could easily become dull.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIn other Robin Hood films, such as the 1922 silent film staring Douglas Fairbanks, 1991u0026#39;s u0026quot;Robin Hood: Prince of Thievesu0026quot; starring Kevin Costner, and 2010u0026#39;s u0026quot;Robin Hoodu0026quot; staring Russell Crowe, Robinu0026#39;s adventures begin after he returns from the Third Crusade. Weu0026#39;re asked to believe that a crusader who had fought alongside the king in the Holy Land would settle down in Sherwood Forest to frolic with Maid Marian, Friar Tuck and the Merry Men.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIn u0026quot;Robin and Marian,u0026quot; we learn that Robinu0026#39;s best-known adventures passed 20 years before the events in the film–before Robin joined the crusade. Robin (Connery) has become disillusioned with the crusade after King Richard the Lionheart (Richard Harris, Dumbledore from the first two Harry Potter films) orders his men to attack a crummy, undefended castle for a treasure that doesnu0026#39;t exist. After Richard dies, Robin returns to Nottinghamshire and resumes his relationship with Maid Marian (Hepburn), who has since become a nun, and his rivalry with the Sheriff, all of whom are older and wiser. Robinu0026#39;s old gang comes back to him, and they dream of rising up against the notorious King John (Ian Holm, Bilbo Baggins from u0026quot;The Lord of the Ringsu0026quot;).u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe youthful innocence of Robinu0026#39;s adventures in Sherwood and his love with Marian is long gone. We learn that Marian attempted suicide after Robin left her. Robinu0026#39;s experience in the crusade has also caused him to mature. Even though Connery is 45 in this movie, he doesnu0026#39;t look a day over 63. Their love now has the maturity of an old couple, and there is no denying there is real chemistry between Connery and Hepburn, which allows the characters to rise above the material.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe Sheriff is played by Robert Shaw, resuming his adversarial role against Connery that commenced in the 1963 Bond film u0026quot;From Russia with Love.u0026quot; Shaw is grim, but sympathetic, as the Sheriff of Nottingham, and is the best Sheriff of any Robin Hood film.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eu0026quot;Robin and Marianu0026quot; is a fun film. With the exception of some heavy- handed dialog early on in which the characters talk about historical events that would have been well-known in their day in order to educate the audience, the movie is both playful and touching. The film has effective situational humor throughout, using both slapstick and irony.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe scenes between Connery and Hepburn all find the right tone, and the film has a somewhat faded look that helps create a nostalgic atmosphere. However, the fights look clumsy. Director Richard Lester could have taken tips on staging fights from Conneryu0026#39;s earlier Bond films. Another technique Lester often employs is to show someone shooting an arrow, cut away, then have the victim with an arrow through his head fall into the frame. This is about as gruesome as the filmmakers could get considering the PG rating (this was before PG-13 was created).u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eUnlike the most recent Hollywood Robin Hood film, this one doesnu0026#39;t pretend so much to be historically accurate, so I wonu0026#39;t complain about historical inaccuracies such as Kings Richard and John speaking English, rather than French, or Robin Hood speaking in a thick Scottish accent.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eMovie connections: Sean Connery would go on to play King Richard in u0026quot;Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves,u0026quot; as well as appear with Ian Holm in u0026quot;Time Banditsu0026quot;–another film with the Robin Hood character. His son, Jason Connery, played Robert of Huntingdon in the British TV series, u0026quot;Robin of Sherwood.u0026quot;”