Robin and Marian (1976)

Director:

Richard Lester

Writer:

James Goldman (written by)

Release Date:

April 1976 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Love is the greatest adventure of all.

Plot:

Robin Hood, aging none too gracefully, returns exhausted from the Crusades to woo and win Maid Marian one last time.

Plot Keywords:

Robin Hood | Crusades | Sheriff | Abbess | Aging

Cast

Sean Connery	...	Robin Hood
Audrey Hepburn	...	Lady Marian
Robert Shaw	...	Sheriff of Nottingham
Richard Harris	...	Richard the Lionheart
Nicol Williamson	...	Little John
Denholm Elliott	...	Will Scarlett
Kenneth Haigh	...	Sir Ranulf
Ronnie Barker	...	Friar Tuck
Ian Holm	...	King John
Bill Maynard	...	Mercadier
Esmond Knight	...	Old Defender
Veronica Quilligan	...	Sister Mary
Peter Butterworth	...	Surgeon
John Barrett	...	Jack
Kenneth Cranham	...	Jack's Apprentice

Also Known As:

The Death of Robin (USA) (working title)
The Return of Robin Hood (USA) (working title)
Robin y Marian (Spain) (Venezuela) [es]
A Flecha e a Rosa (Portugal) [pt]
La gran aventura de Robin y Marian (Spain) [es]
La rose et la flèche (France) [fr]
Robin E Marian (Brazil) [pt]
Robin Hood - äventyrens man (Sweden) [sv]
Robin e Marian (Italy) [it]
Robin ja Marian (Finland) [fi]
Robin og Marian (Denmark) [da]
Robin und Marian (West Germany) [de]
To rodo kai to velos (Greece) [el]

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:12 | West Germany:12 (f) | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) | USA:PG | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Pamplona, Navarra, Spain

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

The producers originally wanted Albert Finney to play Robin and Sean Connery to play Little John.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Golden Delicious apples (in windows during last scene) did not exist in 13th century England.

Quotes:

Robin Hood: They've turned us into heroes, Johnny. Will, you didn't make it up.
Will Scarlett: These songs, I don't know where they come from, but you hear them everywhere. We go from town to town and ...
Robin Hood: What do you do for a living?
Friar Tuck: While I take confessions, he takes the horses.
Will Scarlett: And everywhere we go, they want to hear about the things you did.
Robin Hood: We didn't do them.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Audrey Hepburn: Ein Star auf der Suche nach sich selbst (2004) (TV)

A good, inspiring movie, about the true nature of heroism

Most people are unaware of this movie's existence, despite an all-star cast. It is one of my favorite movies of all time.

Robin Hood is an old man now, trying to tie together some of the pieces of his ideals. The familiar characters are also still around.

The most interesting thing about the movie is the insights it offers into the nature of heroism. Robin and the merry men were heroes because of what they believed in and their courage, not because they could shoot the straightest and run the fastest.

The gang can't jump fences or climb walls any more, or do much of anything that requires physical exertion. Their efforts are sometimes comical. But they are still great men because of what is inside of them.

Audrey Hepburn is wonderful as the aging Marian, and look for the visual poetry of the three apples which are pictured in the opening as ripe and in the ending as withered, as are Rob and Johnny and Marian. There are many such metaphorical presentations which are not often seen in movies. I like to see a little of that visual poetry, even if it is a bit clumsy.

Not a great film ... not a Grand Illusion or anything, but just a nice execution of a simple, touching concept.