Main Cast: Patrick Bergin, Uma Thurman, Jürgen Prochnow, Edward Fox, Jeroen Krabbé
Release Year: 1991
Country: US
Run Time: 116 minutes
Plot
Initially conceived as a theatrical feature, but originally aired on television in the United States, Robin Hood puts slight, but effective, twists on the legendary tale. Starring Patrick Bergin in the title role, the film follows Robin and his group of bandits as they fight Prince John and save Maid Marion (Uma Thurman). This version is a little grittier than both Errol Flynn's classic movie or the contemporary extravaganza starring Kevin Costner, since Bergin is quite down-to-earth and Thurman makes Marion into a brat, not a helpless maiden. However, these qualities and the stately photography make the film quite entertaining, and it easily equals Costner's version, even if it can't match Flynn's timeless movie. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
Owen Teale - Will Scarlett; Conrad Asquith - Lodwick; Gabrielle Lloyd - Gammer Tanzie; David Morrissey - Little John; Alex Norton - Harry; Anthony O'Donnell - Emlyn; Barry Stanton - Miller; Daniel Webb - Much the Miller; Richard Moore - Abbot; Jeff Nuttall - Friar Tuck; Gabrielle Reidy - Lily
Credit
John Irvin - Director, Peter Tanner - Editor, Geoffrey Burgon - Composer (Music Score), Tim Bevan - Producer, Sarah Radclyffe - Producer, John McGrath - Screenwriter
Robin Hood is a 1991 film starring Patrick Bergin and Uma Thurman. In the US, the film appeared as a TV movie on the Fox network, the first made for television movie by the network. Another film using the well-known Robin Hood story was released theatrically the same year. The film, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, was a Hollywood blockbuster with a much bigger budget and high-profile stars such as Kevin Costner. There was also an animated film with the same name released in 1991 on television.[1]
The film shares much of its plot with the 1938 film, The Adventures of Robin Hood, concentrating on the struggle between Normans and Saxons. It begins when a miller who is poaching deer on lands belonging to the King of England is found by a hunting party led by the evil knight Sir Miles Folcanet (Juergen Prochnow). The miller flees 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 Baron, Roger Daguerre (Jeroen Krabbe).
Daguerre is Robert's friend, and tries to give him a light punishment, but Robert feels betrayed, takes up arms, and flees into Sherwood Forest. As a result Robert is outlawed, and, taking the name "Robin Hood", meets the usual cast of Merry Men and fights against the Norman nobility. Robert/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. 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.
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 Mariane's maidenhead).
Historical realism
The filmmakers clearly intended this version of the Robin Hood to be a more realistic and historically accurate retelling of the famous legend. The medieval world shown here is dark, dirty and dangerous. It was filmed on location at Peckforton Castle in Cheshire, a medieval-style castle built between 1842 and 1851.
