New posts

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Willie Oleson" data-source="post: 385534" data-attributes="member: 8">ROBIN AND MARIAN (1976)<h3>[ATTACH=full]50385[/ATTACH]</h3>Even though I don't consider myself a Robin Hood aficionado, I have probably seen more versions than I can remember.This one from 1976 is sort of a sequel (perhaps with a whiff of fanfic) that mostly deals with the relationship between the titular characters against the backdrop of a story that is similar to the original one. Or at least the one we know from mainstream cinema.Richard the Lionheart, King John and the Sheriff of Nottingham are all present and doing the things they are known for.Sir Guy of Gisborne is now Sir Ranulf, played by Kenneth "Man At The Top" Haigh.But there are some noteable differences. They are older, obviously, but it turns out that King Richard really wasn't such an awesome ruler. In fact he was a brutal conqueror - although I'm not sure if there's ever been an un-brutal conqueror - and when Robin describes those events from a partaker's point of view it almost sounds disproportionately gruesome for a romantic story like this.Richard Harris makes the most of his short appearance.Marian, now living as a nun, also reveals some shocking information from her   past.Then there's the always very watchable Robert Shaw as the famous antagonist Sheriff of Nottingham, albeit a more relaxed version thereof.With a little bit of imagination I could picture him as a closeted admirer of his lifelong nemesis.Speaking of which, Robin and Marian are not just a sweet old couple, and their story is definitely not devoid of sensuality.The main characters being 40-going-50 (and this was long before "50 is the new 30") have aged beautifully and Sean Connery looks much better than his tired "Las Vegas" version of James Bond in DIAMONDS.Apart from showing lots of leg, the eagled-eyed viewer can even spot his bare bum. It's not relevant to the scene, it's just one of those things that often happened in 1970s cinema.The film has attention for detail and I think it looks gorgeous. Not as glamorously technicolor as the Errol Flynn classic, but more European, robust and sweaty.There's some humour in it too but not so much that it becomes a full-on romcom. I think it mostly serves to make the characters, and especially this flawed version of Robin Hood, more likeable.The man versus woman subject which gets most of those humorous parts is also the main dramatic narrative, culminating in a tragic but also very beautiful climax.I suspect that the relatively low IMDB score of 6.5 is the result of viewers who had expected to watch a standard good vs. evil epic.I think ROBIN AND MARIAN is a very entertaining romance, perfectly balanced and mature without being pretentious. A gritty ROMAN HOLIDAY for the 1970s.</blockquote>

Verification: What month follows July?