Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
| Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Kevin Reynolds |
| Screenplay by | |
| Story by | Pen Densham |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Douglas Milsome |
| Edited by | Peter Boyle |
| Music by | Michael Kamen |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release date |
|
Running time | 143 minutes[2] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $48 million[3] |
| Box office | $390.5 million[4] |
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves is a 1991 American action adventure film based on the English folk tale of Robin Hood that originated in the 12th century. It was directed by Kevin Reynolds and stars Kevin Costner as Robin Hood, Morgan Freeman as Azeem, Christian Slater as Will Scarlett, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio as Marian, and Alan Rickman as the Sheriff of Nottingham. The screenplay was written by Pen Densham and John Watson.
The film received mixed reviews from critics, who praised Freeman's and Rickman's performances and the music, but criticized Costner's performance, the screenplay, and the overall execution. It was a box office success, grossing more than $390 million worldwide, making it the second-highest-grossing film of 1991. Rickman received the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance as George, Sheriff of Nottingham. The theme song "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" by Bryan Adams was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song, and it won the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media.[5]
Plot[edit]
In 1194, at the end of the Third Crusade, Richard the Lionheart, King of England is visiting France. This leaves the cruel Sheriff of Nottingham—aided by his cousin Guy of Gisbourne, the evil witch Mortianna, and the corrupt Bishop of Hereford—to rule the land. The Lord of Locksley Castle is killed by the Sheriff's men for remaining loyal to King Richard and refusing to join their gang. His lost son, Robin of Locksley, had followed the king's Crusade and spent five years in an Ayyubid prison in Jerusalem.
Robin and his comrade, Peter Dubois, break out of prison, saving the life of a Moor named Azeem. Mortally wounded, Peter makes Robin swear to protect his sister, Marian, and distracts the pursuers so Robin can escape. Robin returns to England with Azeem, who has vowed to accompany him until his life-debt is repaid. After a run-in with Gisbourne, Robin goes home and finds his father's rotted corpse on display in the ruined castle. Duncan, an old family retainer blinded by Gisbourne, tells him how his father was falsely accused of devil worship. The Sheriff consults Mortianna, who foresees King Richard's return and panics that Robin and Azeem "will be our deaths".
Robin tells Marian of Peter's death and his promise, but Marian sees little need for his protection and is determined to stay and look after the people on her demesne. They flee the Sheriff's forces to hide in Sherwood Forest, and encounter an outlaw band also in hiding. Their leader, Little John, challenges Robin to a duel which Robin wins after some difficulty. Will Scarlet, one of the bandits, holds a grudge against Robin and protests when Robin assumes command of the outlaws. Robin shapes the group into a formidable force against Nottingham. They rob rich folk passing through the forest and distribute the stolen wealth and food among the poor. Friar Tuck joins them once he understands their cause. Marian offers Robin any aid she can, and they begin to fall in love.
Robin's successes infuriate the Sheriff, who worsens his abuse of the public, but which increases their support for Robin. The Sheriff kills Gisbourne for failing to stop the outlaws, and hires vicious mercenary Celtic warriors. The Bishop betrays Marian after she gives him a message warning King Richard of Nottingham's plots, and she is taken prisoner. Duncan rides to Sherwood, but is followed. The Sheriff burns the outlaws' hideout and captures many; Robin is presumed dead. To consolidate his power and claim the throne, the Sheriff proposes marriage to Marian (who is Richard's cousin), claiming that, if she accepts, he will spare the lives of the woodsmen and their families. Marian reluctantly agrees, but the captured bandits are to be hanged anyway as part of the wedding celebration.
Will bargains with the Sheriff that he will find out if Robin is alive and kill him. Will informs Robin, Azeem, John, and a few other survivors of the Sheriff's plans, but does not trust Robin. Here, Will reveals that the reason for his animosity toward Robin is because he is actually Robin's half-brother; after Robin's mother died, his father had taken comfort with Will's mother, a peasant woman. Robin's anger over what he saw as a betrayal of his mother's memory caused his father to leave Will's mother, leaving Will fatherless. Robin is overjoyed to learn that he has a brother, and they reconcile.
On the wedding day, Robin and his men infiltrate Nottingham Castle and free the prisoners. Azeem inspires the Nottingham peasants to revolt, forcing the Sheriff to retreat with Marian into his keep. The Bishop performs the marriage, and the Sheriff is about to consummate it when Robin bursts in and kills him in a fierce fight. Azeem kills Mortianna in defense of Robin, fulfilling his life-debt. Friar Tuck finds the Bishop fleeing with bags of gold, and burdens him with additional treasure before defenestrating him.
Robin and Marian profess their love for each other. Their wedding in Sherwood is paused by the return of King Richard, who gives the bride away and thanks Robin for saving his throne.
Cast[edit]
- Kevin Costner as Robin of Locksley[6]
- Morgan Freeman as Azeem Edin Bashir Al Bakir
- Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio as Lady Marian
- Christian Slater as Will Scarlett
- Alan Rickman as the Sheriff of Nottingham[7]
- Geraldine McEwan as Mortianna
- Michael McShane as Friar Tuck
- Brian Blessed as Lord Locksley
- Michael Wincott as Guy of Gisborne
- Nick Brimble as Little John
- Harold Innocent as the Bishop of Hereford
- Walter Sparrow as Duncan
- Daniel Newman as Wulf
- Daniel Peacock as Bull
- Jack Wild as Much
- Soo Drouet as Fanny
- Liam Halligan as Peter Dubois
- Michael Goldie as Kenneth
- Susannah Corbett as Lady in Coach
- Sean Connery as King Richard[8] (uncredited)
Production[edit]
Development[edit]
In August 1989, British writer-producer Pen Densham broke with the traditional account of Robin Hood as a devil-may-care adventurer, best embodied by Errol Flynn in The Adventures of Robin Hood in 1938. He instead reimagined Robin as a rich kid transformed into a socially conscious rebel by imprisonment in Jerusalem during the Crusades. He wrote a 92-page outline, which was then rewritten as a screenplay by his producing partner, John Watson. On February 14, 1990, Morgan Creek, the small production company of Young Guns (1988) and Major League (1989), saw "gold on the page" and immediately funded the film. Watson scouted filming locations in the United Kingdom, setting September 3 as the filming deadline in aggressive competition against other potential Robin Hood remakes from Twentieth Century Fox (Morgan Creek's former distribution partner) and Tri-Star Pictures.[9]
Kevin Reynolds had directed Kevin Costner extensively in the past, including the challenging buffalo hunt scene of Dances with Wolves. Reynolds said: "I'd done two pictures that hadn't made a dime, so I kind of knew [the studio] wanted me [for Robin Hood] because of my connections with Kevin." Indeed, Costner had already rejected the script until hearing that Reynolds was directing: "I felt Kevin was such a good filmmaker I would do it".[9]
Reynolds said, "what I did not want to do was Indiana Jones. That has been done already". Costner wanted an accent but Reynolds thought it would distract audiences, and their indecision resulted in a drastically uneven delivery between each scene. EW reported, "Even before it was finished, Costner was the subject of embarrassing rumors that his performance was too laid-back and his accent more LA than UK."[9]
For the role of King Richard, comedian John Cleese was proposed but Sean Connery was selected at the passionate behest of Costner and Densham. Fearing that the sudden cameo of a notorious comedic icon would destroy the drama, Densham recalls, "I so wanted to not have the John Cleese that I said, 'Would you give me Sean Connery? We can't give him a credit because you can't have the audience waiting for the whole movie to see him — but he only has to work one day." His requested $1 million fee was negotiated down to $250,000 and paid to a hospital in Connery's native Scotland as charitable compromise for making film history with the already over-budget project.[10][11][8]
In 2015, Alan Rickman admitted he had secretly asked his scriptwriter friends Ruby Wax and Peter Barnes to punch up the script: "Will you have a look at this script because it's terrible, and I need some good lines." Reynolds added their lines.[12]
Filming[edit]
Costner's explosive career gave him only a few days between the long-term epic projects of Dances with Wolves, Robin Hood, and JFK. This project's timeframe was compressed by the cold seasons in England and by competition with other possible Robin Hood films, giving Reynolds only 10 weeks for preproduction and little time for planning, rehearsal, or revision. Costner said, "It's very dangerous to be [working] so fast. We are relying on the weather, and every time the weather turns against us we could get behind. When that happens there is always the feeling that certain people want to do something about it to shorten the filming time. That is not always the cure." Reynolds said, "Are things going as planned? Ha! You always start with a picture in your mind, and it is a compromise all the way from there. We have been struggling from Day One. We are trying to finish by Christmas, and the days are getting shorter. It's horrible." On the first day of filming, the suddenly changing weather caused jet traffic to be diverted from London's Heathrow Airport ten miles away, and roar over the filming location at the Burnham Beeches.[9]
Principal exteriors were shot on location in the United Kingdom. A second unit filmed the medieval walls and towers of the Cité de Carcassonne in the town of Carcassonne in Aude, France, for the portrayal of Nottingham and its castle. Locksley Castle was Wardour Castle in Wiltshire—restored in an early shot using a matte painting. Marian's manor was filmed at Hulne Priory in Northumberland. Scenes set in Sherwood Forest were filmed at various locations in England: the outlaws' encampment was filmed at Burnham Beeches in Buckinghamshire, south of the real Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire;[9] the fight scene between Robin and Little John was at Aysgarth Falls in North Yorkshire; and Marian sees Robin bathing at Hardraw Force, also in North Yorkshire.[13] Sycamore Gap on Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland was used for the scene when Robin first confronts the sheriff's men.[14] Chalk cliffs at Seven Sisters, Sussex were used as the locale for Robin's return to England from the Crusades.[15]
Interior scenes were completed at Shepperton Studios in Surrey.[13]
Post-production[edit]
Furious at the studio's repeated demands for yet another heavy editing session just to boost Costner's presence and prevent Rickman's performance from stealing the movie—and at the studio locking his own editor out of the cutting room—Reynolds walked out of the project weeks before theatrical debut. He did not attend the screening.[9]
Extended cut[edit]
A 155-minute extended cut of the film was released on home media in 2009. It details the conspirators' plot to steal the throne from King Richard, and further explores the relationship between the Sheriff and Mortianna. In one scene, Mortianna explains that she killed the true George Nottingham as a baby and replaced him with her own infant son, revealing that she is in fact the Sheriff's real mother. Mortianna instructs Nottingham to remove the tongue of John Tordoff's scribe, forcing him to communicate via chalkboard in subsequent scenes. Nottingham only pretends he removed the tongue, and the Scribe later provides spoken directions to Robin and Azeem as they rescue Marian.[16]
Music[edit]
| Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (Original Soundtrack) | |
|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by | |
| Released | July 2, 1991 |
| Length | 60:22 (original), 134:39 (2017 expansion), 220:46 (2020 expansion) |
| Label | Morgan Creek Productions (original), Intrada Records (expansions) |
The original music score was composed, orchestrated and conducted by Michael Kamen. An excerpt from the main title music was subsequently used as the logo music for Morgan Creek,[17] and has been used by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment in trailer introductions on DVD and Blu-ray.[18] In 2017, the specialty film music label Intrada Records released a two-disc CD album containing the complete score and alternates, though not the songs from Bryan Adams and Jeff Lynne.[19] In 2020, Intrada issued a four-disc album, with the film score on the first 2 CDs; CD 3 has alternate takes and additional music, including the Morgan Creek Productions fanfare which was derived from this score; CD 4 features the assemblies used on the 1991 soundtrack album. The songs are again absent.[20]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Overture" / "A Prisoner of the Crusades" | 8:27 |
| 2. | "Sir Guy of Gisborne" / "The Escape to Sherwood" | 7:27 |
| 3. | "Little John" / "The Band in the Forest" | 4:52 |
| 4. | "The Sheriff and His Witch" | 6:03 |
| 5. | "Maid Marian" | 2:57 |
| 6. | "Training" / "Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves" | 5:15 |
| 7. | "Marian at the Waterfall" | 5:34 |
| 8. | "The Abduction" / "The Final Battle at the Gallows" | 9:53 |
| 9. | "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" (sung by Bryan Adams) | 6:33 |
| 10. | "Wild Times" (sung by Jeff Lynne) | 3:12 |
Release[edit]
Classification[edit]
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves was submitted for classification from the British Board of Film Classification, which required fourteen seconds to be cut from the film to obtain a PG rating.[2]
Home media[edit]
The original theatrical cut of the film was released on VHS in the US on May 13, 1992,[21] </ref> and on DVD on September 30, 1997.[22] A 2-disc special-edition DVD was released in the US on June 10, 2003,[23] containing a 155-minute-long extended version of the film. This alternate cut of the film was released on Blu-ray in the US on May 26, 2009.
Reception[edit]
Box office[edit]
The film grossed $25 million in its opening weekend and $18.3 million in its second. It eventually earned $390,493,908 at the global box office, making it the second-highest-grossing film of 1991, immediately behind Terminator 2: Judgment Day. It had the second-best opening to date for a non-sequel.[24][25][26][27]
Critical response[edit]
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 52% based on 56 reviews, with an average rating of 5.70/10. The critical consensus reads, "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves brings a wonderfully villainous Alan Rickman to this oft-adapted tale, but he's robbed by big-budget bombast and a muddled screenplay."[28] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 51 out of 100, based on 25 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[29] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.[30]
Chicago Sun-Times critic Roger Ebert praised the performances of Freeman and Rickman, but ultimately decried the film as a whole, giving it two stars and stating, "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves is a murky, unfocused, violent, and depressing version of the classic story... The most depressing thing about the movie is that children will attend it expecting to have a good time."[31] The New York Times gave the film a negative review, with Vincent Canby writing that the movie is "a mess, a big, long, joyless reconstruction of the Robin Hood legend that comes out firmly for civil rights, feminism, religious freedom, and economic opportunity for all."[32] The Los Angeles Times also found the movie unsatisfactory,[33] criticizing Costner for not attempting an English accent,[34] mocking Robin's afternoon walk from the White Cliffs to Nottingham via Hadrian's Wall, which is actually 560 miles.[35]
Desson Thomson, writing for The Washington Post, gave a more positive review: "Fair damsels and noble sirs, you must free yourselves of these wearisome observations. This is a state-of-the-art retelling of a classic."[36] Owen Gleiberman, of Entertainment Weekly also gave a positive review: "As a piece of escapism, this deluxe, action-heavy, 2-hour-and-21-minute Robin Hood gets the job done."[37] Lanre Bakare, writing in The Guardian, calls Rickman's Sheriff, for which he won a BAFTA, a "genuinely great performance".[38]
Prince of Thieves was nominated for two Golden Raspberry Awards: Kevin Costner won the Worst Actor award for his performance as Robin Hood, and Christian Slater received a nomination for Worst Supporting Actor for his performances in this film and in Mobsters, but lost to Dan Aykroyd for Nothing but Trouble.[39]
In 2005, the American Film Institute nominated this film for AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores.[40]
Other media[edit]
Two tie-in video games called Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves were released in 1991 for the Nintendo Entertainment System and Game Boy. Developed by Sculptured Software Inc. and Bits Studios, respectively, and published by Virgin Games, Inc., they are the cover feature for the July 1991 issue of Nintendo Power magazine.[41]
Kenner released a toy line consisting of action figures and playsets. All but one of the figures were derived by slight modifications to Kenner's well-known Super Powers line, and Friar Tuck, the vehicles, and playsets were modified from Star Wars: Return of the Jedi toys.[42]
See also[edit]
- Princess of Thieves – 2001 television movie
- Robin Hood: Men in Tights – 1993 parody film
- Robin Hood – 1991 British film
- Robin Hood – English folk tale
References[edit]
- ^ Easton, Nina J. (July 24, 1990). "Costner May Put Morgan Creek Ahead of Robin Hood Pack". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 2, 2010.
- ^ a b "ROBIN HOOD - PRINCE OF THIEVES (PG) (CUT)". British Board of Film Classification. July 4, 1991. Retrieved January 19, 2016.
- ^ Billington, Michael (March 18, 1991). "Robin Hood Freshens Up A Film Legend". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved March 22, 2017.
- ^ "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)". Box Office Mojo. October 17, 1991. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
- ^ "1992 Grammy Awards". metrolyrics.com. Archived from the original on February 9, 2009. Retrieved January 1, 2021.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
- ^ Dowd, Maureen (June 9, 1991). "FILM; Hollywood's Superhunk Heads for Nottingham". The New York Times. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
- ^ Leydon, Joe (June 9, 1991). "Robin Hood' and the uncertain science of hype". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 2, 2010.
- ^ a b Pugh, Tison (2009). "8: Sean Connery's Star Persona and the Queer Middle Ages". In Coyne Kelly, Kathleen; Pugh, Tison (eds.). Queer movie medievalisms. Farnham: Ashgate. p. 161. ISBN 978-0-7546-7592-1.
- ^ a b c d e f Pearce, Garth (June 21, 1991). "Behind-the-scenes trouble during "Robin Hood"". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
- ^ Parker, Ryan (June 14, 2021). "'Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves' Nearly Featured John Cleese as King Richard". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 29, 2021.
- ^ Yule, Andrew (1993). Sean Connery: from 007 to Hollywood Icon. p. 415. ISBN 9781558177420. Retrieved August 29, 2021.
- ^ Malvern, Jack (April 17, 2015). "Rickman rewrites rules on playing the bad guy". The Times. Archived from the original on June 14, 2021.
- ^ a b Pearce, Garth; Green, Simon (1991). Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. Bdd Promotional Book Co. pp. 22–34. ISBN 9780792456339.
- ^ Else, David & Sandra Bardwell, Belinda Dixon, Peter Dragicevich (2007). Lonely Planet: Walking in Britain. Lonely Planet. p. 224. ISBN 978-1-7410-4202-3.
- ^ Pirani, Adam (May 1991). "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves". Starlog. p. 40.
- ^ "Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves, and the story of its extended cut". Film Stories. March 30, 2020. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
- ^ David Victor (August 30, 2012). "Studio Logo Music". Retrieved November 25, 2015.
- ^ "Film Score Monthly". July 10, 2009. Retrieved November 25, 2017.
- ^ "ROBIN HOOD: PRINCE OF THIEVES (2CD)". store.intrada.com.
- ^ "ROBIN HOOD: PRINCE OF THIEVES (4CD - REMASTERED AND EXPANDED)". store.intrada.com.
- ^ Reynolds, Kevin (May 13, 1992), Robin Hood - Prince of Thieves VHS, Warner Home Video, retrieved December 3, 2021
- ^ "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves - Movie Review". www.commonsensemedia.org. July 20, 2005.
- ^ "Robin Hood - Prince of Thieves (Two-Disc Special Extended Edition)". DVD Talk.
- ^ "Robin Hood prince of summer flicks with $18.3 million weekend". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved October 2, 2010.
- ^ Fox, David J. (June 25, 1991). "Robin Hood Still Riding Ahead of Box Office Pack". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 2, 2010.
- ^ Fox, David J. (June 18, 1991). "'Robin' Hits Impressive Box Office Bull's-Eye". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 2, 2010.
- ^ "Can 'Robin Hood' Keep Up Its Box-office Momentum?". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
- ^ "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
- ^ "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved November 22, 2018.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (November 22, 2018). "'Ralph' Breaking The B.O. With $18.5M Weds., Potential Record $95M Five-Day; 'Creed II' Pumping $11.6M Opening Day, $61M Five-Day". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 22, 2018.
- ^ "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves". Chicago Sun Times.
- ^ Canby, Vincent (June 14, 1991). "A Polite Robin Hood in a Legend Recast". The New York Times. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
- ^ Turan, Kenneth (June 14, 1991). "'Robin': Medieval Dash, New Age Muddle". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 7, 2020.
- ^ Easton, Nina J. (June 23, 1991). "A look inside Hollywood and the movies". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 2, 2010.
- ^ Alex von Tunzelmann (January 15, 2009). "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and gaffes". The Guardian.
- ^ Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves Reviews, Rotten Tomatoes
- ^ Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Entertainment Weekly, June 21, 1991
- ^ "My guilty pleasure – Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves". The Guardian. September 7, 2020.
- ^ Wilson, John (2005). The Official Razzie Movie Guide: Enjoying the Best of Hollywood's Worst. Grand Central Publishing. ISBN 0-446-69334-0.
- ^ "AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores Nominees" (PDF). Retrieved August 7, 2016.
- ^ Tilden, Gail, ed. (July 1991). "Nintendo Power". Nintendo Power. Vol. 26. ISSN 1041-9551.
- ^ Salvatore, Ron. "The recycling of the Force - Starwars". The Star Wars Collectors Archive. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
External links[edit]
Quotations related to Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves at Wikiquote
- Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves at the American Film Institute Catalog
- Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves at IMDb
- Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves at the TCM Movie Database
- Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves at Box Office Mojo
- "The Battle of Sherwood Forest"[dead link], a 1991 Entertainment Weekly cover story about the film's tumultuous production.
- Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves Transcript
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