Movies - Robin and Marian

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	Movies - Robin and Marian

Robin and Marian is a 1976 film starring Sean Connery as Robin Hood, Audrey Hepburn as Maid Marian, Nicol Williamson as Little John, Robert Shaw as Sheriff of Nottingham, Richard Harris as King Richard and Ian Holm as King John. It also features comedian Ronnie Barker in a rare film role as Friar Tuck.

Director Richard Lester (A Hard Day's Night, Superman II) made Robin and Marian in the midst of a series of period pieces, including The Three Musketeers. The screenplay was written by James Goldman.

Plot

Robin Hood is an old man when he returns with his best friend Little John to England after the Crusades. Robin is disillusioned with leaders who have become corrupt, and other ways in which his world has changed. Maid Marian has entered a nunnery, King Richard is a raving lunatic, his Brother John a moron, and the age of great adventure has passed. When The Sheriff of Nottingham, who has not changed, once again threatens Sherwood, however, Robin gathers his faithful men, and a band of peasants, to fight oppression. The ending is tragic and some would say anti-heroic. Others love its Shakespearean quality and the idea of the hero only able to live with adventure in his life. It is either the strongest point of the movie or the weakest. Nevertheless, it is agreed upon that the performances of Connery, Hepburn, and Williamson are brilliant.

Style and content

The film is marked by a sense of autumnal melancholy, with almost sepia toned photography and ageing actors. Whereas films about Robin Hood are usually action adventures, marked by swashbuckling fights and brassy music (e.g. Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves), Robin and Marian scarcely has any action at all, and is a character piece, examining the relationship between two lovers who have been separated for many years. The beautiful score is one of John Barry's best and is both uplifting and tearjerking.

Trivia

This was Audrey Hepburn's first film in nine years after she had taken a break to raise her family after she starred in Wait Until Dark
.
Sean Connery would later go on to play King Richard in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Robin and Marian ]

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