Robin and Marian (1976)

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

This is simply the most beautiful love story ever made - ever. It is both profoundly moving and incredibly funny - remember Richard Lester, after all, directed it. The script is witty, literate and Audrey Hepburn's passages are simply the most beautiful dialog written for a woman in love - delivered as only the elegant queen she was could do. Everyone is at the top of their game in the movie; Sean Connery at his wry, world-weary most heroic - Audrey Hepburn as the only woman on earth capable of being loved by such a figure; Robert Shaw, Nicole Williamson, and Richard Harris -- all wonderful in terrifically drawn characters.There's a beautiful, elegiac score by John Barry. I've seen the movie a dozen times and love it more every time I see it. It's amazingly under rated.

Sherwood forest 20 years later , Robin Hood (Sean Connery , he was the oldest actor to play him up to that point) along with Little John (Nicol Williamson) , aging none too gracefully , return exhausted from the Crusades , a land of mud and grime . After a long separation , Robin is reunited with Maid Marian (Audrey Hepburn , she took the role , in part, from the insistence of her sons) who is now a nun . Robin attempts to woo and win Maid Marian one last time . Love is the greatest adventure of all , as their dormant feelings for each other reawakened ; then , Robin spirits her to Sherwood forest . But the wicked sheriff of Nottingham (Robert Shaw) is still in there kidnapping nuns , and oppressing peasants . Credit this retelling of the Sherwood legend with attempting to be something different , including elderly Robin and Marian as well as a veteran collection of Merrie men . The movie has adventure , romance , great action sequences well staged with stylish and vitality , grueling as well as pulsating combats , blood stuff , and results to be pretty entertaining . Although is a little revisionist and twilight about characters , history and time when is developed the action in a dirty , gritty Middle Age ; as a lot of spectators disapproved the changes of Robin Hood's classic canon . Too long in places doesn't hurt an otherwise enjoyable film . The action is reasonable well staged though of it is so unlikely as not be thrilling . Interesting and inspired script by James Goldman , he had already written The lion in Winter (1968), which included the characters of Richard and John Plantagenet in their younger years , besides : Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine .Connnery is nice as exhausted Robin ; however , the producers originally wanted Albert Finney to play Robin and Sean to play Little John . This was Audrey Hepburn's first film in nine years after she had taken a break to raise her family , here she gives a marvellous acting . Richard Harris agreed to play the cameo role of King Richard the Lionheart as a favor to Sean Connery, whom he had befriended while filming Molly McGuire (1970) . Connery himself later made a cameo appearance as Richard the Lionheart in Robin Hood , prince of thieves (1991) . Excellent support cast such Ronnie Barker as Friar Tuck , Kenneth Haigh , Kenneth Cranham , Ian Holm as King John and brief acting by Victoria Abril as Queen Isabella . In addition , including four Oscar nominees : Richard Harris, Denholm Elliott, Ian Holm and Robert Shaw . Being this one of three movies starring Sean Connery and Denholm Elliott , being the other two Cuba (1979) and Indiana Jones and the last Crusade (1989). Sean Connery and Robert Shaw previously played adversaries in Fron Russia with love (1963) . Sensitive and thrilling musical score by the classic composer John Barry . Colorful cinematography with breathtaking scenarios by magnificent cameraman David Watkin , shot in Spain : Pamplona, Navarra, and Villalonso, (Castle) Zamora . The motion picture was well directed by Richard Lester providing attractive images in its own right , being filmed in his peculiar style coupled with typical surrealist comic touches . At the beginning Lester directed various Beatles vehicles and subsequently made known comedies : ¨The knack¨ , a satire : ¨The bed sitting room¨ and a drama : ¨Petulia¨ . He got a big success with ¨The Three Musketeers¨ (1973), which he shot simultaneously with ¨The Four musketeers¨ (1974) for producer Ilya Salkind , resurrected his career . When the Salkinds (Ilya and his father Alexander Salkind) were in the midst of filming ¨Superman¨ (1978) simultaneously with its sequel, Lester was hired as a supervising producer, then took over the filming of the sequel, ¨Superman II¨ (1980), when original director Richard Donner was fired . The sequel was a financial and critical success , and he was hired to direct the far-less successful ¨Superman III¨ (1983). At the end of the 1980s, Lester returned to the storyline that had revitalized his career back in the early 1970s, filming a second sequel to "The Three Musketeers" titled : ¨The return of the musketeers¨ . However, after his close friend, actor Roy Kinnear died during the shooting , Lester seemed to lose heart with the movie-making business , he has not directed another film.Other versions about this famous personage are the followings : ¨Robin Hood price of thieves (1991) ¨ by Kevin Reynolds with Kevin Costner , Alan Rickman and Morgan Freenan , the same year was exhibited ¨Robin Hood¨ by John Irvin with Patrick Bergin and Uma Thurman but was a flop though the critics considered best adaptation . Plus , ¨Robin Hood¨ (2010) by Ridley Scott with Russell Crowe , Cate Blanchett , Mark Addy , Kevin Durand . The classic rendition is ¨The adventures of Robin Hood¨ by Michael Curtiz with Errol Flynn and Olivia De Havilland.

ROBIN AND MARIAN is another comedy adventure from director Richard Lester, the man who brought us THE THREE MUSKETEERS and its sequel. As ever, the goofy direction is the worst thing about this, an otherwise engaging version of the Robin Hood story with a neat twist: all of the characters are now middle aged and suffering from the weight of the years upon them.That twist is the best thing about an otherwise bog-standard adventure which otherwise isn't all that funny; that, and that the producers have assembled an eclectic cast for this one. Sean Connery makes for a fine, gruff Hood, and it's nice to see Audrey Hepburn come out of retirement to play an ever-graceful Marian. And the supporting cast are particularly fine: Robert Shaw is the Sheriff, battling Connery again years on from From Russia with Love; Nicol Williamson is an imposing Little John; Denholm Elliott and Ronnie Barker make up the Merry Men; Richard Harris is Richard the Lionheart; Ian Holm Prince John, and there's a brief but wonderful cameo from Peter Butterworth in the opening scenes.The action scenes are over the top and rather silly, as in THE THREE MUSKETEERS, but the script is better. Scenes of the characters reminiscing about times past feel wistful and nostalgic, and the cinematography captures the autumnal landscapes very well. The twist ending is a choice reminder of just how dark and downbeat cinema in the 1970s really was.

No swashbuckler to be sure. This is a deliberately paced revisionist take on the Robin Hood legend. Robin returns from the Crusades to find Marian now a nun, Richard the Lionhearted ready to expire and the sheriff of Nottingham still power mad. Directed with surprising restraint by the great Richard Lester, this film is nothing at all like his MUSKETEER films. Sean Connery is an aging Robin and Audrey Hepburn is Marian...now an Abbess! They have great chemistry and Nicol Williamson is a big plus as "little" John. Robert Shaw is the Sheriff of Nottingham and it's fun to see him dueling with Connery (they last met in FROM Russia WITH LOVE!). Richard Harris is very good in a cameo as Richard the Lionhearted and Ian Holm is Prince/King John. The excellent cinematography is by David Watkin and there's a lovely score by John Barry.