Review of Robin and Marian (1976) by Julius C — 17 Jul 2010

Robin And Marian: a fine example of how a Director can take a great script and butcher it all to hell. Richard Lester is the man responsible for hacking and cleaving all the savoring parts from this unrealized potentially great work... damn him!

James Goldman (of The Lion in Winter note) adeptly crafts a compelling and a rare intelligent tale of the Sherwood Bandit and his lover. Goldman must be in love with the period, we see hints of the same undercourse in character in Ian Holmes Prince John as we did in Nigel Terry's of the famous film before, acted differently yet with the same traits visible. Same in regards with Richard the Lionheart, no one will mistake Richard Harris's take with Anthony Hopkins (save it be for equal brilliance), but we see touches of the same man at its structure as of the work before. As side notes of characters we see Goldman retouch what he had so exceptionally already, yet not only retouch, but perfect... Damn he's good. And then Dick Lester screws it all up. The stagnantly framed shots that Lester is known for. The poor cohesive craftsmanship. I've never seen anything that was so simply good ruined so definitively well.

More than middle aged and war weary Robin (Sean Connery) and John (the largely unknown great actor of his generation Nicol Williamson) return home from their Crusade. They go straight to their former home and hideout in Sherwood, find it deserted, and meet up with their old comrades Will and Tuck (Denholm Elliot and Ronnie Barker). They're they learn of the continued thriving existence of their old nemesis in Nottingham and therefore subsequently the oppression of the people, but all Robin cares about is Marian (Audrey Hepburn). They go to the convent where Marian now lives, and when Robin sees her in the outfit of the clergy he asks "What are you doing dressed in that?" Her reply: "Living in it." But they are already in love, the new courtship is already in existence. They are for each other. Even John who seems to love no other than the two of them has this to say, "If you were my lady, I'd have never have left you.".

Marian is a Shakespearean romantic at heart. At the end when Robin has finally vanquished the Sheriff (Robert Shaw) Marian gives him medicine for his wounds, and then drinks it herself, she has wittingly fed them both a concoction of death. Life will never again be better than today, and when he realizes what she has done and that she is right, he is at peace with it, they are together. John bursts in pleading no, Robin is the love of his life, he loves no one like his comrade and best friend... but it is done, they are now history and the stuff of lore.

Every time this film crosses my mind I become agitated or upset. The studios seem to always hire the people that have hell of a long resumes with nothing of merit to those resumes. They're either the universal "Yes Men" or they don't know what they're doing! This film makes that obvious, they didn't know what to do. Now I'm agitated again.