Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
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| Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves | |
 original movie poster |
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| Directed by | Kevin Reynolds |
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| Produced by | Pen Densham Richard Barton Lewis John Watson |
| Written by | Pen Densham John Watson |
| Starring | Kevin Costner Morgan Freeman Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio Alan Rickman Christian Slater Nick Brimble Mike McShane Geraldine McEwan Daniel Peacock Michael Wincott Walter Sparrow Harold Innocent Brian Blessed |
| Music by | Michael Kamen Bryan Adams (theme song) |
| Cinematography | Douglas Milsome |
| Editing by | Peter Boyle |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
| Release date(s) | June 14, 1991 |
| Running time | 144 min. 155 min. (Director's cut) |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $48,000,000 |
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves is a 1991 adventure film directed by Kevin Reynolds. The film was marketed with the tagline "For the good of all men, and the love of one woman, he fought to uphold justice by breaking the law."
Kevin Costner heads the cast list as Robin Hood. The film also stars Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio as Maid Marian of Dubois, Morgan Freeman as Azeem, Christian Slater as Will Scarlet and Alan Rickman as the Sheriff of Nottingham. The original music score was composed, orchestrated and conducted by Michael Kamen.
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[edit] Plot
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The plot summary in this article is too long or detailed compared to the rest of the content. Please edit the article to focus on discussing the work rather than merely reiterating the plot. (June 2009) |
Robin of Locksley (Kevin Costner), an English nobleman, joins King Richard "the Lionheart" in the Third Crusade. In Jerusalem, Robin is captured and imprisoned along with his comrade Peter. Robin engineers an escape, saving the life of a Moor, Azeem, (Morgan Freeman) in the process; Peter dies in the attempt and has Robin swear to protect his sister Marian. Robin returns to England with Azeem, who vows to accompany Robin until the debt of saving his life is repaid.
In England, with King Richard on crusade, the cruel Sheriff of Nottingham (Alan Rickman) rules over the land, aided by his cousin, Guy of Gisbourne (Michael Wincott) along with the witch Mortianna (Geraldine McEwan) and the corrupt Bishop of Hereford (Harold Innocent). At Locksley castle, Robin's father (Brian Blessed) is lured to the gates and killed by the Sheriff's men after refusing to join them.
When Robin and Azeem arrive in England, they find Gisbourne and his soldiers bullying a boy named Wulf, accused of poaching (because his family was starved by Gisbourne). Robin reveals his identity and saves Wulf.
Gisbourne reveals Robin's actions to the Sheriff, who dismisses Robin as unimportant. Robin and Azeem find Locksley Castle destroyed and Robin's father murdered. Lord Locksley’s servant, Duncan (Walter Sparrow), has survived, though his eyes were removed in torture. Duncan tells Robin that “Nottingham and his Witch” appeared with soldiers at the castle, claiming Robin’s father confessed to devil worship; this allowed them to execute him and declare his lands forfeit.
With his land and reputation gone, Robin swears to avenge his father. Robin seeks out Maid Marian (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio)—the cousin of the king and his childhood friend. He is immediately attracted to Marian, although she does not return the feelings. When Robin, Azeem and Duncan flee the revenge-seeking Gisboune and his soldiers, they seek shelter in Sherwood Forest, where they come across Little John (Nick Brimble), Wulf's father, and a group of woodsmen, all of whom were outlawed through the Sheriff's tyranny. After proving his skill in single combat, Robin is accepted into their group, eventually becoming their leader, though Will Scarlet (Christian Slater), one of Robin's men, constantly undermines his leadership.
Robin visits the corrupt Bishop, who claims that Robin’s father did indeed worship dark powers. Robin refuses to believe this and learns from Marian that the Sheriff is preparing weapons and armour for unknown reasons. He has a brief violent encounter with Nottingham, leading to the Sheriff's public humiliation, before escaping. To create a negative opinion of Robin, Nottingham conjures up the name “Robin of the Hood” (later shortened to Robin Hood) and offers a reward for his capture.
Robin encourages his men to fight against Nottingham and trains them to defend themselves. They begin to rob English soldiers and convoys that pass through the forest, then distribute the stolen wealth among the poor. Robin discovers Nottingham plans to bribe King Richard's enemies to unite with him so he may take the throne. Robin and his men enlist the help of Friar Tuck (Mike McShane) after robbing his convoy. Robin reveals Nottingham's plan to Marian and asks her to warn King Richard, she agrees and Duncan is placed into her care.
Robin’s successes infuriate Nottingham, who increases the maltreatment of his people, resulting in more support for Robin Hood. The families of the woodsmen are forced out of their homes, heading into the forest and joining Robin at his secret camp. Nottingham kills Guy of Gisbourne for his ineptitude at stopping Robin, before turning to Mortianna for guidance. Mortianna suggests bribing Celt warriors from Scotland into attacking Robin’s hideout.
Marian has a letter warning of Nottingham's treachery sent to the King by the Bishop, but he betrays her and Nottingham places her under house arrest. Duncan sneaks away on horseback to tell Robin; but is followed by the Sheriff's men, leading them to Robin's camp. The Sheriff and his hired Celts attack, destroying the camp and killing many of Robin's men, including Duncan. Robin Hood is presumed dead following the attack.
Nottingham proposes to Maid Marian, saying that, if she accepts, he will spare the lives of the woodsmen and their families, though he'll hang the ringleaders regardless. Faced with no choice, she accepts. Will, who has been captured, makes a deal with Nottingham in front of Wulf and the other prisoners to find out if Robin is alive. Meanwhile, Robin is revealed to be alive, and helps the surviving men regroup.
Will returns to the camp and tells Robin about Maid Marian's wedding as well as the planned executions. When Robin confronts Will about his hatred towards Robin, Will reveals himself as Robin's long-lost half-brother, the result of their father's relationship after the death of Robin's mother. Though initially angry at what he considers a lie, Robin comes to accept Will as his brother.
On the day of the wedding, as Robin and the others are about to begin an attack to free the prisoners, Wulf attacks Will (thinking him a traitor), resulting in his capture and sentence by Nottingham to hang with the others. Despite this, Robin is able to save the men. Nottingham drags Marian into the castle as Azeem gives a speech that inspires the people to revolt. Nottingham attempts to marry and impregnate Marian while the Bishop performs the ceremony with the witch looking on. Robin and Azeem find them just as the ceremony is completed. Tuck finds the Bishop preparing to flee and compares him to the apostle Judas before defenestrating him.
Robin kills Nottingham, avenging his father. With his guard down, Robin is attacked by Mortianna, who charges with a spear. Azeem throws his sword, slaying Mortianna and fulfilling his vow.
Robin and Marian marry in the forest. Their wedding is interrupted by the return of King Richard (Sean Connery), who blesses the marriage and thanks Robin for his deeds.
[edit] Deleted scenes
In the special edition DVD, it is revealed that Nottingham is actually the son of Mortianna. She kidnapped and murdered the real child of the Sheriff of Nottingham and substituted her own offspring to put her own seed on the throne of England by marrying him to a royal. This is hinted at in the regular cut of the film, when she speaks of Maid Marian: "She is ripe. She will give us a son." This development was left intact in the novelization.
[edit] Reception
Earning $165 million in the United States and $225 million abroad, it was second only to Terminator 2: Judgment Day in worldwide 1991 ticket sales. The movie received a mostly positive response from audiences. Critics were less kind. Roger Ebert called it "a murky, unfocused, violent and depressing version of the classic story, with little of the lightheartedness and romance we expect". New York Times critic Vincent Canby called it "a mess, a big, long, joyless reconstruction of the Robin Hood legend". The Washington Post called it "a chore to sit through". Costner's performance was consistently criticized as listless, even by those who liked the film. Entertainment Weekly gave the film an overall grade of B-, calling it pleasant escapism, but said "Costner delivers his lines in a languid, earnest torpor" and "sounding like he just woke up to answer the phone". Based on these reviews, Costner won his first Razzie Award as Worst Actor, while Christian Slater was nominated for Worst Supporting Actor.
By contrast, Rickman's darkly humorous performance as the Sheriff garnered wide praise, as did Morgan Freeman's as Azeem. In particular, media studies professor Jack Shaheen later included the film among his "Best" list in his book Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies A People, praising the portrayal of Azeem as a heroic, learned, and noble man.
The film is remembered for Bryan Adams' ballad "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" (included on his Waking Up the Neighbours album and the motion picture's soundtrack) which broke pop chart records in the United Kingdom, where it remained Number 1 for a record 16 weeks. It was also a #1 hit in Canada and the United States.
[edit] Action figures and other merchandising
Kenner produced a series of action figures for Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves in 1991, which included eight figures, two vehicles, and one playset. The line is notable for having borrowed various parts from past Kenner toys, largely Super Powers Collection figure bodies. In addition, the Star Wars Gamorrean guard body and the Ewok village playset and vehicles were also repackaged for Robin Hood. The figures closely shared style with Kenner's Dark Knight Collection released through 1990 and 1991.
Other merchandising for Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves was sparse but included 2 differently numbered sets of Topps trading cards and a video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System. The game sold fairly well but was not released until 1992, due to a long debugging period. Outside of merchandise based on the film, other Robin Hood items released in 1991 included the PC game The Adventures of Robin Hood, and a re-release of the animated 1973 Disney film. There was also a cereal produced for the film, although its duration was short lived.
[edit] Production notes
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Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (June 2007) |
- On the special extended edition DVD commentary, Kevin Costner revealed that he didn't have time to develop a true English accent because he had just finished filming Dances with Wolves, but that director Kevin Reynolds still allowed him to try it (a fact that was hinted at in Mad magazine's issue 307 movie satire "Throbbin' Hood: Prince of Heaves".). The resulting accent was panned by most film critics; however, Reynolds believes it worked for the tone of the story, helping Robin Hood's character stand out amongst the rest of the cast.
- The feature was spoofed in Mel Brooks's film Robin Hood: Men in Tights. Costner's inability to play the role with an English accent served as much inspiration for parody.
- The role of the Sheriff was originally to have been played by Richard E. Grant; however, when shooting on the film Hudson Hawk overran, he was indisposed and replaced by Rickman.
- Robin Wright Penn was the original choice to play Maid Marian, but she declined because she was pregnant at the time.
- Burnham Beeches near Pinewood Film Studios in Buckinghamshire doubled for Sherwood Forest.
- The Sheriff's name is mentioned to be 'George' when he is married to Maid Marian, just as Robin and Azeem are trying to break down his door. In the novelization, his name is 'Cedric'.
- At the end of the film, Robin points a bent sword at a clerk and demands he tell him where Marian is. This was done in homage to the earlier The Adventures of Robin Hood, in which Errol Flynn, playing Robin, orders a soldier to free Marion at the pointed end of a bent sword.
- Some scenes were actually shot in Sherwood Forest, but the cold and damp conditions dampened the mood of the film, so filming moved to the confines of a studio. The quarterstaff-fighting scene between Robin Hood and Little John was filmed at Aysgarth Falls in the North Yorkshire dales.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
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Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves |
- Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves at the Internet Movie Database
- Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves at Allmovie
- "The Battle of Sherwood Forest", a 1991 Entertainment Weekly cover story about the film's tumultuous production.
- Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves at Cinema and Science
- Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves Transcript
| Preceded by City Slickers |
Box office number-one films of 1991 (USA) June 16, 1991 – June 23, 1991 |
Succeeded by The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear |
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