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Robin Hood (2010 film)

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Robin Hood
Theatrical poster
Directed byRidley Scott
Written byScreenplay:
Brian Helgeland
Story:
Brian Helgeland
Ethan Reiff
Cyrus Voris
Produced byBrian Grazer
Ridley Scott
Russell Crowe
StarringRussell Crowe
Cate Blanchett
Matthew Macfadyen
Mark Strong
Oscar Isaac
Kevin Durand
Mark Addy
William Hurt
Danny Huston
and Max von Sydow
CinematographyJohn Mathieson
Edited byPietro Scalia
Music byMarc Streitenfeld
Production
companies
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release date
May 14, 2010 (2010-05-14)
Running time
140 minutes
CountriesTemplate:Film US
Template:Film UK
LanguageEnglish
Budget$200,000,000[1]
Box office$310,340,427[1]

Robin Hood is a 2010 adventure film based on the Robin Hood legend, directed by Ridley Scott and starring Russell Crowe. It was released in the United Kingdom on May 12, 2010, after premiering at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival, and was released in the United States on May 14.[2] The film began development in 2007 when Universal Pictures acquired a script entitled Nottingham, depicting a heroic Sheriff of Nottingham to be played by Crowe. Scott's dissatisfaction with the script led him to delay filming, and during 2008 it was rewritten into a story about Robin Hood becoming an outlaw, with the position of being Sheriff as part of the story. Scott dropped the latter notion and Nottingham was retitled to reflect the more traditional angle.

Plot

It is late 12th century England and Robin Longstride (Russell Crowe) is a common archer in the Third Crusade. Following the death of Richard the Lionheart in battle, Robin and three other common soldiers, Alan A'Dale, Will Scarlett, and Little John, attempt to return to their homeland, having spent ten years fighting abroad. Along the way they come across an ambush of the Royal guard by Sir Godfrey (Mark Strong), an English knight with French lineage and allegiance. The King of France had ordered Sir Godfrey to assassinate Richard. Having discovered the King is already slain Sir Godfrey is chased off by the arrival of Robin and his companions. Aiming to return to England safely and richer in pocket than they left it, Robin and his men steal the armour of the slain Knights and head for the English ships on the coast under the guise of noblemen. Before leaving the scene of slaughter Robin promises a dying Knight, Robert Loxley (Douglas Hodge), to return a sword to the man's father in Nottingham.

Upon arriving in England, Robin (who has assumed the identity of Loxley) is chosen to inform the Royal family of the King's death and witnesses the coronation of King John (Oscar Isaac), who is the younger brother of the recently-deceased Richard. The arrogant King John shows no remorse to his poor Kingdom and demands harsh taxes to be collected, sending Sir Godfrey off to the North with the task of raising revenue. Unbeknownst to King John, Sir Godfrey is an agent of the French King and uses this Royal Decree to stir up enough unrest, using French Troops, to cause Civil War in England.

Robin and his companions head to Nottingham, where Loxley's old and blind father Sir Walter (Max von Sydow) asks him to continue impersonating his son, in order to prevent the family lands being taken by the crown. Loxley's widow, Lady Marian (Cate Blanchett), is initially distrustful of Robin, but soon warms to him when he recovers taxed grain for the townsfolk to plant.

Meanwhile, Godfrey's actions have stirred up the northern Barons, who march to meet King John, and demand the signing of a charter of rights. Having realized Godfrey's deception, and knowing he must reunite his people in order to meet an imminent French invasion, the King agrees. A battle follows shortly where Godfrey's men are interrupted while ransacking Nottingham, and chased off by Robin and the northern Barons. Unfortunately, in the midst of the battle, Sir Walter is slain by Godfrey.

The film climaxes with an invasion on England's south coast by the French, who are met as they land by the English army. The English are victorious in the ensuing battle, during which Robin slays Godfrey with a well-placed arrow from a long distance. However, King John perceives the French surrendering to Robin, rather than to himself, as a major threat to his power. In the final scenes, King John reneges on his word to sign the Charter of the Forest, burns it, and declares Robin to be an outlaw. In response to this, Robin moves to Sherwood Forest with Lady Marian and his friends to form what will become the Merry Men of Sherwood Forest.

Cast

  • Russell Crowe plays Robin Longstride / Robin Hood, A good-hearted archer who becomes involved in a great struggle. This marks Crowe's fifth collaboration with Scott. Having loved the character since childhood, Crowe joined the project despite being initially displeased with the script. He spent 10 months reading books about the character and his historical basis, noting, "This has got to be the best [Robin Hood depiction] ever done, otherwise I should be doing something else."[3] Crowe put on weight for 2008's Body of Lies, so Universal considered sending an NBA trainer to Australia to coach him back into fitness.[4] Crowe trained with a bow and arrow for four months and was able to hit a target from 45 meters.[5]
  • Cate Blanchett as Lady Marian, the strong-willed, intelligent widow of Sir Robert Loxley. She becomes Robin Hood's love interest. Marian takes on the responsibility of managing her aging father-in-law's debt-ridden estate and lean harvests. A situation made difficult by an unsympathetic Church, the greedy and lecherous Sheriff of Nottingham, and the recurring runaway children in Sherwood forest whom frequently raid the grain storehouses in Peperharrow.
  • Mark Strong as Sir Godfrey, King John's henchman and the main antagonist, Godfrey is portrayed as sadistic, ruthless and diabolically clever. Although he serves John, he intends to ally himself with the French and seize power for himself.[6] When interviewed in November 2008, Strong stated the character was originally called Conrad and was based on Guy of Gisbourne. He described him as having blond hair and a disfigurement from being struck by a crossbow bolt.,[7] though in the film he is portrayed as bald.
  • Oscar Isaac as King John of England, younger brother of Richard. Vain, selfish and fiery-tempered, he is nevertheless brave, self-assured and darkly charismatic.[6]
  • Mark Lewis Jones as Thomas Longstride, Robin Hood's father.
  • Mark Addy as Friar Tuck, the town beekeeper.
  • William Hurt as William Marshal.[8]
  • Danny Huston as King Richard the Lionheart. The English King dies besieging a castle in France.
  • Eileen Atkins as Eleanor of Aquitaine, King Richard and King John's mother. She makes no secret of loving Richard more than John and she and John have an antagonistic relationship as a result. Vanessa Redgrave was originally cast for the part, but pulled out after the death of her daughter, actress Natasha Richardson.[9]
  • Max von Sydow as Sir Walter Loxley.
  • Jonathan Zaccaï as King Philippe II of France.
  • Matthew Macfadyen as the Sheriff of Nottingham.[10]
  • Kevin Durand as Little John.[11]
  • Léa Seydoux as Isabella of Angoulême, the French King`s niece whom John marries after annulling his first marriage in order to sire an heir and gain a claim to the Spanish throne. She and John have a loving and affectionate relationship despite his self-absorption.[6]
  • Scott Grimes as Will Scarlet, Robin's nephew.[11]
  • Alan Doyle as Allan A'Dayle. Crowe enlisted Doyle to play the Merry Men's minstrel, having collaborated on the album My Hand, My Heart.[12]

Production

In January 2007, Universal Studios and Brian Grazer's Imagine Entertainment which produces the hit American TV show 24 acquired a spec script written by Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris, creators of the TV series Sleeper Cell. Their script portrayed a more sympathetic Sheriff of Nottingham and less virtuous Robin Hood, who become involved in a love triangle with Lady Marion. The writers received a seven-figure deal for the purchase. Actor Russell Crowe was cast into the role of the Robin Hood with a salary of $20 million against 20% of the gross.[13] The following April, director Ridley Scott was hired to helm Nottingham.[14] He had attempted to get rights for himself and 20th Century Fox, but had collaborated with Grazer on American Gangster and signed on as director rather than producer.[4] Scott was not a fan of previous film versions of Robin Hood, saying "the best, frankly, was Mel Brooks's Men in Tights, because Cary Elwes was quite a comic".[15]

In June, screenwriter Brian Helgeland was hired to rewrite the script by Reiff and Voris.[16] Producer Marc Shmuger explained Scott had a different interpretation of the story from "the script, [which] had the sheriff of Nottingham as a CSI-style forensics investigator".[4] Scott elaborated the script, portraying the Sheriff of Nottingham as being Richard the Lionheart's right-hand man, who returns to England to serve Prince John after Richard's assassination. Though Scott felt John "was actually pretty smart, he got a bad rap because he introduced taxation so he's the bad guy in this", and the Sheriff would have been torn between the "two wrongs" of a corrupt king and an outlaw inciting anarchy.[17] Locations were sought in North East England including Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, and Kielder Forest. A portion of filming was intended to take place in Northumberland. As a result of the WGA strike, production was put on hold.[18] Scott sought to begin production in 2008 for a release in 2009.[19]

Filming was scheduled to begin in August in Sherwood Forest if the 2008 Screen Actors Guild strike did not take place,[20] for release on 26 November, 2009. By July, filming was delayed,[21] and playwright Paul Webb was hired to rewrite the script.[4] The film was moved to 2010.[22] The Sheriff of Nottingham's character was then merged with Robin.[23] Scott explained Robin "has to retire to the forest to resume his name Robin. So he was momentarily the Sheriff of Nottingham."[24] Hedgeland returned to rewrite, adding an opening where Robin witnesses the Sheriff dying in battle, and takes over his identity.[25] Scott chose to begin filming in February 2009 in forests around London, having discovered many trees which had not been pollarded.[15] Scott was also pleased that the 200 acre Nottinghamshire set that was built during 2008 had aged into the landscape.[26] By February 2009, Scott revealed Nottingham had become his version of Robin Hood, as he had become dissatisfied with the idea of Robin starting as the Sheriff.[5]

Filming locations gallery

Filming began on March 30, 2009.[6] In June and July, the crew filmed at Freshwater West, in Pembrokeshire, Wales.[28] Extensive scenes from the film were filmed on the Ashridge Estate, Little Gaddesden, on the Hertfordshire/Buckinghamshire borders.[29] Filming of the siege of Castle Chalus took place at the Bourne Wood at Farnham, Surrey during July and August.[30] Filming also took place at Dovedale near Ashbourne, Derbyshire.[31]

The battering ram used during the filming at the Bourne Wood in Surrey, which was nicknamed 'Rosie' by the film crew and is worth £60,000, was donated by Russell Crowe to a Scottish charity, Clanranald Trust, to be used for battle re-enactments at a fort built in a forest near the Carron Reservoir in North Lanarkshire.[32]

Release

The film was premiered at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival, where it opened the festival on May 12, 2010.[2] It was released in the United Kingdom and several other European countries on May 12, in Australia on May 13, and in the United States and Canada on May 14.[33] It will not be released in Japan until December 2010.[34]

DVD & Blu Ray

Robin Hood for DVD and Blu Ray Disc will be released September 23, 2010 in a single disk DVD, 2 disk DVD, and a Blu ray/DVD/Digital copy combo pack. Both DVD and Blu Ray will contain an unrated version of the film, as well as the theatrical version. The Unrated version will be approximately 15 minutes longer than the theatrical version.

Reception

Critical reaction

Reception for the film has been mixed. Review aggregate Rotten Tomatoes reports that 44% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 209 reviews with an average rating of 5.4/10,[35] Among Rotten Tomatoes' "Top Critics", which consists of popular and notable critics from the top newspapers, websites, television and radio programs, the film holds an average approval rating of 44%, based on a sample of 32 reviews.[36] Another review aggregator, Metacritic, gave the film 53% based on a normalized rating of 40 reviews.[37]

Roger Ebert of The Chicago Sun-Times gave the film 2 stars out of 4, writing in his review that "Little by little, title by title, innocence and joy is being drained out of the movies".[38] Joe Neumaier of the New York Daily News gave the film three out of five stars, writing that, "The problem with Russell Crowe's new take on the legend is that it has one muddy boot in history and the other in fantasy. The middling result is far from a bull's-eye."[39]

David Roark of Relevant Magazine accused Scott of replacing depth with detail and manipulative themes, like vengeance and unjust war, and stated that Scott had sucked the life out of a cherished fable, writing, "Scott has turned a myth, a concept essentially, into a history which emerges as dry, insensible clutter." [40]

Despite the negative reviews, Dan Mecca wrote a column called In Defense of Robin Hood where he points out "Robin Hood’s biggest problem is its title. It shouldn’t have been called Robin Hood, or Nottingham or anything of the sort. Because, in fairness to the slew of critics who have pointed it out and based their entire review on this simple scruple, the film is not about Robin Hood, who “took from the rich and gave to the poor.” It’s not about Maid Marion, the spunky companion of Robin, or even King John, the slimy man who’s astonishing lack of accountability is the stuff of, well, legend. Russell Crowe is no Errol Flynn. But then, in fairness to Mr. Crowe and Mr. Scott, he was never trying to be. As a matter of fact, that was the point. What the film is about (a torn England and the people who came together to save it) is fascinating" [41]

Russell Crowe received criticism from the British media for his variable accent during the film. Empire said his accent was occasionally Scottish,[42] while Total Film thought there were also times when it sounded Irish.[43] Mark Lawson, while interviewing Crowe on BBC Radio 4, suggested there were hints of Irish in his accent, which angered Crowe and caused him to leave the interview.[44][45] [46]

Some reviewers mentioned historical liberties taken in the film.[47][48] In the film, King Philip Augustus of France is shown as keen to invade England, and actually attempts it. In real life, Philip had been trying to regain English-held territory in France in a series of conflicts with Richard the Lionheart, and by 1198 Philip was on the defensive and the two kings had agreed to mediation.[49] After Richard's death, Philip recaptured Normandy and other English territory in France, with John launching an invasion of France (under pressure from the English barons) instead of vice versa.[50] It was only after the English defeat at the Battle of Bouvines in 1214, that the future Louis VIII of France landed on England with an army in 1216, entered London, and was proclaimed king at the cathedral, during the First Barons' War. The film shows John negotiating a "bill of rights" immediately after becoming king, but refusing to sign it. However, the Magna Carta was in fact signed 16 years after John became king, following the civil war and significant loss of face over his reign (see Magna Carta). The less well-known supplement to the Magna Carta, the Charter of the Forest, was signed two years later, by John's son Henry III of England.

Box Office

The film opened #2 behind Iron Man 2 grossing an estimated $37.1 million. However, Robin Hood grossed a huge opening internationally, making $75 million outside North America.[51] As of August 5, 2010, the film has grossed $105,257,055 in the United States and Canada (33.9%) and grossed $205,083,372 in other countries (66.1%), totaling $310,340,427 worldwide.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Robin Hood (2010)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2010-06-21. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  2. ^ a b "BBC News: Robin Hood launches Cannes Film Festival". bbc.co.uk. 2010-05-13. Retrieved 2010-05-14.
  3. ^ Pringle, Gill (2008-11-07). "Russell Crowe: "Angry? Me? Never"". The Independent. London. Retrieved 2008-11-07.
  4. ^ a b c d Goldstein, Patrick (2008-08-07). "'Nottingham': Will Russell Crowe ever romp in Sherwood Forest?". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2008-08-07.
  5. ^ a b Carroll, Larry (2009-02-17). "Ridley Scott Reveals New Name For 'Nottingham' And It's Back To Basics". MTV Movies Blog. Retrieved 2009-02-17.
  6. ^ a b c d "Ridley Scott's Robin Hood film begins production" (Press release). In Contention. 2009-03-24. Retrieved 2009-03-24.
  7. ^ Reynolds, Simon (2008-11-10). "Strong joins Ridley Scott's 'Nottingham'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2008-11-11.
  8. ^ Borys Kit (2009-04-12). "William Hurt jousting for Robin Hood role". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2009-04-13.
  9. ^ "Redgrave withdraws from Robin Hood". Contact Music. 2009-05-19. Retrieved 2009-05-21.
  10. ^ Peter Sciretta (2009-04-24). "Ridley Scott Casts Matthew Macfadyen as The Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood". SlashFilm. Retrieved 2009-04-24.
  11. ^ a b Kit, Borys (2009-03-09). "Trio join Ridley Scott's Robin Hood film". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2009-03-10.
  12. ^ McDowell, Adam (2009-03-05). "Great Big Sea's Alan Doyle to play one of Russell Crowe's merry men". National Post. Retrieved 2008-03-08.
  13. ^ Fleming, Michael (2007-01-31). "Universal flies with Crowe". Variety. Retrieved 2007-04-30. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  14. ^ Fleming, Michael (2007-04-29). "Scott set for 'Nottingham'". Variety. Retrieved 2007-04-30.
  15. ^ a b Pearce, Garth (2008-11-09). "Russell Crowe to toughen up Robin Hood". The Times. London: News Corporation. Retrieved 2008-11-11. I am trying to think of the last good one," said Scott. "Errol Flynn? A bit cheesy? A big cheese. God bless him. Kevin Costner? In the wig, you mean? The one I thought was the best, frankly, was Mel Brooks's Men in Tights, because Cary Elwes [who played Robin] was quite a comic.
  16. ^ Kit, Borys (2007-06-05). "Helgeland new sheriff of 'Nottingham'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2007-06-05.
  17. ^ Adler, Shawn (2007-10-22). "Grazer Calls Scott's 'Nottingham' The 'Gladiator' of Robin Hood Movies". MTV Movies Blog. Retrieved 2008-04-29.
  18. ^ "Sir Ridley Scott puts big budget movie on hold". Shields Gazette. Johnston Press. 2008-01-10. Retrieved 2008-04-29.
  19. ^ Masterson, Lawrie (2008-01-05). "An alliance to Crowe about". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2008-04-29.
  20. ^ Eller, Claudia (2008-06-24). "Strike threat creates a suspense drama for Hollywood". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2008-06-24. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  21. ^ Kilday, Gregg (2008-07-27). "Ridley Scott's 'Nottingham' hits delay". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2008-07-26.
  22. ^ McClintock, Pamela (2008-12-10). "'Wolfman,' 'Nottingham' delayed". Variety. Retrieved 2008-12-10.
  23. ^ Horowitz, Josh (2008-09-27). "BREAKING: Russell Crowe Will Play Robin Hood AND The Sheriff In Ridley Scott's 'Nottingham'". MTV Movies Blog. Retrieved 2008-09-28.
  24. ^ Reynolds, Simon (2008-11-11). "Scott explains Crowe's 'Nottingham' role". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2008-11-11.
  25. ^ Horowitz, Josh (2008-12-01). "Brian Grazer Reveals 'Nottingham' Plot Points, Sets Record Straight On Russell Crowe Confusion". MTV Movies Blog. Retrieved 2008-12-01.
  26. ^ Sams, Christine (2009-02-01). "An epic of merrymen". The Sun-Herald.
  27. ^ a b "Freshwater West filming". Martin McDowell. 2009-06-23. Retrieved 2010-05-13.
  28. ^ "Extras queue for Robin Hood roles". BBC News Online. 2009-05-09. Retrieved 2009-05-10.
  29. ^ "How the National Trust came to the aid of Robin Hood". National Trust. 2009-05-09. Retrieved 2009-05-10.
  30. ^ "Surrey Film Locations". Surrey Life. Retrieved 2010-06-01.
  31. ^ "Russell Crowe in Ashbourne". BBC Derby. 2009-08-05. Retrieved 2009-08-05.
  32. ^ Charlie, Allan. "Russell Crowe Helps a friend with a cause". The Clanranald Trust website.
  33. ^ "Release dates for Robin Hood". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2010-05-20.
  34. ^ "ロビン・フッド公式サイト". Retrieved 2010-05-20.
  35. ^ "Robin Hood Movie Reviews, Pictures". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved 2010-05-19.
  36. ^ "Robin Hood (Cream of the Crop)". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved 2010-05-23.
  37. ^ "Robin Hood (2010): Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2010-05-13.
  38. ^ "Robin Hood :: rogerebert.com :: Reviews". rogerebert.com. Sun Times Media Group. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  39. ^ Neumaier, Joe (2010-05-11). "Robin Hood". New York Daily News. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  40. ^ "Robin Hood - Review". Relevant Magazine. Retrieved 2010-07-07.
  41. ^ "In Defense Of Robin Hood". The Film Stage. Retrieved 2010-05-19. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  42. ^ Jolin, Dan. "Reviews: Robin Hood". Empire Magazine. Retrieved 2010-05-14.
  43. ^ Andy Lowe. "Reviews: Robin Hood". Total Film Magazine. Retrieved 2010-05-14.
  44. ^ "Russell Crowe angered by 'Irish' Robin Hood jibe". AFP. 2010-05-14. Retrieved 2010-05-14.
  45. ^ John Plunkett (2010-05-14). "Russell Crowe puts accent on acrimony". London: The Guardian (blog). Retrieved 2010-05-14. (Includes audio file)
  46. ^ Russell Crowe, Ashes to Ashes and the Archbishop of Canterbury
  47. ^ Dean M Shapiro (2010-05-20). "Rideley Scott's Robin Hood does not let precedent slow him down". NewOrleans.Com. Retrieved 2010-05-25.
  48. ^ "Rob the Rich? Give to the Poor? Oh, Puh-leeze!"
  49. ^ Rees, Simon. King Richard I of England Versus King Philip II Augustus. Military History Magazine, September 2006
  50. ^ * Smedley, Edward. The History of France, from the final partition of the Empire of Charlemagne to the Peace of Cambray., page 15-16 - London: Baldwin and Cradock, 1836.
  51. ^ "'Iron Man 2' stays atop box office with $53M". Associated Press. Yahoo! News. 2010-04-16. Retrieved 2010-04-16. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
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