I loved this movie. I stumbled across it Saturday, and really enjoyed it. Its' an interesting take on the legend of Robin Hood, and a really cool love story for grown folks. There is even some resonance for today's soldier. It's a romance at its' core, but there is some violence present in the story.
Released in 1976, it stars Sean Connery and Audrey Hepburn as the titular characters. This isn't a jaunty, smiling Robin. This isn't a demure Maid Marian, waiting for her rescuer. There's not a lot of swashbuckling, not a lot of grinning or showing off.
This story takes place roughly twenty years in the future of the Robin Hood who's familiar to generations of movie goers. This Robin has been co-opted by King Richard the Lion-Heart (Richard Harris). Robin's a captain in the king's army, off fighting in the Crusades. It's been a long slog of combat. There's no "robbing the rich" nor "giving to the poor". The army is a formidable force, but all this fighting has Robin weary and disillusioned. The king is getting progressively more jaded and abusive after years of fighting. Robin can't help but wonder what was gained by all this fighting. He's getting older, but he doesn't know anything else. He's starting to contemplate his present worth in the world, and his future fate.
The army comes upon a castle, where rumors abound of a gold statue and substantial riches inside its walls. In reality, the castle is shabby and run-down. The able-bodied men have abandoned the castle, leaving women, children and one old man to fend for themselves. The king orders Robin to lead forces to overtake the castle and loot the riches. Robin knows there are no riches, nor is there any military adversary. He challenges the king's orders, refusing to take part in the needless slaughter of innocent non-combatants.
The king is incensed, and has his other soldiers ransack the castle and massacre its' inhabitants (save the old man). Of course, there are no riches, no gold statue. The king, angered at Robin's insubordination, orders Robin and Little John (Nicol Williamson) arrested for eventual execution. However, in the midst of the ransacking the castle, the king is mortally wounded. A few days later, as he succumbs to his wounds, the king has a change of heart. With his last breath, he pardons Robin and Little John.
The pair of friends are free, and the war for them is over. Robin decides to go back to England, back to the familiar environs of Sherwood Forest. As he and Little John make their way through the forest, they encounter Friar Tuck (the British comedian Ronnie Barker) and Will Scarlet (Denholm Elliott). As the four men catch up on twenty years of events, the latter two mention to Robin that Marian is an abbess (head nun of an abbey) nearby. Robin's eyes light up, and makes his way to his one true love.
Marian is still beautiful, but it's a mature beauty earned through work and strength. When Robin left all those years ago, she initially was left without her paramour or direction for her own life. Through difficult events, she ended up at the abbey. Over time, she became a part of the order of nuns, then eventually the leader. When their eyes first meet, the battle-worn Robin lights up like a schoolboy. Marian pretends to keep her emotions in check, but her eyes tell a different story.
As the two erstwhile lovers spar verbally, Marian prepares to be arrested. The Sheriff of Nottingham (Robert Shaw), accompanied by the arrogant nobleman Sir Ranulf (Kenneth Haigh) have come to arrest Marian. The new king has ordered expulsion of all senior leaders in the Roman Catholic Church, and Marian is among that number. Marian is ready to die for her faith, but Robin has other ideas. He disobeys the Sheriff and repels Sir Ranulf (earning the latter's enmity). Robin abducts Marian and heads off into the forest.
As the group finds respite in the woods, Robin and Marian re-connect. He admits he's tired of the constant warring, and has missed her all these years. She too admits that even as she found purpose for her life, she missed him. He was the only true love she's ever known. Their relationship re-kindles in short order. The way they interact is romantic and exhilarating. It appears they will have their "happily ever after".
Even as the lovers enjoy the pastoral surroundings, danger is afoot. The Sheriff and Sir Ranulf have become bitter rivals, each wanting the glory of taking down the legendary Hood. The Sheriff sees Robin as his counterpart, and the one man whose defeat will solidify the Sheriff's eternal legacy. The nobleman is an arrogant upstart, taken lightly be everyone he encounters. If he could defeat Robin Hood, his image will be bolstered for life.
Eventually, the new King John (Ian Holm) commissions Sir Ranulf and 200 soldiers to capture/kill Robin and his growing cadre of friends and allies. The Sheriff encounters the army on the road to Sherwood Forest, and quickly usurps command of the forces. The next day, the opposing forces meet on the battlefield, but Robin proposes an alternative that will minimize wanton bloodshed. Instead of all-out warfare, Robin volunteers to take on the Sheriff in a duel, one-versus-one. Robin wins, his band of folk go free. The Sheriff wins, Robin's band of folk go peaceably under the Sheriff's direction.
(As they prepare to duel, there is a small moment of prayer that I thought was neat. The two men, adversaries for decades, still had a deep, abiding respect for one another.)
The battle is well-choreographed, but not glamorous. The two men are skillful combatants, but neither is a young man anymore. There is blood, sweat and dirt. They're like two stags, crashing and slashing into each other. Neither can take an early advantage, and the battle takes a toll on both...
The ending is sad, but fitting. Marian's testament of love to Robin is one of the best I've ever heard or seen in any medium. Anyone who is either in love or wants to be in love wants to hear the words Marian uttered to Robin at the end (well, most of them, anyway).
The cast does a great job with this material. Connery played to his strengths in this role - he's the guy every woman would want, and the man other men would want to emulate. His Robin was bulkier, more grounded. You could see the years of battle weighing on his frame. Williamson is the strong "wingman" any man would want on the battlefield. Little John could hold his own in any circumstance, and brought a quiet determination to the story.
Shaw's Sheriff is a man of great loyalty and integrity in service to the Crown. In a different light, he could be seen as the most heroic, most capable character in the story. Haigh's Ranulf had lots of confidence and ambition, but lacked the actual skill to make his ambition reality.
Hepburn was the heart of this film. At once, she could be defiant, outspoken, tender, loving and hopeful. Her love was the characteristic that brought the story together. Her Marian was the symbol of the possibilities for Robin's future.
All in all, I would watch this one again, gladly. This would be a great choice for "movie night" at home. For those in the mood for a romantic movie with some action components, this would be a rewarding choice.
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