Robin and Marian (1976)

Directed by: Richard Lester | 103 minutes | adventure, drama | Actors: Sean Connery, Audrey Hepburn, Robert Shaw, Richard Harris, Nicol Williamson, Denholm Elliott, Kenneth Haigh, Ronnie Barker, Ian Holm, Bill Maynard, Esmond Knight, Veronica Quilligan, Peter Butterworth, John Barrett, Kenneth Cranham, Victoria Abril, Montserrat Julió, Victoria Hernandez Sanguino, Margarida Minguillón

‘Robin and Marian’ is a relatively unknown gem of a film, which tells a very different side of the famous Robin Hood story. Here it is the elderly and battle-weary Robin who returns to England after years of the (third) Crusade with King Richard I (Coeur-de-Lion, or Lionheart) in the Holy Land and then the endless skirmishes in France. Marian has meanwhile become abbess of a monastery, but when the two meet again, their old love blossoms again.

Director Richard Lester stars an all-star cast in a rock-solid frame of old age, loss and what made the legendary heroes of folktales so legendary. Sean Connery and Audrey Hepburn lead the cast as the lead characters, but the pinnacle of the British Isles’ acting talent in the 1970s is here. Robert Shaw plays the Sheriff of Nottingham, Richard Harris is King Richard, Ian Holm’s evil brother John (Prince John “Zonderland”) – who later becomes King himself, comedian Ronnie Barker as Brother Tuck, Denholm Elliott as Will Scarlett and Nicol Williamson as Little John. All the well-known figures from the countless stories and films are also present here: older, not always wiser. Old friendships and rivalries will naturally resurface.

Based on an original script by James Goldman, but with elements of the original medieval folklore surrounding Robin Hood, ‘Robin and Marian’ is an unjustly overlooked film. The central theme is, of course, the love story between the aging folk hero and his beautiful lady. Connery and Hepburn play lovers as if they’ve never done anything else. They bridge the past years and the physical distance between them with deep and loving conversations and they have a strong chemistry together. The often underrated Connery shows once again that he is just a good actor, while Hepburn exudes serenity and affection. This was her first movie role in nearly a decade, after she gave up her acting career to provide for her family. Her qualities have not been set in stone during this hiatus.

In terms of atmosphere, the film fits perfectly in the unruly 1970s. The loss of confidence in the government, institutions and the optimistic worldview of the Americans took a serious blow in those years, among other things due to the Watergate scandal surrounding President Nixon and the ongoing war in Vietnam) That changing mentality also seeped through in Hollywood – producing rock-solid thrillers and other classics. That kite doesn’t quite go with ‘Robin and Marian’, but the melancholy tone and the sense of loss and demise permeates the entire film. At the same time, director Lester sometimes tries to adopt a somewhat forced, cold-hearted tone, like a joke teller who wants to cheer up a seriously ill friend. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. The slapstick-like action is reminiscent of the films Lester made just before this: ‘The Three Musketeers’ and ‘The Four Musketeers’, but this creates a kind of hybrid film: the light tone that also characterizes the earlier adventures of Robin Hood, combined with the realization that the greatest fun is behind the characters and it can only go downhill. The film has a serious undertone, but never becomes depressing.

Connery’s Robin, the archetypal hero, has more of an anti-hero character here. In his absence, his legend has continued to grow: his deeds have been polished, embellished and sometimes outright fabricated. Slowly he comes to terms with his declining physical strength and agility and tries to find a way to grow old with dignity. But the Nottingham Sheriff still has a bone to pick with him. Robin wouldn’t be Robin if he avoided this challenge.

The dynamics between Shaw and Connery are striking: they clearly respect each other, even though they are enemies and are no longer in top physical condition. Watching the two play opposite each other is reminiscent of how they once, at the height of their physical prowess, clashed on the Orient Express as Red Grant and James Bond in one of the most memorable fight scenes ever seen in ‘From Russia with love’. It may be an unintended, but nice “callback”.

Although unbalanced in tone, there is plenty to enjoy in ‘Robin and Marian’. The actors and strong script give an original twist to the folktales surrounding the man who stole from the rich and gave to the poor. The melancholy and poetic ending is a worthy conclusion, although not everyone will agree.