HiT Robin and his Various Hoods

RobinsHood

Glen Longwell joins Wolf and I to compare and contrast 3 Robin Hood movies. Plus we had some questions so hie thee to the Facebook group to pitch in. We talk 1938, 1991, 2010 – and a brief homage to Disney, of course. Which will win?!

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The Big Questions

Come along to the Facebook Group, tell us what you think about our choices – and answer me these questions three.

  • Who would you cast as Robin Hood. Is the story better for TV or cinema?
  • If you made a new Robin Hood production which element or elements of the myth are absolutely vital for you to consider it a worthwhile Robin Hood adaptation?
  • Excluding the man ‘imself, which character in the Robin Hood stories would you be?

 

7 thoughts on “HiT Robin and his Various Hoods

  1. I’d rather chew ground glass than have anything to do with Facebook, so my (probably unnecessary) comment is here instead.

    Keeping in mind that the 1938 version was the first RH movie I ever saw, I must say that I was quite happy with the 1991 version (terrific cast, lots of vicarious thrills and warm fuzzies) until the final credits, which are my recurring memory of the film.

    Brian Adams playing an ELECTRIC! guitar in a medieval forest? C’mon!

    1. i’m very pleased you chose to comment here – ground glass is not good for you!

      I must admit I think i have blanked that bit out! Does Bryan Adams actually appear with an electric guitar? That would be a crime indeed!

      1. not in the actual film, he’s got a lute (blink and miss around the fire as Alan-a-Dale) but yes, in the music vid for Everything I Do he’s playing an electric guitar with no lead so it’s not connected to any speakers.
        (I’ve watched WAY too many robin hood films for my own good out of morbid curiosity. To the point that I can go ‘ooo, slight deviation from trope you don’t realise you’ve been influenced by, bravo’ whilst chucking things at the screen asking where the chalk hills are around Nottingham.)

        1. A real professional then. Complaining about the wrong geology has got to the advanced course!

  2. David
    Love the HiT and HoE podcasts.
    I enjoyed the discussion about Robin Hood. What it really brought home to me is that after 100+ movies and numerous TV series there have been very few decent adaptations of the Robin Hood legend.
    Of the three that you picked the Ridley Scott/Russell Crowe effort has got to be the worst adaptation in many a year. Over long, boring and sanctimonious (a book end to Ridley’s Kingdom of Heaven yawn-fest). The one amusing part of the film is playing accent bingo, trying to guess which region dear old Russell is portraying in each scene – Limerick, Macclesfield, Albuquerque, Bundaberg? Who knew that he had such a range of vocal ‘talents’.
    The one version that I do think you missed from the discussion was the Robin of Sherwood TV series in the mid-eighties. I think that it did a good job on realism, weaved in the legendary aspects of the tale while adding in interesting mystical/magical elements. It also neatly dealt with the noble v. yeoman dichotomy when Jason Connery replaced Michael Praed as Robin. The music by Clannad was on the money and Nickolas Grace was Rickman-esque 5 years before PoT. Might be because I was an impressionable young teenager when it first aired but I think that this is a classic rendition of the legend. Happy to lend you the box set if you haven’t seen it.
    Btw, shame on you for recording during an England rugby game. Tremendous win although, inevitably, the wheels feel off against Wales. Ouch.
    Keep up the good work.

    1. I absolutely agree on the Ridley Scott thing, started so well, ended up as a lecture. Rusty got rather cross about the accent thing didn’t he at the time?
      Loads of people have mentioned the Robin of Sherwood TV series, and its slightly odd I don’t remember it, I would have thought i’d seen it – but I may have been focussed other things at that stage in my life…Clannad gets a mention too. The thing is – there are SO many Robin Hood adaptations! It’s amazing.

      I could not believe it when I realised what I had done. Thing is, its quite tricky to find dates for Wolf & I to meet so I then couldn’t change it. I saw most of it though – it was a great win. Wales was less fun; I was in a small pub which had been very noisy against France. Very quiet against Wales except a couple of Irish guys…!

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