Over the decades, many different stories about the man known as Robin Hood have been told. Tales about his brave fight for the little guy and his battles with the unjust laws of Nottingham.
Usually involving a large amount of arrows and a damsel in distress along the way, Robin Hood’s escapades have enchanted generations.
This isn’t too different at the movies. It wasn’t long after films got big that Hollywood jumped onto the Robin Hood story and flogged it to death.
With a mind boggling 23 movies, TV shows and cartoons based off the legend of the outlaw, it’s fair to say that both executives and film watcher a-like can’t get enough of dear old Robin.
Despite this, it’s never been quite the same Robin Hood each time though, with each big instalment getting its own twist on the famous character.
In just under 80 years, Robin Hood has donned the classic green with red tights, become a talking fox, changed into an leather clad American and finally comes to our screens this week as a chainmail wearing soldier.
Starting at the beginning was 1938’s The Adventures of Robin Hood, starring the ultimate swash-buckler, Errol Flynn. The first ever big-budget film to use full Technicolor as we know today, this version blew audiences away, nabbing three Oscars along the way.
Roll on four decades, and Disney decided to have a crack at the old tale. The version most of us will have watched as kids, this was basically the 1930s version, but with less peril and more talking animals. But who doesn’t love a whirlwind fox romance or a bear in medieval gear.
Despite not being quite up to the grade of other Disney greats of the period, their Robin Hood is still loved by many.
After a long spell away from the multiplexes, the nineties brought us not one, but two big-screen slices of Robin Hood pie in the massive budget Prince of Thieves and the not-so-serious Men in Tights.
Fondly remembered (mainly for Alan Rickman, let’s be honest) and hugely successful, Prince of Thieves brought us a drastically different Robin Hood.
With no green to be seen and at points more leather than David Hasselhoff’s wardrobe, this was a more gritty and realistic portrayal of the man with the bow. Well, it tried to be until they catapulted a very American Kevin Costner over a castle wall.
Despite sometimes being a little cheesy, Prince of Thieves was no doubt the biggest version of Robin Hood yet.
This was the start of Hollywood going for reality with its movies, moving away from the cartoonish antics of the 80s. Action films got grittier and a little more menacing, and all of a sudden tights and feathered hats were not on the menu again.
Even TV shows don’t venture there any more, as we’ve seen with the BBC’s indifferent Robin Hood series, showing the main man yet again clad in leather.
As for Men in Tights, well, with a name like that you can tell where the film was going. With tongue firmly in cheek, this Mel Brooks spoof made fun of nearly everything in Robin Hood, yet still happened to be hilariously silly at times.
Enter the latest form of the arrow slinging Midlander. Yet again, no green, no tights, not even a proper moustache. This is the newer, grimier Robin Hood, complete with dodgy stubble and gruff voice.
Wearing more leather armour (yet again) than Lycra, you wouldn’t be mistaken to think that this seems more like Crowe’s get-up in Gladiator rather than the fitting attire for the man of the woods.
With both Crowe and his Aussie co-star Cate Blanchett having even been given lessons in Midland’s accents to nail down the authenticity, this is easily the most serious version yet.
With this latest blockbuster coming out this week, it’s clear to see that Nottingham’s most famous son won’t be going away in some time. Let’s just hope the next film doesn’t get even grimier, or else you may need a torch to watch it. Come on Hollywood, bring back the leggings.
Female First Cameron Smith
Tagged in Robin Hood Russell Crowe