[Jeff A. Arbogast]

I had to post this-I know everyone has heard of the latest Ridley Scott Robin Hood movie. I don't know if I'm in the minority or not, but I thought it SUCKED. To me, Ridley Scott is the George Lucas of medieval movies. Some of his stuff just doesn't make any sense. There are too many things that irk me about that movie to site, but one of the most glaring, at least to me, is calling the main character "Robin Longstryde. " Okay, if he's a real tall long-legged guy , (which Russel Crowe is NOT) then fine. No problem. But if he ISN'T, just giving him the moniker "Longstryde" for the heck of it ain't good enough. I get the feeling that, like Lucas, he figures we are just too dumb to notice such things. At least that's the impression I get. He even re-uses props from other movies in new ones "Like Richard's ugly helmet (straight from "Kingdom of Heaven," another lousy movie).
Look, if someone has a nickname like "Longstryde" he should at least have long legs, right? Sorry, but Russel Crowe doesn't. Besides it smacks too much of "Longshanks" to me, from "Braveheart." And, as inaccurate as that movie was, I think few will disagree that Patrick McGoohan was a wonderful Edward I in that movie, stealing every scene he was in. I watch it just for him. When he grabs his wimpy son by the throat, throws his "friend" out the window, and beats the crap out of his son effortlessly, I thought "Now THAT'S a King of England."
But anyway, my point was that recently I saw another movie on REELZ called "Robin Hood" from 1991 that I never even heard about. I was quickly engrossed in the story. The characters were realistic and enjoyable, and I would say it's one of the best Robin Hood movies out there. Costumes and fight scenes seemed very true to life. It stars Patrick Bergen, Uma Thurman, and Jurgen Prochnow. Uma is the only one I am familiar with. I find her ski-slope nose enchanting.
Anyway, if anyone wants to see a real good Robin Hood movie, I would recommend this relatively unknown one over Ridley Scott's silly big-budget Normandy-invasion-in reverse nonsense any day.

[David Huggins]

I think that 'Robin Hood' fell out of most folks radar due to the hype surrounding the Kevin Costner 'Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves' movie which was released much about the same time.

Notable 'Robin Hood's has to include Sean Connery in 'Robin and Marion' , and very much a product of it's time with new age pagan allusions, the television production 'Robin of Sherwood' with Michael Praed playing the titular character, and just for fun John Cleese in 'Time Bandits'.

best
Dave

[Sa'ar Nudel]

I think too that the "other" Robin Hood 1991 version was much better story, underrated. Patrick Bergin is very famous multi-talented Irish actor, best known in the US for Sleeping With the Enemy, and Patriotic Games. Jurgen Prochnow is a german actor who acted in many films, mostly as the bad guy.

BTW I had so much expectations from the new Robin Hood version and was very disappointed. Dull, boring movie.

[Ben Sweet]

The best Robin Hood to me is still Robin and Marian 1976 with Sean Connery and the stunning Audrey Hepburn... That thing with Russel Crow sucked bigtime, heck it even put me to sleep....

[Mick Jarvis]

no the best one is 'Men in Tights'

and quote line fully sums it all up

"and unlike all the other Robin Hood's, i speak with an English accent!"

[Lin Robinson]

Gee...

I kind of liked it. Sure it was not historically accurate in many ways but then the story of Robin Hood is almost certainly fiction. I thought the Kevin Costner vehicle was silly as was the 30's picture. I saw the Patrick Bergin version and slept through most of it.

I liked Kingdom of Heaven very much, especially Eva Green, and realize that there was historic inaccuracy in the picture. However, the story of Balian of Ibelin in the Holy Land was accurate. He was the commander of Jerusalem when it fell to Saladin and negotiated the surrender, although the terms were different from those in the movie. I thought the Templars got something of a bad rap in the movie.

What I try to do in evaluating a movie is determine whether it entertained me and if it did then I am happy.

[Joe Fults]

The bad ones are bad because they suffer from bad acting, and more often, just plain bad story telling. The most recent venture seemed to have a bit of the former and a whole lot of the latter.

[Glen A Cleeton]

[Jonathan Hopkins]

My favorite is the animated Disney version. The rooster is a master of his craft.

[Jeff A. Arbogast]

[Roger Hooper]

I've never seen the Patrick Bergin version. Maybe I should look for it.

My favorite is the 1980's TV version, Robin of Sherwood, with Michael Praed and Jason Connery as consecutive Robins. Ray Winstone played Will Scarlet. It had an occasional magical flavor, matched with political cynicism that I found appealing. I remember an episode where they dared to portray Good King Richard in an unflattering light (Richard was played by the ubiquitous John Rhys-Davies)

I think all the Robin Hood films reflect the values of the times in which they were made. The 1930's Errol Flynn version pretty obviously reflects the New Deal, with sympathy for the little guy vs. evil rich people. I guess the Costner and Crowe versions do the same for the 1990's and the new millennium, though I'm kind of afraid to find out what those two films say about us.

[Glen A Cleeton]

Two lists of films and productions

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_films_an...Robin_Hood

http://www.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/rh/rhfilms.htm

Not surprisingly to me is to see the Errol Flynn example at the head of that last list and a neat set of pages overall there.

Cheers

GC

[David Wilson]

As big a stinker as it was, the Costner Robin Hood was stolen (not that it was hard to do, all things considered) by Alan Rickman as the Sheriff. Rickman's Sheriff actually makes this movie worth watching, IMHO.... although his performance is pretty much all this movie has....

[Sam Barris]

Errol Flynn.

Seriously. Why even make another one after that?

[Scott Kowalski]

[Job Overbeek]

Nah, the BEST Robin Hood is Robin Hood - Men in Tights (1993)

[Terry Thompson]

I think the Bergen and the Connery movies each have their charm. But I would have to go with the Erol Flynn version, as others, perhaps it was what I saw as a youth, but Erol Flynn (okay he was a little light in the turnshoes), Basil Rathbone (the baddest Sir Guy), Olivia DeHaviland (the hottest Marion), Claud Rains (weasilist prince John). And Howard Hill actually doing the trick shots; actually shooting people in the chest with blunted arrows. Bad-assery.
How would you have liked to be one of those stunt guys "Okay. I'm going to stick this piece of plywood with a 1/4" layer of cork on it, and Howard is going to shoot you in the chest with that bow and arrow when I say "action".
Wait. What?!

Olivia DeHaviland wasn't scantilly clad, or running through the woods with a bow and breeches. She was arguably an anti-femanist damsel in distress. But she was hot. And it's necessary for the archtypical hero to have a beautiful woman to save. (who needs a hero if the woman can save herself?).
Claud Rains was just awesome as scheming back-stabbing brother of the king. And what movie is bad that has Basil Rathbone in it? Throw in Alan Hale, Patrick KNowles, and that cowardly Sheriff (Melville Cooper). The cast was simply perfection.
-Terry

[Jonathan Blair]

At least it wasn't the Disney abortion Princess of Thieves. Godawful stuff.

[Joshua Anthony]

[Tristán Zukowski]

Has anyone else seen the HTV series "Robin of Sherwood" with Michael Praed that was out in the 80's? I have a soft spot for that show, just because I watched the episodes over and over and over again when I was young