Thursday, November 1, 2018

Robin Hood Retrospective: An Introduction


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I'm told that every generation needs their own interpretation of certain tales, among them that of Robin Hood.

That might be true, but I figured that 'a generation' was longer than eight years.

However, that's the time frame between the most recent version of the oft-told tale and the last version of the oft-told tale.  A mere eight years after Russell Crowe scowled his way through Robin Hood, a failed franchise starter, we find ourselves staring at another cinematic version of our outlaw and his Merry Men.

This time, it is Taron Egerton who will don green garb as Robin in a film titled Robin Hood.  The original title was Robin Hood: Origins, keeping to my longstanding rule that a film with a colon usually means that it is intended as a franchise.

Perhaps in their wisdom they decided after seeing this bit of hubris doom King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, and with an eye to not tipping their hand too much, they opted to stick with a more simple title, even if this title is neither original or unfamiliar.

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As Robin Hood (2018) is set for November 21 of this year, that gives us little time to do a full retrospective.  It won't even give us a chance to see all the Robin Hood films ever made, let alone television versions; for the purposes of this retrospective I think we'll hit on the big ones, the ones I think most people know, and maybe a couple of obscure ones I happened to have found.

Fortunately, I have already covered both the earliest as well as the most recent cinematic versions: 1922's Robin Hood with Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. and 2010's Robin Hood with Russell Crowe.

Now, however, it is time to not just look on past Robin Hoods, but to see which version still holds up, which Robin and Maid Marion endure, and which are best forgotten.

I hope this journey into the deeps of Sherwood Forest is both entertaining and informative.

With that, I formally begin my Robin Hood Retrospective.

Robin Hood (1922)
The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men (1952)
A Challenge for Robin Hood (1967)
Robin Hood (1973)
Robin and Marion (1976)
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)
Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993)
Robin Hood (2010)
Robin Hood (2018)
Robin Hood: The Conclusions Part 1
Robin Hood: The Conclusions Part 2

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