FILMandMOVIEmaking.com

This is a really difficult dilemma. I haven’t seen the movie, but feel that I should steer clear of it because it bears no resemblance to history, myth or folklore. It’s a case of Hollywood (yet again) making a movie that takes away the real story and replaces it with one that includes lots of people running around, big battles explosions and implausible locations.

I’ve read the script, which is why I can make a (partially) valued judgement. If this was a food product, it would fall under the ‘misrepresentation’ laws. I’ve seen the trailer. Never once in any history book does it mention Robin Hood going to a large beach and entertaining a large pitch battle with the French. Skegness beach may not be Southend or the Caribbean, so a Welsh beach took over. I expect the people of Skegness (the only beach within realistic distance for Mr Hood to go to) will be surprised to see such encounters in their locality. That Robin Hood would have gone south and fought battles in France, is quite ridiculous.

The amount of people involved in the fighting misses history’s stories. Populations were so much smaller almost a thousand years ago. The armies could not possibly have numbered anything like the trailer shows.

The timelines are all wrong. It’s well known that Robin Hood met people at different times of his life, but in this movie, they’re all squashed together into a few weeks.

The people of north Nottingham will be amazed (not in a good way) at this prequel to Robin Hood’s story, leaving it open for a follow up or two. These days we call it a franchise; a licence to print money.

The real story of Robin Hood, the Sheriff of Nottingham and the part that the wonderful city of Nottingham plays in this legend is best seen by playing much older movies in your DVD/download player or by visiting Nottingham Castle and experiencing the Robin Hood story

So what’s it all about?

The film Robin Hood chronicles the life of an expert archer, previously interested only in self-preservation, from his service in King Richard’s army against the French. Upon Richard’s death, Robin (Oscar® winner Russell Crowe), travels to Nottingham, a town suffering from the corruption of a despotic sheriff and crippling taxation, where he falls for the spirited widow Lady Marian (Oscar® winner Cate Blanchett), a woman sceptical of the identity and motivations of this crusader from the forest. Hoping to earn the hand of Maid Marian and salvage the village, Robin assembles a gang whose lethal mercenary skills are matched only by its appetite for life. Together, they begin preying on the indulgent upper class to correct injustices under the sheriff.

The Nottingham area will no doubt gain substantially from publicity following this movie and the local authority are supporting it completely to get that extra tourism pound. The Major Oak, in Sherwood Forest, will gain more visitors as people experience a one thousand year old tree; setting of Robin Hood’s team of criminals and vagabonds who took from the rich and gave back to the poor. The current Sheriff of Nottingham (yes, there is one!) supports the new Nottingham Castle exhibition, so it would appear that Robin Hood and the Sheriff have finally made up. The Caves and the Galleries of Justice also require a tourist visit.

The Tales of Robin Hood was an excellent exhibition on Maid Marion Way, in Nottingham, but has since closed.

Ridley Scott is an excellent director; he makes ‘big’ films. He should have made this film and given it another name with different characters. It wouldn’t have affected the outcome as far as financial return in concerned. It’s probably a very good movie in the ‘Gladiator’ style. It just isn’t about Robin Hood, as we know him.

I expect I’ll just have to go see the movie and complain even more about its lack of real Robin Hood story. If you want to get a little closer to the truth, then wikipedia has a good website page

Popularity: 5% [?]