Review: The Story of Robin Hood (DMC #15)
Good day to you all, merry Disney fans! This week we watched the fifteenth film in the Disnerd Movie Challenge—The Story of Robin Hood (also known as The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men). Not to be confused with the 1973 animated version (which we will tackle later on), this one is a live-action adaptation of England’s legendary folklore hero. Read below for our synopsis, or skip ahead if you’ve already watched the film.
Synopsis
King Richard has called upon the men of his kingdom to join his crusade. As they are about to depart, the Earl of Huntingdon cannot find his daughter, Marian, so he sends a servant woman, Tyb, to find her. Marian is in the woods with Robin Fitzooth, the two of them playfully flirting with each other. Tyb brings Marian back to the castle where her father asks the Queen to keep an eye on Marian while he’s gone. King Richard places his brother, Prince John, in charge. Shortly after the king and his men have departed, Prince John names a new Sheriff of Nottingham and has him assemble an army of archers to collect taxes. The sheriff arranges an archery competition to find good archers, and Robin and his father, Hugh, enter. Both of them best the sheriff’s archers, and Robin presents his golden arrow prize to Marian before she leaves with the Queen for London. The sheriff invites all the skilled archers to join him, but Hugh publicly refuses to collect taxes from his neighbors, and many of the archers follow his lead. This angers the sheriff who orders his men to follow the Fitzooths home. They kill Hugh, but Robin manages to escape and becomes an outlaw in the forest. Other men, like Little John and Friar Tuck, soon join Robin, who’s rebranded himself as “Robin Hood,” and together they rob the rich to give to the poor, all while terrorizing the sheriff.
Two years later, Richard’s crusade has failed and he’s held for a high ransom. The Queen and the Archbishop turn to their outlying counties to help raise funds, but when they ask Prince John, he claims he has no money to spare because Robin Hood keeps stealing it. Marian, who has accompanied the Queen, defends Robin saying he is loyal to King Richard. Against the Queen’s wishes, Marian sneaks out of the castle posing as a page to find Robin. She confirms Robin’s loyalty, and reveals her plan to present his men’s riches to the Queen during the next day’s fundraising ceremony as a way to prove their allegiance. The men join her, hiding themselves in the crowd and mocking the sheriff for not contributing his own funds before stealing all his riches and depositing them in front of the Queen. Later on, Prince John and the sheriff have their own men disguise as Robin Hood’s followers to steal the riches back. Knowing Marian would identify the impostors, the two kidnap her and lock her in a dungeon. Robin Hood’s men catch wind of the plan and intervene, returning the money to the Queen who promises to tell King Richard of their bravery. When the Queen scolds Robin for “stealing” Marian, he realizes she must be back at the castle. Robin and his men disguise themselves as guards and release Marian. The sheriff is killed, but Robin is injured as they make their escape. Marian and Friar Tuck tend to Robin’s wounds, but when a stranger in black appears Robin insists on confronting him. The stranger reveals himself as King Richard and appoints Robin Earl of Loxley. He then orders Marian to marry the Earl of Loxley, which Marian initially refuses until she realizes it means Robin, after which the two happily embrace.
Thoughts Before Watching
Megan: I have never seen this version of Robin Hood before, but I have to say I was burned by the last live-action Robin Hood movie I watched on Netflix (that one was so boring Kevin fell asleep and now has no recollection of watching it, and it was so incredibly misogynistic I regretted ever watching it). This is Disney, though, so I’m cautiously optimistic that this one will involve far less violence toward women.
Kevin: I’m most familiar with the animated version of Robin Hood, which for years has been one of my favorite Disney animated films. I’ve also seen a few clips of Princess of Thieves, and I’m curious to watch that movie in its entirety. I actually have a vague memory of the movie Megan was talking about, but it clearly didn’t resonate with me. As for this one, I understand the story well enough that I’m sure I know what will happen. All I really hope for is that it’s more entertaining than Treasure Island.
Thoughts After Watching
There are women in this movie!
Megan: My first thought as the opening scene played out was that there are women in this movie! I had figured there would be at least one woman, since the story of Robin Hood always includes Maid Marian, but after watching Treasure Island, which eliminated all on-screen female characters, I wasn’t expecting to see any women. I was pleasantly surprised that this movie had Tyb, Marian, the Queen, and even a few background female characters mixed in among the villagers. Nowhere near a gender parity number, but a good deal better than the previous live action movie Disney created.
There’s more fun in this live-action adventure.
Kevin: This was certainly an improvement over Treasure Island. The action, the music, the characters, and the story are all done better here. Part of this may have been due to the director Ken Annakin, who was well known for his large-scale adventure films. The action sequences look more polished without appearing fake, like the archery competition, the stick fight between Robin and Little John, the sword fight between Robin and Friar Tuck, the flogging scene (even if a rather dark sequence), and the fight between Robin and the sheriff.
Kevin: The music is lighthearted but well done; I especially love the little songs the minstrel Alan-a-Dale sings while playing his lute. Friar Tuck has humorous moments when he sings as he keeps going back and forth through different voices. The characters all feel like they’re enjoying their parts (indeed, there were times it seemed like the actors in Treasure Island were just phoning it in, but it could just be me), and so this film gives us the heart that the last live-action film was missing. On the whole, everything is much more engaging.
It still fails the Bechdel test, but…
Megan: Sadly even with several female characters in this movie, there is not one conversation between them that does not involve a man. Tyb tells Marian that her father wants her, and scolds her for fooling around with Robin. The Queen briefly asks Marian her name and if she’ll be well-mannered, but this is in context of the Queen’s conversation with Marian’s father who is asking the Queen to look after Marian while he is at war. Later on, the Queen and Marian’s conversations are all about Robin Hood.
While the movie fails the Bechdel test, I really do appreciate the portrayal of women in this version of Robin Hood. The Queen, for example, has power and wields it wisely, especially when it comes to raising a ransom for her son, King Richard. She even tells Richard and John, “A woman who has raised two sons like you can look after herself.” She also stands up to the sheriff’s men when they disguise themselves as Robin’s men, ordering them to stop rather than sitting as a silent victim of highway robbery. Once she realizes Marian is being held captive, she wants to go back to rescue her—after all, Marian was placed in the Queen’s care and the Queen had promised to look after her. She only allows Robin to go after Marian once he reminds her that the king’s ransom must be delivered as soon as possible.
Marian saves the day.
Megan: This portrayal of Marian is perhaps my favorite film portrayal so far. She’s not a perfect lady: Robin teases her about not being well-mannered, and Tyb scolds her for getting her dress dirty while playing with Robin. She also speaks her mind, defending Robin to the Queen, and she willingly risks going against the Queen’s orders to prove that Robin is loyal to King Richard. In fact, if it weren’t for Marian, Robin and his men likely would have continued living a life as outlaws, perhaps facing a worse fate down the road. And what’s more, if it weren’t for Marian, it’s possible the king’s ransom would have been further delayed. Her role is so vital that even the villainous Prince John and sheriff realize that she alone could be their undoing—they capture her because she is a threat—not because she is Robin Hood’s love interest. It’s a subtle difference, but it shows just how much power Marian has. Even at the end of the movie, Marian is ready to defy her king’s orders when he tells her she must marry the Earl of Loxley. It is only when she realizes the Earl is Robin Hood, the man she wanted to marry anyway, that she accepts. I have never read the original novel, The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood of Great Renown in Nottinghamshire by Howard Pyle, but now I am curious to see how the book presented Marian and the other female characters.
Kevin: I couldn’t agree more. Marian’s role in this film is much larger and better than it is in the animated version. In the latter, she really isn’t more than Robin’s love interest and plays the typical damsel in distress. Here she is accomplished in her own right, not because of anything Robin or his men do, but by her own actions. This take on her character is refreshing, even if not perfect. It’s also great to see this considering the decade it was made. Now if we had this Marian with Lady Clucky from the animated version, suffice to say those women would get a lot done!
Money has a strong influence on culture.
Kevin: This isn’t subtle at all, but it’s worth noting how much of an influence money has, and how it’s used as a symbol. While money has importance in the story, this was also the case in real life, both at that time and today. In one case we see how money is important in religion. When everyone comes together to raise money for King Richard’s ransom, the Archbishop declares it to be a blessing. The whole reason they were raising money was because the king’s crusade failed. This wasn’t just any regular crusade; the original story says that Richard was off fighting the Crusades. He was fighting a holy war he and others believed was justified. Though it failed, the Archbishop praising the act of raising funds to free their king from a failed religious war just reinforces this society’s belief that they are in the right. I also think there’s a comment about economic inequality here; the lowly denizens of Nottingham give everything they have to the cause while Prince John and the sheriff try all they can to avoid giving even a tiny bit. Once called out in public, they grudgingly give in while pointing out how difficult it is for them and mildly praising themselves for their generosity. This is something we still see today; those who have the most to give are sometimes the most hesitant to provide, and when they do they seem to enjoy talking about what great folks they are for doing it. This is obviously not true for everyone, but it exists nonetheless, and it was interesting to see this play out in the film.
Kevin: I think this film was eventually overshadowed by its animated counterpart, which I think is still more fun. But there are gems to be found here, and this film deserves to be watched. Though I haven’t seen the Errol Flynn version, I know that version is widely considered to be the best movie adaptation of the character, so I’m not sure how this one ranks against it. Still, The Story of Robin Hood is a good time. Not great, but good. I can’t say I would watch it again and again, but I’m glad we took the time to see it now.
Megan: While I know I enjoyed the animated Robin Hood as a kid, I have to disagree with you, Kevin. I think I now actually prefer this version. We’ll see how the animated version holds up when we view it later in the challenge.
Verdict
Kevin: 5
Megan: 6
Final Score: 5.5
Have you seen both Disney’s live action and animated versions of Robin Hood? Which do you think is better? Tell us in the comments!