Robin and Marian
(1976)
(SPOILERS) It’s
ironic that Russell Crowe was older than Sean Connery is here when he starred
in Ridley Scott’s malformed Robin Hood
origins tale in 2010. Because Robin and
Marian finds the mythic character at the end of the road. This is an
elegiac tale of missed opportunities for love and fulfillment. If it never
quite becomes the heartfelt meditation it wants to be, that is more down to
Richard Lester’s perfunctory direction rather than the sincere performances
from an outstanding cast.
Robin is well into
middle age when the film begins; he and Little John (Nicol Williamson) have
followed Richard the Lion-Heart (Richard Harris) through the Crusades and now
see him die in France. Returning to England, Robin once again finds himself on
the other side of the law, reuniting with Marian (Audrey Hepburn, returning to
the screen after an eight-year absence to raise her family) and seeking shelter
from the Sheriff of Nottingham (Robert Shaw) in Sherwood Forest. King John (Ian
Holm), informed of the groundswell of support for the outlaw, sends men into
the Forest to quash his rebellion.
Richard Lester made
his mark directing The Beatles in A Hard
Day’s Night and Help! Throughout
the ‘60s he experimental style infused comedy movies with a more vibrant,
modern sensibility. By the start of ‘70s, he had suffered a major flop (The Bedsitting Room) and then managed to
reinvent himself as a more commercial force with The Three Musketeers for Alexander Salkind (he would go on to
direct two, or, at least, one and a half, Superman
movies for the producer). But he continued to work mainly in the comedy
genre (be it corrosive black comedy Petulia
or the swashbuckling frivolity of the Alexander Dumas). Action thriller Juggernaught was an exception.
Whilst there is a
rich vein of humour running through it, there wasn’t much precedent for the
reflective tone of Robin and Marian.
Unfortunately, Lester fails to imbue it with much in the way of lyricism. For that
he must rely on the actors; even James Goldman’s script seems more willing to
announce its themes than properly explore them. The film is certainly very
nicely shot (in Spain, due to the tax status of certain cast members) by
cinematographer David Watkin (a regular on Lester’s films, and also responsible
for showing off scenery in Out of Africa)
but the director’s staging is flat and perfunctory. And, while this is hardly
an action movie, the fights are scrappily choreographed and edited (the final
duel excepted). There’s a difference between creating a contemplative tone and
plain poorly pacing; too often Robin and
Marian is afflicted with the latter.
As with Lester’s How I Won the War, there a strong
anti-war message is present. We are introduced to Richard as a dyspeptic,
unbalanced monarch ready to kill women and children. Robin is sick of the death
and destruction, wondering at the actions he was required to perform in the
name of God, but he knows no other way to live (hence his confrontation with
the Sheriff).
Where this leaves
his final scenes with Marian is another matter. I’m sure Goldman was sincere in
his choice to have Robin die poisoned by Marian. It forms a poetic end in his
mind, as he would never have a day like this again (and his legend will live
on). But Lester fails to sell this. Marian’s choice just seems loony; maybe this is intended, that her
devotion to God has corrupted her outlook. After all, she also poisons herself
and admits she loves Robin more than God. The problem is, her act comes out of
nowhere and Robin only accepts his fate after much protest. Was Robin dying
anyway? Maybe, but he didn’t seem to think so. It seems to be an ending that
works for many viewers, but Lester’s “meat and potatoes” execution renders it
devoid of tragic romance for me.
Connery obviously
built up a rapport with his director, as they would team up again for Cuba a few years later. If Robin and Marian was a critical success
and a commercial disappointment, Cuba
saw them bottom out in both areas. Connery didn’t work with his director
subsequently, placing much of the blame at his door.
Connery and
Hepburn are great together, however. The Scot looks a good 10 or 15 years older
than he actually is here, but it works for the character. Hepburn is a striking
as ever. There is a sincerity and melancholy to their relationship that comes
through in spite of the failings of script and direction.
Williamson doesn’t
have the brawn of your typical Little John, but he’s a charismatic, lively
presence. Shaw reunites with Connery (they previously sparred in From Russia With Love) and makes a less
out-and-out villain of Nottingham than you’d expect. He’s portrayed as an intelligent
man, with respect for Robin and a sense of honour. Also working with Connery
again, Harris relishes his crazed early scenes, which are highly memorable, and
they set the scene for a world Robin no longer has much place in. Denholm
Elliott is an unlikely Will Scarlet and Ronnie Barker a likely Friar Tuck. Holm
is onscreen all too briefly as John, distracted from his edicts by the
attentions of his child bride (played by Victoria Abril). John Barry’s score is
evocative, very much in Dances with Wolves
mode.
This is often
cited as one of Connery’s best performances, and there is definitely a warmth
and tenderness in his interplay with Hepburn that you don’t often get to see.
It’s just a shame that the film as a whole doesn’t make the most of the solid
premise and fine cast.
***
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