meganbmoore (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
meganbmoore) wrote2007-04-02 05:23 pm
meganbmoore) wrote2007-04-02 05:23 pm
Entry tags:
Robin Hood x3
So, I got home Saturday and saw that the mailman had tried to deliver my Robin of Sherwood DVDs but, of course, since they couldn't fit in the mailbox, they spent the weekend atthe post office. It made me sad because I've been waiting for those DVDs, so I pulled out a couple of my OTHER Robin Hood DVDS(me, a fan of romantic angstridden outlaw legends involving copious amounts of swords and bows and arrows and damsels in distress and dashing heroes? Whyever would you think that?)
First up was the much(and usually rightly) maligned Kevin Costner vehicle Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. The casting of Robin(and, as a sad result for age compatibility for them to be childhood friends, Marian, even though I think she did a good job-but the idea of a close blood relative of the king's being Maid Marian in her thirties is more absurd than there are words for, because she would have been married of about half her life earlier) is laughable, and in their "research" they almost named Morgan Freeman's character Nasir because they didn't realize the character originated in Robin of Sherwood. On the other hand, they made a real attempt to go back to the earlier versions before Errol Flynn and the cartoon where Robin and his men aren't all chipper and charming and...well..."merry" as we mean it today, and to incorporate older traditions of the story. Of course, the vast majority of what REALLY works in it(aside from the high production values...I give it props for, Robin's accent and his and Marian's ages being flat out wrong for this stage of the story aside, having a "real" feel if you're simply watching it) is Christian Slater as Will Scarlett. Now, why Marian chose the dry and "look at me, I'm charming and the lead" Robin over the more dashing, intense, and angst-ridden Will is beyond me, but this is one of only two versions of Will Scarlett I know of where Will reminds us why he's called "Scarlett." It's also, as far as I know, the only version that incorporates the idea of Will being a relative of Robin's(usually a younger cousin) and I think it and it remembers that Prince John's involvement was a more recent addition to the Robin Hood legend. So, yeah, most of what works is borrowed from Robin of Sherwood, but it has enough qualities worth defending. And I bought the extended edition a while back, which I guess means something.
Robin Hood: Men in Tights is the Cary Elwes and Mel Brooks Robin Hood parody. If you don't love Robin Hood, Mel Brooks or Cary Elwes, you'll hate it, but if you like any of the above, you'll probably love it. Its targets, of course, are Errol Flynn's The Adventures of Robin Hood(the most famous version) and Prince of Thieves(the then most recent version) but it has nods to others, and even to Princess Bride(most notably when Marian leaps off the balcony and onto the horse wearing a fluttering white gown) It's very, very much a not-so-guilty pleasure.
And then FINALLY I went to get my Robin of Sherwood DVDs from the PO this morning and watched the 2 part opener. I have this odd fondness for 80s fantasy and historical productions, I think because they had fewer tech options and didn't have endless special effects to fall back on. I do love this series, free of the flash and camp where Robin is a woodsman and Marian, while high born, isn't the king's ward or close cousin and it's not about all saving England by collecting Richard's ransom but is instead about survival and simply doing what's right and what needs to be done, and if you manage to get revenge in the end, then all the better. And, again, aside from POT, it's aboutthe only place you can find the REAL Will Scarlett...here, as a man whose wife was raped by soldiers and then trampled to death by their horses after, and Will was arrested for killing three of them after. "Will Scarlett" isn't the name he was born with..."Scarlett" is the name he chose for himself after that. There's one scene where Robin and Little John are fighting because Robin is about to go rescue Marian and John thinks he's being stupid and Will gets in between them. The last line in the argument is John saying something to the effect that Robin is stupid for letting something as unimportant as a woman cloud his judgement, and then they see who's between them and they just stop. And, as soon as he sees that they're through, Will turns around and even though you can't see his face, you can see that he has to compose himself(and likely keep himself from killing John right then and there) and it's a long time before he's able to turn back around.
Also, mostly to remind myself to check it out,crumpeteerposted this link to her LJ: A Will Scarlet Comprendium.
First up was the much(and usually rightly) maligned Kevin Costner vehicle Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. The casting of Robin(and, as a sad result for age compatibility for them to be childhood friends, Marian, even though I think she did a good job-but the idea of a close blood relative of the king's being Maid Marian in her thirties is more absurd than there are words for, because she would have been married of about half her life earlier) is laughable, and in their "research" they almost named Morgan Freeman's character Nasir because they didn't realize the character originated in Robin of Sherwood. On the other hand, they made a real attempt to go back to the earlier versions before Errol Flynn and the cartoon where Robin and his men aren't all chipper and charming and...well..."merry" as we mean it today, and to incorporate older traditions of the story. Of course, the vast majority of what REALLY works in it(aside from the high production values...I give it props for, Robin's accent and his and Marian's ages being flat out wrong for this stage of the story aside, having a "real" feel if you're simply watching it) is Christian Slater as Will Scarlett. Now, why Marian chose the dry and "look at me, I'm charming and the lead" Robin over the more dashing, intense, and angst-ridden Will is beyond me, but this is one of only two versions of Will Scarlett I know of where Will reminds us why he's called "Scarlett." It's also, as far as I know, the only version that incorporates the idea of Will being a relative of Robin's(usually a younger cousin) and I think it and it remembers that Prince John's involvement was a more recent addition to the Robin Hood legend. So, yeah, most of what works is borrowed from Robin of Sherwood, but it has enough qualities worth defending. And I bought the extended edition a while back, which I guess means something.
Robin Hood: Men in Tights is the Cary Elwes and Mel Brooks Robin Hood parody. If you don't love Robin Hood, Mel Brooks or Cary Elwes, you'll hate it, but if you like any of the above, you'll probably love it. Its targets, of course, are Errol Flynn's The Adventures of Robin Hood(the most famous version) and Prince of Thieves(the then most recent version) but it has nods to others, and even to Princess Bride(most notably when Marian leaps off the balcony and onto the horse wearing a fluttering white gown) It's very, very much a not-so-guilty pleasure.
And then FINALLY I went to get my Robin of Sherwood DVDs from the PO this morning and watched the 2 part opener. I have this odd fondness for 80s fantasy and historical productions, I think because they had fewer tech options and didn't have endless special effects to fall back on. I do love this series, free of the flash and camp where Robin is a woodsman and Marian, while high born, isn't the king's ward or close cousin and it's not about all saving England by collecting Richard's ransom but is instead about survival and simply doing what's right and what needs to be done, and if you manage to get revenge in the end, then all the better. And, again, aside from POT, it's aboutthe only place you can find the REAL Will Scarlett...here, as a man whose wife was raped by soldiers and then trampled to death by their horses after, and Will was arrested for killing three of them after. "Will Scarlett" isn't the name he was born with..."Scarlett" is the name he chose for himself after that. There's one scene where Robin and Little John are fighting because Robin is about to go rescue Marian and John thinks he's being stupid and Will gets in between them. The last line in the argument is John saying something to the effect that Robin is stupid for letting something as unimportant as a woman cloud his judgement, and then they see who's between them and they just stop. And, as soon as he sees that they're through, Will turns around and even though you can't see his face, you can see that he has to compose himself(and likely keep himself from killing John right then and there) and it's a long time before he's able to turn back around.
Also, mostly to remind myself to check it out,
crumpeteerposted this link to her LJ: A Will Scarlet Comprendium.
no subject
Another thing I like about Praed's version is that he occassionally screws up royally. Costner's is always right and his plans always ingenious. Praed often gets out of binds more by luck or picking superior friends than anything else.
no subject
stupid me forgot to say...
And yes, he is very lucky in his choice of friends.