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It's not an easy question to answer because there are a lot of different Robin Hood films and many of them are quite good in their own way, however different they may be from each other in tone or content.

For me, the best version (because I like both the tone and the content so much) is ROBIN & MARIAN (1975) starring Sean Connery as Robin, Audrey Hepburn as Marian and Robert Shaw as the Sheriff of Nottingham.

Reasons for marking this one as my favourite:

(1) CASTING: All three of the principals above were great actors at the top of their game when they were cast in these roles, and both Hepburn and Shaw play off Connery believably and well. Other characters were given to splendid character actors. Richard Harris beautifully interprets King Richard the Lionheart as a heroic warrior in an advanced state of decay (a "failed hero" as writer James Goldman calls him) and is funny and sad simultaneously. Ian Holm makes the most of his brief scene as King John, playing that monarch with all the twitchy paranoia and dangerous moodiness required of his character. Denholm Elliot makes a decent, fun Will Scarlet. Nicol Williamson is one of my very favourite actors to interpret Little John: kind and gentle one moment, hard and dangerous the next, a simple and loyal friend to Robin.

(2) THE STORY & WRITING: James Goldman had a flair for writing beautiful prose and this is not lost in this script. True, the writer condenses almost ten years of history (King Richard's death to King John's England under papal interdict) into what seems to take place in a few months, but one has to give some allowance for dramatic licence. The story adapts some minor episodes from the ballads and so is true to its roots, but where it adds new ideas those ideas are worthy. Nicely done.

(3) THE ATMOSPHERE & DIRECTION: Richard Lester was a master of the historical film as his MUSKETEERS trilogy also proved. He had a great sense of humour and this shows in even this often-sombre work. His history can show pageantry but it doesn't forget all the mud and broken cart-wheels either. A nice balance and a believable atmosphere is created.

(4) THE MUSIC: John Barry gave us one of his finest romantic film scores for this film and I listen to my CD of the soundtrack all the time. Beautiful.

presterjohn1

Yes, it took me a while to find it in Toronto and the copy I eventually obtained was marked up; the sales clerk said the title was discontinued, at least for now, but I have seen it on eBay since then and many times, usually for decent prices. Well worth it.

I must agree that Nicol Williamson was one of the best features of EXCALIBUR, which is saying a lot because that is also a film that I love dearly.

presterjohn1

RE: RH - POT

The best thing about POT was Rickman's sheriff. Nick Brimble's Little John fit the bill nicely though he had little to do really and Michael McShane's Tuck certainly looked and sounded the part quite well enough.

Too bad about Costner. I don't hate him as an actor and I am long since over it that he got the part, but he was not right for it.

Since the people of the Anglo-Norman period spoke nothing like what we today would call English anyway, pretty much any modern speech pattern or accent could be considered anachronistic, so anywhere you draw the line is entirely subjective. Nevertheless, illogical as it actually is, I would prefer to hear Robin Hood speaking with a British accent.

(Maybe Mel Gibson, with his penchant for historical epics like THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST and APOCALYPTO shot in the correct language of the period, can be persuaded to make us a Robin Hood film which shows the language barriers between the native English and the Norman-French-speaking aristocratic classes. You up for that one, Mel?)

Well, I confess I'm a little partial to Sean Connery's King Richard costume, but I didn't care too much for Costner's RH costume. The leathery look was understandable, but he looked more like a biker than a pilgrim knight to me.

I agree that the late Michael Kamen's music was very good for the film.

Kevin Reynolds did a better job on the recent TRISTAN & ISOLDE in my opinion. It was not a great movie as such, but I enjoyed it with few reservations. I certainly enjoyed it more than KING ARTHUR.

I didn't mind that the producers tried to stamp the story with their own approach for uniqueness, but even in that they failed. The mystical elements and the introduction of a Moorish character too closely follow the far more innovative work on ROBIN OF SHERWOOD with its magic and the introduction of the Saracen Nasir. The idea of making the Sheriff the principal villain was a good one but inflating his aspirations to assume royal power was quite a stretch even for a campy film like this one.

Still, one can take too seriously what was not meant seriously. The fact is it is a fun action picture. Those of us who might have hoped for more at least got the Patrick Bergin ROBIN HOOD the same year and it is in almost every way the better film.

presterjohn1