ROBIN HOOD: PRINCE OF THIEVES

After decades of charismatic heroes in the mould of Errol Flynn’s swashbuckling outlaw in THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD (1938), not to mention the anthropomorphic spin of Disney’s ROBIN HOOD (1973), director Kevin Reynolds offered a new take on the medieval tale. His outlaw hero is less a hot-headed adventurer than a thoughtful champion of the dispossessed. Kevin Costner’s performance divided critics and later inspired Mel Brooks to send the film up in ROBIN HOOD: MEN IN TIGHTS (1993).

Returning to England after being held captive during the Crusades, Robin Hood discovers the plot that has cost him both his father and his family estate. Accompanied by the Moor Azeem (Morgan Freeman), the legendary archer vows revenge on the scheming Sheriff of Nottingham (Alan Rickman). He joins a band of outlaws hiding in Sherwood Forest and, as their leader, declares war on the enemies of the absent King Richard the Lionheart (Sean Connery).

The second highest-grossing film of 1991 injected the English legend with the pace of an action film, brutal set pieces and a distinctly fairytale contrast between dark dungeons and spectacular locations shot across English counties and in Carcassonne, France. Hollywood may have intended Kevin Costner to be the face of the production, but Alan Rickman proved to be its soul. Playing what was ostensibly a supporting role, the British master of darkness effortlessly stole the film from the rest of the cast.

Despite the recent success of DIE HARD (1988), Rickman broke free of the rigid confines of the conventional screen villain. He played the Sheriff of Nottingham with deliberate excess and an almost childlike streak. He initially turned down the script, but Kevin Reynolds – without the rest of the crew knowing – promised him a say in the dialogue, resulting in now-iconic lines about cancelling Christmas and cutting someone’s heart out... with a spoon. His cartoonishly wicked antagonist won Rickman the BAFTA for Best Actor in a Supporting Role.

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Text: Paula Apanowicz