Robin Hood

[Sporran]

Went to the cinema to see the new Robin Hood movie last week, and hubby and I both enjoyed it. I didn't set my expectations too high, as I'd heard it got mixed reviews. But I'd definitely recommend it, and I'm hoping it won't be long before they come out with the sequel. I was glad there wasn't a lot of gore in it, and the battle scene towards the end is especially good.

I'd read that Russell Crowe drew criticism from the British media for his variable accent during the film, so I paid very careful attention to that. But I didn't notice him slipping into a Scottish or Irish one, as he had been accused of. It was Little John's accent that sounded a little peculiar to me. Canadian actor Kevin Durand's version came across as a mixture of Scots, Irish and perhaps Geordie, to my ears!

Cate Blanchett was marvellous as Marion, and Mark Strong hit the mark as 'baddie', Sir Godfrey. I was also very impressed with Oscar Isaac as King John, and veteran actor Max von Sydow as Sir Walter Loxley. And I much preferred Russell Crowe's Robin to Kevin Costner's interpretation, I might add!

[The Drunken Duck]

Cheers for the Info.

Thinking about taking the missus to see this on Monday, like you say had heard some bad things about it.

Will give it a try though.

[John Little]

I agree with Sporran - it's a good adventure yarn and I enjoyed it. Sometimes I think critics take things too seriously. There is not a speck of evidence that Robin Hood ever existed so they should treat it as what it is - a rattling good adventure story.

I have no patience with critics of accents either- to criticise Russell Crowe for not speaking with a proper Nottingham accent is absurd.
For one thing they are speaking modern day English - which they did not in the 13th century.
And there is not a person alive who knows what accents they spoke with then.

The only historical 'fault' I detected was when Robin danced with Marion to the tune 'Women of Ireland' which was written in the early 18th century by the blind Irish harper Turlough o Carolan. (If interested here is a wonderful site to learn of his music.)

http://www.contemplator.com/carolan/index.html

Very entertaining- but I have to say I think it's more of a guy film....

[Sporran]

Good point about the accent, John! My husband more or less said the same thing, remarking that we really don't know exactly how people in 13th century England spoke.

Also, thanks for enlightening us on the tune to which Robin and Marion danced. I knew it sounded familiar to me, and that it was from a more recent century. And now that you've told us what it is, I realise it's on a CD I bought a few years ago that has some of Turlough O'Carolan's harp music on it!

[Sporran]

Not meaning to nit pick, John, but just to set the record straight, I've discovered that the 'Women of Ireland' tune was written by Seán Ó Riada (1931–1971), not Turlough O'Carolan. The CD I own, 'The Enchanted Isles', does have some compositions by O'Carolan, but then I noticed that 'Women of Ireland' was accredited to Seán Ó Riada instead. So I investigated on Wikipedia, which confirmed this. At the end of the article, it does indeed state that this is the tune used in the courtship scene of Robin and Marion.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_of_Ireland

[John Little]

Ah well that makes it even worse that it should be used in a film of the 13th century! Now there is an anachronism.

Nice tune though - sounds very like Carolan and I have it on a CD of Carolan music though now I notice that it is not all Carolan.

Thankyou for that.