h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I'm never quite sure what some directors are trying to achieve when you actually sit back and watch their attempts to bring to the silver screen the tales of heroes dear to the hearts of generations and the legends that have endured the test of time. Sometimes their efforts pay off as shown with films such as Excalibur and Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings. But just as often they screw up big time as with First Knight or the animated version of Tolkien's modern classic. As an English writer who has grown up on tales such as those of Robin Hood and the court of Arthur, I am always intrigued to see how these figures have been treated by those who want to offer audiences their own interpretation of the ancient tale.

Perhaps the best example that I can find of this is the worst thing that ever happened to the legend of Robin Hood, all neatly wrapped up in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. The problems with this film are many and diverse, the first being that the creative team behind it seems to at no time have made any effort to actually research the legend of Robin Hood beyond watching previous interpretations and then simply copying what they liked (or as I believe the parts that that elicited the response: "Oooh, cool!" from them).

The version that seems to have come in for the most plundering is the UK series "Robin of Sherwood" which was widely shown in the US (where it was given the original title of "Robin Hood" so as not to confuse anyone!). This is the place where mysticism, Celtic myth and the inclusion of an "infidel" as a member of Robin's men was seen. Yet Prince of Thieves has a witch, marauding Celts and Morgan Freeman as a Moorish warrior.

The film also has no sense of geography. Robin lands at Dover and jogs all the way north to Nottingham within the space of a few short hours.

Then there is the fact that as this is a US film all the bad guys are played by English actors (save for Guy of Gisburne, who is played by that guy who always plays a villain and always gets killed...see Metro, The Crow, etc.). This of course then means that the Americans are the good guys, and boy can they not pull off the parts in which they are cast. Christian Slater looks lost as Will Scarlett (bring back Ray Winston any day) and Morgan Freeman tries to muddle through as best he can. But then we have a fantastic pinnochio performance from Kevin Kostner himself. Has this man ever been able to act? It might be seen as sniffy to ask for a Robin capable of an English accent (see Cary Elwes in Men in Tights), but one that can sound like he has anything but sawdust in his head would be nice.

If you've never had the misfortune to see this film then DON'T, please. and if you have, then you have my sympathy.

Just remembered, Michael Wincott played Guy of Gisburne.

I think he'd have made a better Robin than Kostner myself.

They did actually mention thaty he was a nobel man by birth, generally ignored in the common tales.

At least it isn't the TV seris, where everything is magical, because of course in ye olde england fairlys existed, until thye were captured and bottled by Disney

ah but you must admit that alan rickman as the sheriff of nottingham was brilliant. the film's worth watching for him alone.

In answer to the first point, Robin Hood has been of varying social status denpending on the period of history that he was being placed in. In the original tales sung in down and dirty taverns he was a common man wronged by his oppressive fuedal lord. Later when the printed versions began to appear and the better off could read of his exploits the cunning publishers recast him as a nobleman and gave him a chivalric set of values as this was the caste to which the readers aspired and looked up to. Nowadays he can be a nobleman or a commoner, but he always bucks authority, kicks ass and pulls the opposite sex.

And to the second, perhaps Alan Rockman would have made a good Robin as well?

And I presume that you mean the US series "The New Adventures of Robin Hood" which featured the Normans as invading sorcerors from across the sea?

That was as bad as "Celts: the defenders of Tir Na Nog" that was just painful (and it's Tir Nan Og, for the gods' sakes).

I expect to be hung, drawn and quartered for this, but here we go:

Maybe I'm looking at this from the wrong perspective here, or maybe I'm just being sentimental as I was knee-high to a gnat when I first saw this film, but I honestly really enjoyed it. I understand that it wasn't all that faithful to the legend, I can sympathise with your gripes in that respect - Jurassic Park got my goat for a similar reason: velociraptors are pretty titchy really - but frankly if I was going to let my blood boil over all the historic or scientific inaccuracies inherent in Hollywood blockbusters, I'd seriously have to start watching my blood pressure. Besides which, how many Americans do you think have heard of Robin Hood? If one inaccurate but (let's face it) pretty stylish action flick starring Kevin Costner is going to get a few more people interested in British folklore, I ain't going to argue.

Here's what I thought of Prince Of Theives: The script was passable, the plot was respectable, the direction was good though not groundbreaking, the love story was strong and the acting - I'm thinking of Alan Rickman here - absolute dynamite. Not the best film in history, but not the worst either - and a good one to keep the kids amused for a while. Especially if you got the action figures. So it doesn't bother me that the witch seemed to appear in the legend from nowhere. But it did give the whole thing a real sinister twist, don't you think?

So that's my three groat's worth. I stand here before you, do what you will. But keep the stitches small...

I have no real gripe with the folks that may enjoy the film themselves, this is just my own opinion. There were, as usual, many exiting action scenes in Prince of Thieves. I liked the costume design and thought that the sets were well designed (if a little over the top). There are things to be said for the film in that sense, but as a lover of English legend I simply feel that I have seen better interpretations, ones that capture the essence of the legend far better.

The inclusion of the witch, as I mentioned earlier, was lifted from the UK tv series Robin of Sherwood as was the inclusion of the infidel in Robin's band and the Celtic tribesmen. It was this series that had the most resonance and I'd recommend it any day over Prince of Thieves.

I don't think many Americans have heard of Robin Hood, but many over there think than RobinHood existed. Please our cousians from over the seas. There is a reason we put spaces between words !

For the best summing up of the influence of American culture on the legend of Robin Hood, see Eddie Izzard:

"We just don't believe a Robin Hood without that Nottingham Twang in his accent...I am Rawbine Hoowde, where is the Mayde Maryonne?"