OLD FASHIONED VS. NEW FASHIONED: ROBIN HOOD: PRINCE OF THIEVES, THE ROCKETEER© Sean Gallagher
Dec 3, 2002
Why do critics prefer old adventure stories of the 30's and 40's to the action movies of today (back then, they would have called them action movies)? Many reasons, but I suspect the main reason is there's nothing self-conscious about them. I don't know whether films like THE SEA HAWK or THE CRIMSON PIRATE were made under management that demanded historical accuracy, but they certainly don't play that way. All they asked was that audiences came out of the theater happy, and the best of these often delivered. To be fair, these were made in a culture of, if not hope, than at least the determination to bash on, and that's pretty hard to convey in this age of cynicism (also, these films didn't really have to compete with parodies of the form, which have made it impossible for some to take it seriously). Also, heroes back then were able to enjoy their exploits without the feeling there was something smug about that. Two films in 1991, Kevin Reynolds ROBIN HOOD; PRINCE OF THIEVES and Joe Johnston's THE ROCKETEER, both bring back old-fashioned genres to life, but only the latter will remain in your memory. Reynolds' film was originally one of three Robin Hood movies planned for that year; once he snagged Kevin Costner, however, the other two fell by the wayside, with one not being made at all, and the other being made for TV. This version, directed by John Irvin and starring Patrick Bergin as Robin and Uma Thurman as Maid Marian, is the one that should have been released to theaters. It doesn't have the high spirits of Michael Curtiz's classic THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD, with Errol Flynn as the hero. It takes a darker tone, with muted colors, and it sticks to it. Yet despite some murkiness (I was never really clear on who the villains were exactly), it's still somewhat buoyant, and Bergin and Thurman work within the context of the story. On the other hand, Reynolds and writers Pen Densham and John Watson seemingly have no idea what tone to take here. They want new attitudes, so Robin is accompanied by Azeem (Morgan Freeman), a Moor whose life he saved, and whose primary function is to give Robin sage advice, and Robin's motives for fighting the Sheriff of Nottingham (Alan Rickman) are as much personal as political (Nottingham murdered Robin's father). On the other hand, they want to be old-fashioned as well, so Maid Marian (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) is a damsel in distress. The result of all this is a film that's terribly confused, instead of being the rousing adventure it clearly wants it to be.
Go To Page:
1
2
3
The copyright of the article OLD FASHIONED VS. NEW FASHIONED: ROBIN HOOD: PRINCE OF THIEVES, THE ROCKETEER in Movies of the 90s is owned by . Permission to republish OLD FASHIONED VS. NEW FASHIONED: ROBIN HOOD: PRINCE OF THIEVES, THE ROCKETEER in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
|
