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Over the years, the Robin Hood story has been told numerous times on film and television, but one version stands head and shoulders above the rest - the 1980s HTV/Goldcrest production, ROBIN OF SHERWOOD. Every thing about the production feels right. Creator Richard Carpenter's vision was clearly shared by the production team, and the casting is spot on. Carpenter hesitates using the word "fey" to describe Michael Praed, but there's certainly a fey quality to his Robin, who conveys a sense of magic and action. Carpenter keeps the number of outlaws small, concentrating on seven or eight three-dimensional individuals rather than a huge band. Apart from requiring fewer Normans to hunt them, it also allows Carpenter to more fully develop the outlaws. For example, Ray Winstone's Will Scarlet isn't some ponce with a lute, but a borderline psychotic whose wife has been raped and murdered by the Normans (hence his nickname). The other outlaws are equally well developed, such as Clive Mantle's Little John and Phil Rose's Tuck, while Much the Miller's Son (Peter Llewellyn Williams) allows for some lighter moments without ever becoming a pratfalling clown. Naturally every Robin Hood must have his Marion, and here we have the orphaned Marion of Leaford (Judi Trott). Marion is on the verge of joining a nunnery but the Sheriff of Nottingham and his brother Abbot Hugo are willing to marry her off to the sorcerer Simon de Belleme if it suits their purpose. We first meet Marion when she lifts her beekeeper's veil and looks simply gorgeous. And although Judi Trott might struggle to shoot an arrow straight in the outtakes, Marion's made a fully-fledged member of the gang and not just someone who has to be rescued week after week. The six episodes of the first season are split over two discs, with the opener, ROBIN HOOD AND THE SORCERER being split into two part (the cliff-hanger isn't great, and this is picked up in the commentary by Carpenter and director Ian Sharp). There isn't a bad one among them, but what really makes this set unmissable is the package of extras Network have put together. Carpenter and Sharp provide commentaries on both parts of ROBIN HOOD AND THE SORCERER and the final episode, THE KING'S FOOL. The pair also feature alongside the cast and producer Paul Knight in the MAKING OF... documentary, so some comments crop up more than once. There's also an edition of Grampian's THE ELECTRIC THEATRE SHOW which looks behind the scenes on the series (as well as the unused material from this episode), an impressive photo gallery, an outtake reel, the video for Clannad's Robin (The Hooded Man). There are a few other bits and pieces, but that should be enough to whet your appetite and it's certainly a lot more than you'd expect to find on a 20-year-old television series. Even the HTV and Grampian frontcaps have been left on - other companies please take note! Six cracking episodes and an impressive set of extras mean this set is definitely a must-have as far as I'm concerned. BACK TO THE TOP |
ROBIN OF
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