Another Robin Hood Story

There was a time in my life when I ate, slept, and breathed movies. Even when I was working 60 some hours a week in Worcester and going to school full time in Cambridge – and doing theater in Barre. Although, that did narrow my awareness of all the opening dates. Including this blockbuster entre into the summer season called Gladiator.

I remember going to see it after an Overknight with a co-worker who was a dear friend. I was an avid film fan at that point… but something about that movie in particular resonated. Maybe it was the ability to see a vision of Rome after guiding so many hapless school children passed the greenish ancient armor. Or maybe it was some latent nostalgia for Latin classes. Or maybe it was the Hamlet-esque revenge plot (I was REALLY big on Hamlet then). Or maybe it was the emotions of betrayal and conquering difficulty… I don’t know. I know I saw it nine times in the theater. And when I moved to England to chase a movie dream a year and a half later, I purposefully walked by Ridley Scott’s office on my way to work every single day.

But life… changes. Movies don’t do it for me as much these days. I even find my interest in war epics (something that made me anticipate the opening with impatience) compromised by my thoughts on violence. I don’t even think I’d been to a movie since September. Yup. Missed that whole Oscar season. Really. 

Then I saw there was a screening of the new Robin Hood tonight. Ridley Scott… well, maybe it is Gladiator in Sherwood Forest. But you know what? I liked the visuals of Kingdom of Heaven. Didn’t need to see it nine times – but I sure enjoyed seeing it on the big screen. Besides… this is Robin Hood. I like Robin Hood. I like it lots. The more historically inaccurate the better. But… an attempt at realism like they did in Gladiator, sign me up.

I liked it. Except for the jackass sitting beside me who felt compelled to hassle his girlfriend, wife, whatever every five minutes because he clearly didn’t like the film. Thank God he left.

And maybe I liked it for those same reasons Gladiator struck a nerve. Well, it won’t prompt multiple re-visits. But maybe one more… maybe a DVD purchase. It definitely brought me back to Overknights and armor demonstrations (I swear it is an indication of memory failure that I can’t name every fragment of plated armor any more). The annoying little accuracy police voice rang in my head a couple times. I hate it when they put royalty in gold mail. Blech. And Robin… um, Sir Brian’s discipline was needed to dissuade him from using that sinister hand for food. But… whatever… more amusing in terms of nostalgia than a ridiculous lament of right versus wrong.

It was long. It wasn’t the typical Robin Hood adventure. They made Matthew McFadyen look… not so Mr. Darcy. But I liked the fact they took Richard I off his idyllic pedestal. I liked (even though I rolled my eyes at it) the hint of John’s provocation of the Magna Carta. I liked that Eleanor was in it. I liked Marian. I liked that it wasn’t campy at all. I have my sneering mulleted Richard Armitage DVDs to indulge that. Nope. It was well done. I’m sure a proper historian could tear it to shreds… but I don’t care. Because it made me curious enough to go back and check my memory on those politics… and those names of armor.

And of course, it made me want to go to England. Back to the green, green, green of Nottingham. Byron and Robin Hood. Makes the heart swell with longing. 

Oh - and I think as a consequence of this venture… I found my next novel…

But that's another story.