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The Return of a Favorite Hero
A perennial figure at the cinema remained for the 2010’s
There are few character archetypes that have captured the public consciousness on the level of the “bandit folk hero.” From Zorro, to superheroes Green Arrow and Hawkeye, to John Cleese’s Dennis Moore from Monty Python, these everyday protectors of the innocent have always been beloved by audiences the world over. On May 14, the ultimate folk hero, Robin Hood, will return to cinemas courtesy of director Ridley Scott.
Robin Hood is a truly malleable character, featuring prominently in popular fiction from the medieval period to the present day, consistently reimagined for a vast array of audiences. In the 1950’s, the character appeared often in both film and television, depicted by Richard Todd and Richard Greene. Disney’s animated 1973 classic portrayed Robin as a fox, an anthropomorphism of the character’s attributes as a sly, stealthy robber. More recently, the 1991 Kevin Costner vehicle Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves retold the character’s tale as a dark, gritty Middle-Ages epic, while Mel Brooks’s 1993 film Robin Hood: Men in Tights lived up to its satirical title. This summer’s film falls more in line with the 1991 effort, an adrenaline-driven adventure stemming from post-Lord of the Rings Hollywood, featuring Russell Crowe in the title role.
The road from brooding character actor to leading man in Hollywood blockbusters has been a tumultuous one for Crowe. Despite multiple incidents concerning the police, Crowe has steadily grown into a household name over the past decade. After garnering attention for roles in 1997’s L.A. Confidential and 1999’s The Insider, Crowe exploded onto the scene with an Academy Award-winning performance as Maximus in the 2000 Roman epic Gladiator, also directed by Scott. Since then, Crowe has starred in such efforts as 2001’s A Beautiful Mind, 2003’s Master and Commander, and 2007’s 3:10 to Yuma. While he’s earned a reputation for having a temper, Crowe would also appear to possess an underrated sense of humor; when this writer attended the Hollywood Film Festival Gala in the Summer of 2000, Crowe acted as a presenter, and opened his appearance on-stage towards the end of the show with, “Whose bum is getting tired?”
Despite originating as a subversive take on the Robin Hood legend called Nottingham, in which the Sheriff would have been presented as the protagonist, Ridley Scott’s new presentation of this classic character appears to be a faithful and visually stunning entry in the annals of a long-lived beloved hero. Robin Hood opens in theaters everywhere May 14, 2010. For more information, please visit www.robinhoodthemovie.com.