There have been few stories adapted for film more often than Robin Hood. Off the top of my head, Cinderella and Snow White are perhaps the only ones that can rival the legendary screen favorite. The first film to feature our favorite outlaw came out in 1908, with a few more silent film appearances before Douglas Fairbanks swashbuckled through the 1922 production. Since then, he has starred in dozens of films and tv shows, from technicolor spectacles to slapstick comedies to gritty reboots and animated fantasies.
Of course, the legend itself has been growing for the past 600 some-odd years. How is it that one story can have lived for so long and remained so popular? Well, here's a hint: it's not the same story. Even looking at the short time Robin Hood has lived on film, there are wildly different characterizations and values for each version. Some elements remain the same, but each story has a different message. What is so amazing about Robin hood is that his morals and adventures do not tell us so much about the hero as the values of the culture when that particular portrayal came about.
Let's journey back to early Medieval Britain, the birthplace of our hero. Some maintain that Robin Hood, or Robbehood, or Robyne Hude was indeed a real person in the 13th century, but whether he was or not certainly makes little difference in the grand scheme of things. The legend almost certainly encompassed more than whatever grain of connection could be tied to any actual Robin that may or may not have existed. The earliest incarnations of Robin Hood are as a yeoman, a free man of common birth, a champion of the everyday people. Robin Hood was a hero of the people and closely associated with MayDay celebrations, where his first connection to Marion, Lady of May, was made.
It was not until the 16th century that his status was elevated to make the hero noble, eventually becoming an Earl, and then stalwart contemporary of King Richard. His criminal life was now justified by the vacuum created by the absence of the King and the his burgeoning loyalty to the crown turned the stories from revolts led by ordinary landowners to a lesson in steadfast support of the conventions of courtly life.
As time went on, the severity of his support for the crown gave way to lighthearted comedy: Robin became a mastery of trickery, often being duped himself. His antics were recorded as ballads featuring different members of his Merry Men or various enemies he would encounter. The more farcical stories played down the stiff and saintly aspects of earlier versions of the legend.
The Victorian era brought new aspects of Robin Hood. His relationship with Marian rose in prominence and status, embodying the victorian ideals of courtship and softening the grittier nature of the stories. This was also the first time that Robin was portrayed as a Saxon pitted against Norman corruption, noted in the immensely popular novel Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott. Robin could now boast a firmly English lineage that spoke to the national pride of Britain.
It would indeed be madness to review all however-many productions of Robin Hood there are, but I will do some of the most iconic (though by no means necessarily best quality) versions, starting with the 1922 Fairbanks version.
Robin Hood (1922)
The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men (1952)
Robin Hood (1973)
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)
Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993)
Robin Hood (2010)
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