Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)

When Robin and his Moorish companion come to England and the tyranny of the Sheriff of Nottingham, he decides to fight back as an outlaw.

Director:

Kevin Reynolds

Writers:

Pen Densham (story), Pen Densham (screenplay)

Stars:

Kevin Costner, Morgan Freeman, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 16 wins & 22 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kevin Costner	...	Robin of Locksley
Morgan Freeman	...	Azeem
Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio	...	Marian
Christian Slater	...	Will Scarlett
Alan Rickman	...	Sheriff of Nottingham
Geraldine McEwan	...	Mortianna
Michael McShane	...	Friar Tuck (as Micheal McShane)
Brian Blessed	...	Lord Locksley
Michael Wincott	...	Guy of Gisborne
Nick Brimble	...	Little John
Soo Drouet	...	Fanny
Daniel Newman	...	Wulf
Daniel Peacock	...	Bull
Walter Sparrow	...	Duncan
Harold Innocent	...	Bishop

Storyline

After being captured by Turks during the Crusades, Robin of Locksley and a Moor, Azeem, escape back to England, where Azeem vows to remain until he repays Robin for saving his life. Meanwhile, Robin's father, a nobleman loyal to King Richard the Lionheart, has been murdered by the brutal Sheriff of Nottingham, who helped install Richard's treacherous brother, Prince John, as King while Richard is overseas fighting the Crusades. When Robin returns home, he vows to avenge his father's death and restore Richard to the throne. Even though Maid Marian, his childhood friend, cannot help him, he escapes to the Forest of Sherwood where he joins a band of exiled villagers and becomes their leader. With their help, he attempts to cleanse the land of the evil that the Sheriff has spread.

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Plot Keywords:

robin hood character | jerusalem israel | england | modern minstrel | balladeer | 

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Taglines:

Sometimes the only way to uphold justice...is to break the law.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English Arabic

Release Date:

14 June 1991 (USA)

Also Known As:

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves

Filming Locations:

Malham, North Yorkshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$48,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$25,625,602, 16 June 1991

Gross USA:

$165,493,908

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$390,493,908

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., Morgan Creek Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

143 min 155 min (extended edition)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Robin Wright was the original choice to play Maid Marian, but she had to drop out, as she was pregnant with her first child. The part went instead to Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, four days before shooting started. (Wright would land the lead in The Playboys (1992), the following year, because the original actress, Annette Bening, had become pregnant, too.)

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Goofs

When Robin and Azeem are escaping from the sheriff's men at Marian's home, Robin's horse is shot with a crossbow bolt, and as they escape one can clearly see that the arrow is broken since the part sticking out of the horse has no feathers. Later when they stop, right before they enter the Sherwood Forrest, Robin turns to the wound and breaks the arrow, removing the (now reappearing) feathers.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Interrogator: Show them the courage of Allah!

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Crazy Credits

At the end of the credits: In fond memory of Egil Woxholt

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Alternate Versions

For many years, the UK version had censorship issues in order to maintain a PG rating. The cinema version was cut by 14 secs with edits made to the opening scene and the single use of the F-word towards the end of the film. The 1991 & 1995 video versions lost a further 18 secs of footage, which completely removed any trace of the hand amputation scene and made additional cuts to other scenes of language, violence and sexual threat - owing to complaints made to the BBFC from parents. The 2003 Extended Edition release saw many of the cuts waived though 28 secs remained edited; namely part of the hand amputation scene, the stabbing of Gisbourne, shots of the Sheriff forcing Marian's legs apart during the assault, and the climactic hanging sequence. The cuts were finally waved in 2009 after an upgrade to a 12 rating for the UK Blu-ray.

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Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Movie Thieves (2015)

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Soundtracks

(EVERYTHING I DO) I DO IT FOR YOU
Performed by Bryan Adams
Courtesy of A&M Records
Produced by Robert John Lange (as Mutt Lange)
Written by Michael Kamen, Bryan Adams (as B. Adams) and Robert John Lange (as R.J. Lange)

User Reviews

"Because it's dull, you twit, it'll hurt more!"

Two reasons to watch this film:

1) Alan Rickman

2) Robin and Marian falling into each other's arms, oh so dramatic, and he says in a very guttural/passionate Kevin Costner way, "I would die for you." Almost as good as Kevin Kline in "French Kiss," when he runs up to Meg Ryan in the hotel and says "I want you..." giving this little hand gesture which makes it obvious to everyone except Kate that Luc has surrendered to her charms.

In conclusion: a terrifically unerring cheesy romantic drama/comedy, with a hint of Christian Slater bad boy and a dash of Morgan Freeman cool. If you've still got the thirteen year old girl within, give it a shot. If not, Alan Rickman's still awesome.