The REAL story of Ridley Scott's 'Robin Hood' (2010)

Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe’s version of Robin Hood is an interesting film in many ways… particularly in that it doesn’t really seem to have much to do with Robin Hood at all, and would actually have been better (in my opinion) if they’d ignored that part of the story and just focused on whatever story it was they were trying to tell in the first place. But what story was that?

I think I found it.

Instead of the story of “Robin Hood”, they were actually talking about Robert Fitzwalter, an English baron who was one of the leaders of the movement to create the Magna Carta, and widely renowned as a champion of rights and freedoms. He was outlawed at a certain point by King John (yes, that King John) because he had annoyed the tyrant a few too many times (John didn’t really like the idea of giving his subjects rights and freedoms), and then of course there was some kind of problem with John making “immoral” advances toward Robert’s daughter Matilda (who, as it turns out, often gets confused in legends and poems as being the Maid Marian). However Robert came back eventually and continued leading the fight against King John and establishing the Magna Carta and all that. Basically, the plot of Robin Hood was very much drawn from the story of Robert Fitzwalter. 

So why didn’t Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe just focus on that?

Well, no one really knows anything about some random English baron called Robert Fitzwalter. Also, more people would be interested in seeing a film about Robin Hood - everyone knows that story, and with Ridley Scott directing, it’s sure to be exciting!

Except the film wasn’t what we’d been expecting. The story was completely unlike the legends we all know. The film was about Robert Fitzwalter, not Robin Hood. The whole “Robin Hood” aspect was mostly ignored throughout the film, with only vague references here and there and then the completely ridiculous ending where the writers suddenly realised “oh yeah, he needs to be an outlaw or something”. I swear there must be some deleted scenes somewhere, because some parts of this film simply don’t make sense. 

The parallels between Robin Hood and the story of Robert Fitzwalter are many, except for the key elements of the Robin Hood legend that the writers threw in just so that the audience wouldn’t forget what film they were watching (Marian’s character, Nottingham, etc.). 

So in the end, the film should have been about Robert Fitzwalter’s fight for the Magna Carta under the oppressive King John. It could have been quite a good film, done that way - all the elements were in place, it was just the script that had some issues. 

Well, that and the other ridiculous scene from the film: the D-Day invasion of Normandy, in reverse. Medieval PT boats, indeed. Let’s just pretend that never happened.

**Note: Originally posted on my Tumblr blog at myriadthought.tumblr.com