The Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men

A Disney Tale: The legend of Robin Hood is brought to live-action life by Disney; we see his beginnings, the forming of his band of Merrie Men and his battles with the dishonest and scheming Prince John and Sheriff of Nottingham.

Disney Hero: Robin Hood is a quintessential hero.  Legendary in England, most people are aware of the trappings surrounding his story: Nottingham Forest; the Merrie Men; Maid Marian; robbing the rich to give to the poor; Lincoln green clothing.  All of this is present and correct in Disney's first retelling of the legend.  He is played by Richard Todd.  I know Todd from his role in the Doctor Who story Kinda, where he plays a member of a scientific expedition to an alien planet.  He is much older there than he is in this 1953 version of Robin Hood.  Here, he is every inch the dashing hero and was almot unrecognisable.  

He is handsome, flirtatious, daring and a rather excellent Robin Hood.  It's a role that has been played by many, many actors - Errol Flynn, Kevin Costner, Patrick Bergin, Sean Maguire, Russell Crowe, Taron Egerton, Michael Praed, Jason Connery and John Cleese.  For my money, Todd is one of the best I've seen.  He has the swagger and charm that is perfect for the role.  The only thing I'd say is missing is a sense of camaraderie with his men.  He does seem ever so slightly disconnected from the rest of the band but this is a minor complaint within a great performance.  

Disney Heroine: Maid Marian can often be written and performed as something of a damsel in distress, needing to be rescued by Robin from the clutches of the Sheriff of Nottingham.  In this version, thankfully, Marian, played by Joan Rice, has quite a lot of character.  From the beginning, she is cheeky, as flirtatious as Robin, rebellious, forthright and more than a match for the people she comes up against.  Yes, she does end up in a dungeon at one point, but that is purely to prevent her from revealing Prince John's plan for framing Robin for the theft of the money collected to ransom King Richard.  The rest of the time she spends her time striking out on her own, refusing to accept the request of Queen Eleanor to stay at the castle and is more than happy to throw her lot in with Robin's band of men.  She gets her happy ending too, destined to marry Robin - although there's a slightly odd bit where King Richard tells her she must marry the Earl of Locksley, neglecting to tell her that he has just given Robin that title.  It's a joke, but it does reinforce the 'lower' status of women to men especially in the world of marriage.  It's not a stick to beat the film with - it fits with the medieval period - but it does end the film on a slightly discordant note, bearing in mind how well it had been doing, up to that point, in portraying Marian as an equal to the other characters.

The other main female role in the film, and something of a heroine herself, is Queen Eleanor - played by Martita Hunt.  She is a powerhouse and a figure I don’t remember seeing in any other versions of the story.  She is imperious, yet compassionate, decisive and doesn’t suffer fools gladly – least of all her youngest son, John.  Unfortunately, this robs John of much presence in the film but I’m not sure I’d trade Hunt’s peerless performance as Eleanor for a stronger villain in John.  Her discovery of John’s treachery at the climax of the film is a very satisfying scene and a little unusual for a Robin Hood film in that Robin finds himself an ally in the shape of a royal personage other than King Richard.

Disney Villain: The legend of Robin Hood has two famous villains - the Sheriff of Nottingham and his employer, Prince John.  In this version, I found them to be slightly ineffectual and their presence wasn't the powerhouse of the characters seen in other iterations of the legend.  If you're touchstone for these characters is Tony Robinson and Forbes Collins from Maid Marian and her Merry Men; or Alan Rickman from Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves; or even Pat Buttram and Peter Ustinov in the animated version of Robin Hood Disney would release in 1973, then Peter Finch, as the Sheriff and Hubert Gregg as Prince John are, inevitably, going to disappoint.  

Finch's performance as the Sheriff is perfectly serviceable but there isn't a lot of depth to his villainy.  In a way it's quite a 'realistic' portrayal.  He isn't some scenery-chewing villain, twirling his moustache as he threatens Marian or snidely threatens Robin.  He is a man doing his job for the crown.  He is drafted into the role when the previous Sheriff heads off to the Holy Land with King Richard.  Yes, he is sympathetic to Prince John's underlying plans, but he doesn't ever feel like a force in his own right.

This element of ineffectuality isn't helped by a scene about halfway through the film where he is captured by Robin and his men and actually taken, blindfold, to Robin's hidden encampment.  Here, he is mocked and belittled by the men, forced to give over his money and then sat blindfold, and backwards, on a horse and sent galloping away into the forest.  He is bound and just meekly accepts his fate.  Admittedly, he is one man against the entire band of Merry Men but it just seems to rob the character of any impact.  Even his revenge against Robin (for this and for when Robin gets him pelted with fruit by a bunch of villagers) never seems to really hit the spot.

However, even the Sheriff has more impact than Gregg's Prince John.  He does fit the visual element of being the weaker, paler sibling to his striking Kingly brother, Richard but beyond that I struggled to engage with him on screen.  He skulks about a bit but is clearly playing second fiddle to the powerhouse that is his mother, Queen Eleanor.  I struggle to think of any stand-out scenes for him and he lacks the charisma needed to make him a 'villain'.  Again, there is an element of playing it 'real' but all this really leaves this film with is a lack of worthy adversary for Robin.  This is a shame as Richard Todd's Robin is, as I say, one of the best versions I've seen.

Disney Sidekicks: Robin Hood's story has always included a sizeable number of recognisable 'sidekicks' within his band of Merry Men: Little John, Will Scarlet, Friar Tuck, Allan a Dale, Much the Miller’s Son.  All of these are present in the film, although Much seems to have been replaced by the very similar, Midge the Miller.

Little John is played by James Robertson Justice.  I was surprised to see him in this role at first, as I am more used to seeing him play pompous, aristocratic and professional types such as Lord Scumptious in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Sir Lancelot Spratt in the ‘Doctor in…’ films.  Little John is the complete opposite to these roles and it’s interesting to see Justice playing the ‘jolly giant’ role. 

Friar Tuck is played by James Hayter.  I didn’t know Hayter prior to this film, although he seems to have had a respectable film career around the time this feature was made.  He was also a regular in Are You Being Served and the original voice of the Mr Kipling adverts.  He is very much the comedy Friar in this film – the version of Tuck whose relationship with his religion seems tenuous at best whereas his relationship with food and drink seems far more important to him.  He is great fun, though, and put me in mind, more than once, with Terry Scott.

Allan a Dale is played by Elton Haynes.  Although only having a short film career, Haynes also known as a guitarist which led to a number of EPs being released of various poems and songs he recorded, including some of Edward Lear’s nonsense poems.  Allan, in Robin Hood, often sits on the sidelines narrating events and here, for much of the film he fulfils a similar role.  Late in the film, though, he actually joins the band of Merrie Men after an encounter involving Marian and Midge the Miller’s son.  At the close of the film, though, he heads off into the forest with a skip and a song.

Will Scarlet, who often features quite prominently in other film versions (although not, it should be noted, in the animated Disney version), is involved in a lot of the film’s action, but as a character doesn’t get much actual script or attention.  Played by Anthony Forwood, he has good looks and a sense of derring do, but contributes little else to the film aside from his scarlet outfit.  (Forwood, it should be noted was briefly married to Glynis Johns, of Mary Poppins fame, but was also the long-term partner of Dirk Bogarde).

Robin’s Merrie Men are rounded out with a large bunch of extras alongside the aforementioned Midge the Miller and two other characters who join the band after both being rescued from the Sheriff’s machinations by Robin: Stutely and Scathelock.  These two, as characters, are fairly unremarkable, but they are played by Bill ‘Last of the Summer Wine’ Owen and Sir Michael Hordern respectively.  Seeing Horden, in particular, in such a minor role is a quite odd experience. 

Disney Creatures: With this being live action, the creatures have very little focus and are mainly restricted to the various horses ridden by the characters. 

Disney Magic: This is not a film concerned with magical or supernatural so there isn’t much to add here.

Disney Land: Robin Hood is an English legend and so, unsurprisingly, the film is set in England.  Specifically, it is set around Nottingham and Sherwood Forest, as per the legend.  We see Nottingham Castle, the square in the town, Alford Abbey, where Friar Tuck resides (although this is only ever seen from a distance) and Huntingdon Manor where Robin lives with his father, as well as Marian and her father. 

 

Sherwood Forest is every inch the ‘English forest’ with lush greenery and strong trunks.  Robin’s hideout is situated near some caves and clearly hidden deep within the forest.

 

We also see the Tower of London where Marian stays with Queen Eleanor (although I’ll admit I didn’t actually realise the story had moved to London at his point).

Disney Songs: Whilst this isn’t a musical in a ‘true’ Disney sense, the film does include some songs, most of which are courtesy of the travelling minstrel, Allan a Dale.  Riddle de Diddle de Day is the film’s signature song as it tops and tails the film.  It’s a jaunty tune and not unlikeable.  Robin Hood gets a song named for him which Allan sings to various villagers and is also fun.  He also sings a love song called Whistle My Love which makes less of an impression (although like a few of the songs in this film, it is little more than a brief excerpt).  Knottle to Knock is another fun song for which Allan is joined by Little John and the other Merrie Men – it has the distinct air of a drinking song. 

Although I’m not sure it’s my favourite, another song is the only one not sung by Allan a Dale.  Come Sing High, Come Sing Low, is sung by Friar Tuck as he sits in the forest enjoying his food and drink.  He sings both ‘male’ and ‘female’ parts which is quite amusing and then Robin joins in, surprising the roguish friar.  It’s a fun scene.

Disney Finale: As I did with Treasure Island, I found myself really enjoying watching this, despite not being a huge fan of Disney’s older live-action output.  The ‘old-fashioned’ style of these two films is endearing and the performances are strong.  Richard Todd is an excellent lead and he is ably supported by his various Merrie Men and a strong Marian.  The film does feel a little disjointed, however, with it occasionally feeling like various set pieces strung together.  This does, however, reflect original tellings of the legend which have situations such as Robin’s encounter with Little John, or his prowess at archery, as separate short tales.  The music is pleasant, although not particularly memorable and the only disappointing aspect for me, was the ineffectual villains.  Both this and Treasure Island make me eager to watch further live-action films from this era of Disney (although I’m aware the ‘swashbuckling, ripping yarn’ genre of these two may be what is helping them to appeal).