Product: Robin of Sherwood: The Complete Collection (1983)
Rating: 3.0
Fairly Good Re-Telling of Robin Hood
There are certain aspects of this production that are very good, & other aspects that are not so good. Pros: the locations & scenery & color are terrific. If this is not Sherwood Forest, then it seems like it could be. The locations are realistic, castles seem period appropriate, & so do costumes, utensils, & customs. Unlike other productions, I do not hear the hollow sound of plywood while the actors are walking on stone floors or earth. This production has invented its own unique personalities for Robin's band of outlaws, as some previous productions had. Some of these work well (Marian, Sheriff, King Richard, King John), others don't work well at all (Will Scarlet, Friar Tuck), etc. The element of mysticism & paganism (especially Herne the Hunter), although not seen in a Robin Hood telling before, do seem appropriate for the time period. There is a degree of reality that is missing from most earlier versions (bad guys sometimes do get killed here, instead of just being wounded). Cons: the acting leaves much to be desired; some of the actors are quite competent but others need more work. There is entirely too much screaming; screaming does not equal emoting, & much of it rings hollow. The script-writing is sub-par; some words (particularly "idiot") are used countless times in each episode. Some of the dialog sounds out-of-time (for some reason, "What's up?," heard in two different episodes, doesn't have the ring of medieval England). The plots in the first season are too simplistic & often redundant. There needs to be more of Robin's outlaw band (even as minor players or extras); it seems like there are only eight outlaws here, not enough to be "realistic" (that is, according to the legends, some of which stated that the Merry Men numbered over 100). There is much in the way of action scenes here, but it is not well-coordinated & the stunts need improvement (part of the problem is that the actors do much of their own stunt-work, & it's evident in terms of slowness, lack of agility, & lack of reality). A sword fight & stabbing in this production usually looks like it's at the level of young boys playing make-believe, & comes off as phony. Overall, a worthwhile production which is fairly good, but could have been much better. The episodes greatly improved starting with the last show of the first season, & the notable improvement continued throughout the second season. The Robin of the first season was replaced by Robert, Earl of Huntingdon, played by a different actor. Viewer's opinions are divided on which actor is better, but what has significantly improved is the writing (dialog & plot), the action choreography, & continuity. The second season's shows are not redundant, are more interesting, & even returning actors seem to be doing a better job by not being quite as over the top as previously. For me, watching the first season's pitfalls made me enjoy the second season all the more. 3* for the first season, 4* for the second season.