Robin Hood

I also have found, if vague, memories of watching this on PBS in New York in the early 1980s. These versions of Robin Hood and King Arthur, among other legends, were free of the cheesiness and camp of sword-and-sorcery movies of that time and foreshadowed the low-magic, human-scale dramatic (but not melodramatic) approach of TV and movies such as the more recent "Cadfael" and "King Arthur."

I, for one, would love to see these available on DVD in the U.S., and I'd be happy to sign any petitions, but I don't know how many people are aware of this version of "Robin Hood." The reasonably well-done version of a few years later with Michael Praed and Jason Connery (plus more New Age trappings) is better known.

There is something very likable about this series - as well as the usual cheesiness and tackiness which can be associated with a 70s TV series with no big budget.

Martin Potter is immensely good, probably one of the best Robin Hoods on film. He looks a bit like Erroll Flynn, but the series is free of frivolously joyous light-heartiness that often pesters other versions. These were difficult times for England, there was feud between the Saxons and the Normans and Robin Hood was in between these two. Instead of prancing around in tights, we get a very serious, yet passionate version that dedicates more time to the actual political situation of the late 12th century than merrymaking and wooing in the woods.

There are other well cast actors, such as the Sheriff and Lady Marian. Then there are horrible, terrible miscasts, such as Richard the Lionhearted. He's played by Michael Jackson (yeah, don't get your hopes high), who looks and acts like a drag queen and speaks with a high pitched voice of a Swedish tourist who is shocked at the sight of a restaurant bill. He even manages to remain virginally effeminate during a broadsword fight scene, beating Robin. Unfortunately, I watched The Lion In Winter just the other night, so the stellar performance by the young Anthony Hopkins has set the standard of all the coming King Richards for me.

The best part of the series are the outdoor scenes, shot as still customary in 1975, on 16 mm as opposed to the video images from a TV studio for the interior scenes. There's a great deal of authenticity once there's no more cheap cardboard pillars and walls around the actors. The interiors are a disgrace if you are looking for "the real thing", they are as fake as can be. The costumes are very good and much more authentic then in any other version, but regrettably the accessories such as jewelry and crowns are incredibly poor, right out of a school play.

Another superior thing is the musical score: the main theme has lingered in my memory since I first saw the series in my childhood, and remained even as all the other images of this series had faded.

The story isn't so much the familiar one, but rather follows the development of Robin as the Earl of Huntington. There's a lot of grim political intrigue and fighting for principles and less half-naked men in the woods. It's definitely well written and holds the viewers attention steadily.

Technically speaking, the series are extremely outdated, but then again, that may very well be its major charm. I still wish that there were more money to build better sets and buy better jewelry. Maybe one didn't notice these things in 1975, but the DVD transfer is so sharp you tend to get a little annoyed seeing the Crown of England wobble.

This seventies BBC version with Martin Potter and Diane Keen remains one of my favourite adaptations of the Robin Hood legend, but its not without its failings.

Despite the evident attention to historical detail in the matter of costumes and props, there are some jarring anachronisms in the script, such as a Saxon thegn called Kenneth (Gaelic), a Norman henchman called Alaric (Visigothic) and a merry man called Brett (Tuolumne County).

The production is very much of its time. There is a very Seventies cynical edge and lots of speechifying; the script is not frightened of serving up dollops of history and at times borders on the lumberingly expositional. But while the production suffers as a result of the disastrous decision made by the BBC to video all interiors on cardboard sets at Television Centre, the location photography is rather charming - seldom has the greenwood looked greener.

British B movie beefcake Potter is a handsome if far from merry Robin, Keen of course is luminous as Marion, while David "Ford Prefect" Dixon and Paul "Ker Avon" Darrow, as respectively Prince John and the Sheriff, exercise more restraint than one might have thought them capable. Some of the supporting players are pure repertory ham (an old crone is straight out of Blackadder), but William Marlowe and Miles Anderson add Shakespearean heft in their roles as Guy of Gisborne and Will Scarlet.

Tony Caunter had yet to acquire the girth one associates with Friar Tuck, but Conrad Asquith is a booming Little John; Much is played by Johnny Speight's boy Richard and Stephen Whittaker completes the meiny as the hitherto unrecorded outlaw Ralph Gammon. David Ryall enjoys himself as a corrupt abbot.

The action sequences are lame by today's slick, and often graphic, standards, but the climactic broadsword duel between Potter and Marlowe has an earthy vigour. Seldom have you seen two actors looking quite so completely knackered.

This is one of the best versions of "Robin Hood" I have ever seen and I would love to have it on DVD. It is a complete story as a mini-series, instead of on-going escapades that must always leave the full cast in place at the end of each episode. This is not the cheeriest version of the story but it is indeed one of the most accurate to traditional legends.

The merry men are remarkably well-cast. The villains are believable -- not strictly evil, but power hungry. David Dixon really shines as Prince John, as a weak-willed young man easily led into the plans of stronger men. I really look forward to seeing this one come out again.

I have recently been enjoying this on DVD, not having seen it since it was first shown on BBC 1 when I was 12 (you do the math). I was pleasantly surprised at how well it stands up after all this time. It may look a little dated (as much as anything set in the 12th Century can look dated) but what it loses in technical quality compared to the polished productions of today, it more than makes up with how well it treats its subject. As a legend and with no definitive source material, who is to say what is the correct version. But this is probably the closest to what is generally accepted to be the story of Robin Hood, eschewing the mysticism that made the later Michael Praed/Jason Connery version an interesting interpretation. Whatever else, it is certainly better than the most recent BBC version which managed the feat of making the story seem silly and boring at the same time (especially with Keith Allen as a low rent Alan Rickman wannabe).

Martin Potter is good as Robin (although I must have missed the scene which explains how he suddenly adopts the name Robin Hood) and it is a mystery how he never became any better known after this. Diane Keen makes a beautiful and feisty Marion and it was interesting to see Paul Darrow as The Sheriff of Nottingham several years before his star-making turn as Avon in "Blake's Seven". Thankfully Darrow resists the temptation to ham it up in the way that Alan Rickman did in the role years later which unbalanced "Robin Hood - Prince of Thieves" (even though it was entertaining). I have to disagree, however, with those posters who complained that Michael J. Jackson's King Richard was a camp interpretation. It is nothing of the kind and Jackson brings great dignity to the part which is usually only a cameo walk-on appearance.

However, where I would agree with other comments already made on here is about the theme music to this series by Stanley Myers. Like them, I too remembered this theme long after my other memories of this series had faded and it is good to hear it once again.

Accept no substitutes, this is the real deal and now it is on DVD, hopefully others will get to discover what a hidden gem this series is.