New discoverers of Richard Lester’s Robin and Marian, a paean to aging in the middle ages, will find more than a bit of resemblance to Tony Harvey’s wonderful The Lion in Winter, which came eight years previous.
Listen to the score of Robin, and you’ll find the textures of John Barry’s work in Lion. And then, of course, there are James Goldman’s screenplays.
The major news, at the time of release, was that Audrey Hepburn was returning to film for the first time in a decade – since her starring role in Wait Until Dark.
Her magnificently delicate features, were showing a bit of bottle age – very much in sync with the appearance of Sean Connery, both the same age, heading toward fifty.
What always struck me about this film, was the weight of things, and how difficult it was for former warriors of a certain age, to lift, forget about fighting with huge steel swords. This is seen in no more obvious light, than in the final battle between Mr. Connery, and the extraordinary Robert Shaw, as the Sheriff of Nottingham, who had made Robin’s life a bit problematic decades earlier, when he was light on his feet, as the great Robin of Sherwood.
This is a small film, with a stellar cast that beautifully stands the test of time.
For those concerned about such things, I had originally thought that this was a new line of MOD titles coming from Sony, of Columbia titles. The disc is, in fact, pressed, regardless of distribution and manufacture.
The image and audio transfer, are typically Columbia, which means, superb.
Image – 5
Audio – 5
Pass / Fail – Pass
Upgrade from DVD – Yes!
Highly Recommended
RAH
Robert has been known in the film industry for his unmatched skill and passion in film preservation. Growing up around photography, his first home theater experience began at age ten with 16mm. Years later he was running 35 and 70mm at home.
His restoration projects have breathed new life into classic films like Lawrence of Arabia, Vertigo, My Fair Lady, Spartacus, and The Godfather series. Beyond his restoration work, he has also shared his expertise through publications, contributing to the academic discourse on film restoration. The Academy Film Archive houses the Robert A. Harris Collection, a testament to his significant contributions to film preservation.
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