It’s hard to think of Robin Hood without picturing a man in green, carrying a bow and arrow, living in a forest and stealing from the rich to help the poor. The thing is, that’s just one of the many versions the legend has taken on over the centuries, originally coming from medieval stories and ballads that were changed over time, with several of the elements that now seem essential only being added much later. So, with that, the legend has been adapted in many distinctive ways, which is why it keeps making its way to the screen to this day.
Of course, not every movie has managed to adapt it successfully, but there are a few among all these attempts that understood Robin Hood‘s essence really well: some stick closer to the classic outlaw story, while others take the character in some specific directions, whether by changing the tone, the setting, or even what stage of his life the story focuses on. Still, what matters is that they understand what really makes this story click. Here are 4 of the best.
You know when a story gets a somewhat exaggerated version and then becomes overlooked? That’s the case here, to the point that the movie does very little to stop you from getting that impression. However, when that should be a bad thing, it isn’t in this film, because it clearly wants to show that it understands the story and knows what an adaptation of it needs. Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves follows Robin of Locksley, who returns from the Crusades and finds England under the control of Prince John and the Sheriff of Nottingham. But after losing his privileges and discovering how the population is being exploited, he hides in Sherwood Forest, gathers the Merry Men, and starts going after those who are benefiting from the situation.
Basically, the central dynamic of the original story is there, with Robin not just being a man who decides to become a criminal, but becoming an outlaw because the system around him is already completely corrupt. On the other hand, the film also turns everything up, from the villains to the action scenes. Plus, it gives Marian a bigger role, allowing her to directly take part in everything that’s happening, and Azeem brings a new perspective to the story as well. Prince of Thieves is certainly not the most subtle version of Robin Hood, but perhaps it’s because it tries to do so much that its understanding of the legend ends up being overlooked.
If most Robin Hood movies want to show how he became a legend, Robin and Marian wants to focus on what happens when that legend gets old, which can be a much more interesting take. In this story, we meet a Robin who has spent years fighting in the Crusades and finally returns to England, where he reunites with Marian, who is now living in a convent. And instead of trying to recreate the usual formula of the hero stealing from the rich and fighting the Sheriff, the approach puts everyone at a completely different point in their lives, when the great deeds of the past are already behind them, and the consequences of their choices start to weigh on them more than ever.
And honestly, the best part is that this idea allows the film to explore an aspect of the legend that more conventional adaptations don’t even consider: Robin Hood isn’t a story that has to go on forever — there is an ending for this character, and Robin and Marian is willing to go there. Because of that, you get a version that’s much less concerned with delivering the adventure audiences normally expect and much more interested in imagining what happens to these people after the myth has already been built. Of course, the elements that made the story recognizable in the first place are still there too.
Disney’s animated adaptation is one of the most well-known versions of the story. The studio decided to make the hero a fox, and it was one of the wisest decisions it could have made, considering that people still remember this Robin Hood no matter the generation. Staying faithful to the legend, the movie has the protagonist living in Sherwood with Little John and the Merry Men while Prince John takes advantage of King Richard’s absence to raise taxes and exploit the population. Robin then starts stealing from the rich. Basically, the only major change here is the appearance of all the characters, and there really was no need to reinvent anything else.
To be honest, this more family-friendly version is one of the most effective at showing why Robin Hood became such a popular and timeless character: he’s a criminal in the eyes of the law, but that same law is being used by corrupt people to hurt everyone around them. Even the humor works in its favor, because the film manages to prevent this dynamic in a simple way without making it feel generic. Add Disney’s familiar musical structure to the mix, and you get a good production, a good adaptation, and the original purpose of the story still intact: when the law stops delivering justice, one individual decides to take matters into his own hands.
Of all the adaptations that have ever existed, this is the one that practically taught the industry how to bring the legend to the screen. The Adventures of Robin Hood is, in short, the most faithful adaptation of the classic version, with the Saxon nobleman discovering that Prince John is using King Richard’s absence to take control of England and oppress the population. So, Robin loses his position, heads to Sherwood, gathers the Merry Men, and starts fighting John’s men. It’s essentially the great Robin Hood adventure in its most traditional form, but on the other hand, while that’s a huge positive, it also makes the movie pretty underrated.
Maybe part of that has to do with when it was released, since we’re talking about a 1938 movie, and there have been many other attempts to adapt the legend since then (it’s not like everyone is going to choose this version, especially when you consider image quality). Still, The Adventures of Robin Hood has all the most important elements, and that’s enough: Robin being an excellent archer and swordsman, but also charismatic; Marian being more than just the love interest; Little John and Friar Tuck being part of the adventure; and the conflict revolving around Robin facing an authority that has lost any legitimacy in the eyes of the people. In theory, it’s pretty basic, but just like Disney’s animated feature, it doesn’t need any unnecessary bells and whistles — it just needs confidence. And that’s how a huge part of the image we have of this hero was established.
