Richard Lester
Robin And Marian

"I love you. More than all you know. I love you more than children. More than fields I've planted with my hands. I love you more than morning prayers or peace or food to eat. I love you more than sunlight, more than flesh or joy, or one more day. I love you… more than God. "

Marian's final monologue that closes the film; a moment of great intensity made poignant by the talent of Audrey Hepburn, who leaves her character dramatically after giving her a new life, a delicate, weak, suffering soul, who performs an extreme act out of love. I might have already said too much, but to speak of this film, I must start from the ending, which perfectly seals the tormented love story between Robin and Marian. Richard Lester in "Robin And Marian" paints an atypical portrait of the hero "who robs from the rich to give to the poor", providing a twilight and decadent, almost farcical image.

The film aims to fill the narrative and cinematic gap that limits the story of Robin Hood to his youth, the good old days of Sherwood Forest, so Lester looks much further ahead and, thanks to the screenplay by James Goldman, fills that empty space by telling us his personal vision of the hero's decline. Robin returns from the crusades after the death of King Richard (a great Richard Harris) and with his faithful friend, Little John (Nicol Williamson), comes back to his forest; however, everything is different, the Sherwood gang is no more, only the old Will (Denholm Elliot) and Friar Tuck (Ronnie Barker) remain, the sheriff of Nottingham (Robert Shaw) has other concerns, and Prince John, now King, is busy with his young wife. The scenario has thus profoundly changed, there is no longer a trace of the heroic spirit of past exploits, but what matters more to Lester is to conclude the story between Robin and Marian, their relationship has withered, Marian felt betrayed by Robin's choices and thus devoted herself to God, changing her name to Mother Janet, and now it's too difficult for her to start over, to restart as Robin wants with "new enemies and new battles".

The film hinges entirely on the intense dialogues between the characters, the skill of Sean Connery and Audrey Hepburn manages to give the story the right tones, a sense of sadness and resignation marks this tragedy, which, however, manages to maintain the right rhythm also leaving room for irony. Lester's direction is simple, there are no epic scenes, the showdown between Robin and the sheriff (a touching Robert Shaw) happens in a slow, weary duel between two men who have reached their end, "I'm Tired" says the sheriff at one point in a low voice.

Released in 1976, its main strength lies in its cast, with Audrey Hepburn returning to cinema after nine years, convinced by her sons Sean and Luca, her talent remains unchanged as does her beauty. After "Robin And Marian," she will work in four more films and then retire definitively in 1988 to devote herself entirely to UNICEF.