Imagine this – a veteran who has fought around the world for a noble but volatile leader returns to his hometown in order to take revenge on the man who caused him and his friends suffering all those years ago, and upon his return, gets the old gang back together, including his former lover, to whom he still harbours feelings of intense romance. Despite being older, our hero still has all the strength and conviction that he did in his younger years and proves himself to be a formidable foe to any opponent who dares cross his path. Now imagine this hero is the folkloric figure of Robin Hood, his old stomping grounds been Sherwood Forest, and the reunion is with the love of his love, Marian. This is the core of Richard Lester’s incredible film about Robin Hood and his return to Nottingham, where so many versions of this story have been told in numerous different ways. Robin and Marian is a worthy successor to a tale that has existed longer than any of us have been alive, a film that demonstrates that with the right execution and an audacious story, even the most sacred of texts can be subjected to worthwhile revision. It would’ve been so easy for this film to be mediocre – its cast were established enough to not need to put too much effort into playing these characters that have consistently been reinterpreted throughout the decades, and the story is so familiar, it didn’t need to be changed much to still draw audiences in. Yet, despite its vulnerability to being average, Robin and Marian soared as a wonderful adventure that is as heartwarmingly funny as it is powerfully thrilling and a marvellous piece of period filmmaking.

Set twenty years after the events of his original adventures, Robin Hood (Sean Connery) has found himself a captain in the army of King Richard the Lionheart (Richard Harris), who is a noble leader unfortunately on the precipice of death. After his demise, Robin has no choice but to return back home to England, alongside his loyal friend Little John (Nicol Williamson), who has fought valiantly alongside Robin for decades now. Upon arrival, they’re greeted by several familiar faces – Friar Tuck (Ronnie Barker) and Will (Denholm Elliot), who have now been ravaged by age but still possess the juvenile love for the rugged life, and Lady Marian (Audrey Hepburn), who is now in charge of a small, run-down abbey where she helps those who need it. Of course, the reunion of the good friends also signal the return of the adversaries, most notable The Sherriff of Nottingham (Robert Shaw), who is as manipulative and evil as ever, and serving the shrill and incompetent King John (Ian Holm), who has taken over the throne from Richard the Lionheart, and demonstrates a complete disregard for anything resembling leadership ability. Now the Merry Men have no choice but to polish their bows and arrows and set off to protect the land they love and the people they serve from the malignant forces of the rich and spoiled.

It’s an admirable quality to be able to take a beloved literary text like the story of Robin Hood and not necessarily interpret that specific tale, but rather use its themes and underlying messages, as well as its well-constructed mythology, to create an original piece. Robin and Marian is a wonderful film that sees a return to these familiar characters, with the story revisiting this world and giving us a new version of these characters from the perspective of an entirely new story. It isn’t clear how necessary this film actually was – the original story of Robin Hood is rarely ever altered to the extent where its unrecognizable (the story always remains the same, its just the execution that sometimes deviates) precisely because it is perfect – it is a well-constructed, meaningful parable about good and evil being in conflict, with a hero at the core that doesn’t serve himself but the common people (there are few lines that have pervaded the public consciousness for so long as “stealing from the rich and giving to the poor” – its always a sign of a really indelible folkloric legend when an aspect of the story isn’t only widely-used in the arts, but in broader society as a whole). It has become an important rule of thumb to avoid reinterpreting beloved texts because there is a risk of not only being pale in comparison but also tarnishing the legacy of the original. Robin and Marian is a real exception to the rule. What this film does so magnificently well is not only does it deftly defy sinking into the territory of the mundane or unnecessary, it finds its own unique voice, and in a cinematic landscape where absolutely everything that is successful is subjected to remakes, reboots or sequels, the fact that a film that took the risk of tinkering with such an iconic story is worthy of attention in and of itself alone.

Despite being mainly focused on Robin Hood’s return to Sherwood Forest, Robin and Marian is not solely concerned with exploring this – we’ve seen on countless occasions his exploits, where he takes on the malicious Sherriff of Nottingham and engages in brutal battles, both physical and mental, with a variety of adversaries. The real heart of this story is that of the relationship between the two titular characters. Robin Hood would not be nearly as compelling if he was not fighting for the affections of Maid Marian, who was not necessarily his motivation to be a good person and defend the rights of the common man, but a wonderful diversion from his heroic exploits, not being a trophy, but rather a loving companion. At the outset of this film, Robin has lost contact with nearly everyone, and his return after twenty years sees him rekindling that fiery relationship he had with Marian, who tries to hide her own glowing affection, but to no avail, because it takes very little time for them to profess their undying devotion, and fall back into very deep love. This is what makes Robin and Marian so compelling – it isn’t really an adventure film (even if it is a tremendously well-made film when it comes to sequences of conflict and action), but a beautiful romance about two people who were torn apart by war, finding each other again and reaffirming that love indeed never does die, especially when existing in an age where you could only be either loving or fighting, and in the case of Marian and her heroic beau, they seem to be fully capable of both in equal measure.

This film depends entirely on the strength of the performers, and it is not inconceivable that the two titular characters are given the best performers. Sean Connery momentarily steps away from playing a dashing, brave British hero who fights against evil corporations that normally try and dominate the innocent and rule over a submissive world, armed with an iconic weapon and fully in pursuit of decency, normally supported by a merry band of collaborators, and sometimes even with a beautiful young woman. Or at least he steps away from playing these kinds of characters in a contemporary setting. Connery, a very talented actor who was rarely given the strong dramatic work his talents warrants, thrives in the role of Robin Hood. It seemed almost appropriate that he took on the role at this point in his career – he was much better suited to play a more haggard, peaceful Robin rather than an energetic young man. This is amongst the best performances Connery has ever given, and a wonderful addition to a filmography peppered with iconic characters in historically-resonant films. However, this isn’t even mentioning the divine Audrey Hepburn, who takes on the other half of the titular duo, playing Marian. One thing I have never understood is despite being a great actress throughout her career, Hepburn is idolized solely on her performance as Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany’s – by no means a bad performance, but other than her iconic style, there wasn’t much to that performance, at least not nearly as much as her later performances. Her work in Two for the Road is one of the finest performances ever given by an actress, and Hepburn once again shows that some of her very best work wasn’t earlier in her career, but also much later, where her years of working consistently and her increasing age, both physically and as a performer in a watershed moment of cinematic change (she was one of the common links between the Golden Age and New Hollywood) gave her a grounded perspective, a certain gravitas as an actress who had admirable assets as a performer, armed with an arsenal of wit, charm and insight that very few actresses could convey with such conviction. She may be placed in the background too often throughout this film, but she always finds a way to stand out, and she manages to incite a major narrative coup – the audience may have come to see Robin Hood, but they stay for Lady Marian. That’s just how good Hepburn was as a performer – even with a relatively unremarkable character, she still finds the relentless humanity, and the heartful humour that would have been entirely missing had the actress not given one of her finest late-period performances.

Robin and Marian is, on the surface, a traditional period adventure film – it is gorgeously made, and Lester goes to great lengths to imbue this film with a visual style that evokes the spirit of the Medieval period. However, where this film differs is in the approach to the story. This is not just a film that looks good but also has a plot that matches it. The director doesn’t necessarily fixate on the period, and while the film does look incredible, it is a more grounded, gritty version of what we normally see, something far more realistic and much more appropriate for a film like this. Robin and Marian is fundamentally about the return of these familiar characters, and thus it is very much different by them rather than any broad story (in fact, the central conflict in this film, whereby the Sherriff of Nottingham finally sets out to annihilate the elusive rebel, is almost inconsequential in comparison to the thematic content). This is a character-driven piece about various different themes – love is the central concept, with the romance between Robin and Marian being truly compelling and the reason for the film’s success, because Lester explores the roots of their undying love, and even if twenty years stand between them and their previous forays into devotion, the flame is still very much alight, and makes for truly gripping viewing, because the strength of the two performers are so convincing, and the film gives them the space to truly flourish. A film like this could’ve very easily fallen victim to style over substance, but with the blend of beautiful filmmaking and even more profound storytelling, it becomes something very special.

There are so many different themes in Robin and Marian – its more than just a period film, with themes of love, ageing and mortality taking the majority of the attention, and rightfully so. We have seen the legend of Robin Hood told in so many different ways – as a swashbuckling adventure, as an epic drama, as a subversive comedy, as a beloved animated classic and as a broad action film. This film takes one of the story’s central themes and not only revisits these characters from a different perspective but also focuses on the love between Robin Hood and Maid Marian in a way rarely ever seen before. Whether it be performances from the legendary Sean Connery and Audrey Hepburn, the beautiful filmmaking, the extraordinary score or, most impressively, the resonant heartfulness of the story, Robin and Marian is an extraordinary film. This film is precisely how you make a great period film, especially one based on a well-known story – it is pleasant, action-packed and overall just a very moving, earnest experience that takes the audience on a powerful, hopeful journey into the lives of familiar characters, glimpsing their trials and tribulations from a different perspective and giving us the chance to enjoy their exploits in one final adventure that ties up the legend perfectly and allows these iconic figures to be given the satisfying farewell they truly deserved.