Customer Reviews

Princess of Thieves

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Cruelly drubbed by many reviewers for folklore inaccuracies (Robin Hood's daughter is of noble blood etc), blatent historical inaccuracies (revealed in the final reel) and the Disney-fied vision of medieval life. This movie (originally made for television) is actually well worth a look and really not all that bad if taken for what it is (a fantasy re-imagining of the what if the good hearted English outlaw Robin Hood had a daughter who followed in her fathers footsteps). With some great acting - especially from Malcolm McDowell as the dastardly Sheriff of Nottingham and rising Hollywood star Keira (King Arthur, Pirates of the Caribbean) Knightley as the title character Gwyn.
Revolving around the attempts of Robin Hood (and subsequently Gwyn) to safely transport King Richards illegitimate son Phillip to London in an effort to thwart Prince John's designs on the English throne. The movie has enough action to keep the young ones happy and enough drama and romance to make it a diverting picture for the adults.
Kudos also to director Peter Hewitt for providing a light commentary on this DVD.

I stumbled across this delightful treat of a Disney film a few years ago, just as Kiera Knightley was breaking onto the Hollywood scene in "Bend It Like Beckham"...

A family-friendly film, this fictional story "Princess of Thieves" centers on Robin Hood's almost-grown teenage daughter, Gwyn (Kiera Knightley). While King Richard lies dying (off at the crusades), his illegitimate son (& rightful heir), Prince Phillip (Stephen Moyer) must bravely face danger & the mercenaries hired by Prince John (Richard's evil brother) to travel across England & ascend the throne. The tempestuous father/daughter relationship between Robin Hood & Gwyn must be overcome (Gwyn is angry with her father, as he is gone all the time & won't let her join his band of merry men), in order that they might help Phillip to his rightful place as ruler, foiling the plans of the evil Prince John. But when Phillip & Gwyn meet by chance under false circumstances, anthing & everything could happen...

For those of you worried about content, this is a very family-friendly movie: there is some mild romantic tension & a time when a woman dressed as a man ends up atop another man for a few seconds (clothes on, they were fighting), there is some killing/death (nothing too drastic or bloody shown) and there is mild violence as people fight. Beyond this, there is little to object to...

I was quite impressed by this film: I gave it 4 out of 5 stars for the fictional nature of the story and cheese factor, but I must say I really did like this movie & have watched it quite a few times: a sweet, sweet story with some good actors/actresses, I would recommend this as a nice break from everyday fare & a good film for the whole family to watch!

This may not wow audiences but it is a decent fictional story from the perspective that Robin and Marian had a daughter. Marian has died and left her husband to raise their daughter. Since he is often gone off to fight for King Richard, it reminds us of single parents raising children today. A tough job that often ends up with some resentment on the part of the child for not being there for them. Sound familiar?

Even still the acting is decent and the production values are good. A relatively light adventure film that the family can enjoy. A romance develops between Gwen and Prince Phillip as he tries to hide from Prince John and the Sheriff of Notingham. Good quality DVD but no extras. Fans of family oriented Disney movies should enjoy it.

This movie is a favorite of my daughter and I. I like the main imaginative idea of Robin Hood as a single father, bringing up a daughter named Gwyn. Talk about the ultimate tom boy, right? Well she happens to also be a very beautiful girl and the mix of modern and historical sensibilities about gender and the roles we play sets the stage for philosophical reflection, action and discussions.
The positive aspects of this film begins with the location of the filming. Listening to the commentary points out many interesting facts about Romania and filming in general. There is a very excellent film sequence near the beginning showing progressive growth of Gwyn as she awakes in the morning over an approximate 10 year period. For Star Trek fans there is a very funny little aside where the director refers to 2 of his characters as looking like Klingons and they really do. Keira Knightley is superb in this film. I believe that this film role will one day be seen as a classic for it embodies everything she potentially brings to the screen, but does so in a very family friendly story. I really like this actress, but don't care to follow her harder edged characterizations in some other films. I realize my conservative opinion on this and respect her right to pursue her career as she sees fit. The horses are fantastic. You learn from the commentary that they had difficulty with the wild natured Romanian horses and it is fun to see evidence of this on screen. Look for the roving dogs also.
The negative qualities of this film are mostly humorous. The fight sequences are very tame, which is good for a family film. Keira is never physically convincing as a "boy", but all films require some amount of imaginative play. Jonathan Hyde's acting, while good, is a rip off of Alan Rickman's Sheriff of Nottingham in 1991's Prince of Thieves. The ending is very sad from a romantic standpoint, even though I understand its historicity. Royal restrictions on marriage are so stupid, as well as restrictions of some church groups on marriage in the clergy. But, I digress.
Overall this is a fun, engaging movie that entertains and makes you think. The primary story revolves around the father/daughter relationship and this movie succeeds in promoting positive dialogue and action if you find yourself in one. When you understand this it makes this movie's ending a very happy beginning. Enjoy!

Keira Knightley can bring integrity to any movie, but she especially does so here in this sweet, entertaining flick. She's a shining star on the rise.

I'm not usually a big fan of Disney productions but I really liked this, since it was not your typical Disney flick. It was very entertaining and lavishly filmed, set in some absolutely spectacular locations, and starred some really top-notch actors. There were funny moments, sad moments and moments of high action, all nicely interspersed. The only thing I found a tad disappointing was the big fight scene towards the end, since it was a little bit tame and slow, but I accept that because this is a family movie, they couldn't really embrace full-on violence.

I was more than satisfied with the slightly non-conventional (for Disney) ending...it ended the way it should, in a somewhat non-predictable way. And I loved the prince, too...he was very charming!

Even though this is a family movie, it's intelligently enough written to appeal to mature adults as well, particularly fans of medieval and adventure films.

Wonderful story to the Robin Hood legend - and the directing, acting and photography of the film is truly delightful. The ending is great!!! - I loved it!!! Without giving it away this movie's love "interest" ultimately has to do with the love between a father and daughter. There is a romantic interest in the film/story that is beautifully done - but it is the relationship between Robin Hood and his daughter Gwyn, the Princess of Thieves, that is the real beautiful ending to this delightful and very well done movie. Enjoy!

This is a great adventure story about a fictious daughter of Robin Hood & Maid Marian named Gwen, set at the time of King Richard's death. King Richard's son & heir is a son in France, and his claim to the throne is being challenged by the familar villians, Prince John & the Sheriff of Nottingham. Robin Hood is called upon to help bring the young Prince Phillip to England, and daughter Gwen wants to come along. He refuses to allow her of course but she cuts her hair, dresses as a boy & follows along anyway. Though cunning & skillful she manages to cause as much trouble as she does help, including landing her famous father in jail.
You'll have to watch the movie for yourself to see how it ends, but be prepared for a refreshing time of old fashioned adventure & chilvary without the language & bloody violence that is standard fare for today's "family" videos. The rating was PG but it is a very mild PG. Light-hearted, good family viewing for all ages but especially the pre-teen & up group. Preschoolers & younger elementary children will most likely be too young to fully understand the story line, but may still enjoy the battle scenes. And it includes a romantic twist for those who enjoy that. The movie ends with a brief but very interesting historical dialogue about the real Prince Phillip, son of King Richard the Lionhearted, and his reign. Interesting note: lead role is played by an actress from Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. Star Wars buffs will enjoy trying to figure out which one of the Queen's handmaidens is now the Princess of Thieves.

In 2001, Disney produced PRINCESS OF THIEVES, a made-for-television movie which not only dusted off the legend of Robin Hood but engagingly added to it. It featured the lovely Keira Knightley, who was then only 15 years old and took time off from school to shoot this picture. The following year would cause her star to prominently ascend with the release of BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM, but, even as early as in this film, one can plainly see the natural acting abilities and vivaciousness which radiated from this lanky snippet of a girl.

Plot SPOILERS begin:

The year is 1184 in the reign of Richard the Lionheart, King of England. The Sheriff of Nottingham (Malcolm McDowell) decides to rescind the price put on the head of Robin Hood's baby upon discovery that the infant is a girl. The Sheriff will grow to rue this act. The willful and plucky Gwyn (Keira Knightley), despite the determinedly sheltered existence her celebrated father had laid out for her, is not about to lead a life of meek and ladylike propriety as she instead seeks to follow in her father's footsteps. Possessing her father's archery skills and his habit of questioning wrongful authority, Gwyn will end up in more capers than one girl really should.

Now it's been five years since Gwyn has seen her father. Robin loves his daughter and, for the sake of her safety, has purposely made his visits unpredictable and very seldom. One day, Robin Hood and Will Scarlett are tasked to safely escort the dying King Richard's son, Prince Philip, so that the prince may properly assume the monarchy. En route, Robin Hood pays a call on Gwyn, who has long been left in the care of Friar Tuck at his abbey and reared with her childhood friend and monastery novice Froderick.

But an argument forms a barrier between Gwyn and her father (she wants to go with him, he thinks that's just stupid), which makes for a bitter departure for Robin. The undaunted Gwyn cuts her hair to pass for a boy (hah!) and sneaks away in pursuit of her father and her own very high ideals. When Robin Hood is taken captive by the Sheriff of Nottingham, it's suddenly left up to his rebellioius daughter to rescue him and prevent the wicked Prince John from usurping the throne of England. And, wouldn't you know it, an archery tournament figures into the rescue mission. Good thing the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

Plot SPOILERS end.

PRINCESS OF THIEVES is very good for a television feature. The focus is definitely on Gwyn, the daughter of Robin Hood, with a solid supporting role played by Robin Hood even if fans might be a bit disappointed that he doesn't get to do more; a minor beef of mine is that, even though Gwyn has seemingly taken on the mantle of the sharpshooter in this film, I still expected Robin to wield the bow and arrow more (in fact, I find it hard to recall even one scene in which he slings a bow). Also, in much of the movie, Robin is stern and lacking in humor and seems intent on playing the uncompromising father card. Only later on do glimmerings of his once rakish personality surface.

Now, sure, this movie's hampered by a very modest budget, which played a huge factor in having the film shot on location in affordable Romania. It's a given that the special effects, stunts, and sets would suffer a bit. But while there is a diminished sense of grandeur here and the skirmishes are done up with more enthusiasm than technical skill, there's still a sense of purpose to this film. The cast and crew, it seems to me, were fully behind this picture and I could sense the commitment in their performances (the behind-the-scenes featurette goes on to reveal that, of the entire cast and crew, only about 16 or 17 spoke English; so bonding was key).

Stuart Wilson, with his commanding presence and sketchy resemblance to an older Sean Connery (who himself portrayed this character), makes a fine Robin Hood, who's now more grizzled and may have lost a bit of his dash but remains heroic and can still muster up an irreverent comment when called upon ("You have egg in your beard"). Even at his most stodgy, he maintains a certain magnetic quality about him. Stephen Moyer provides romantic lead services and is decent as the initially self-serving Prince Philip; certainly, he calls on his Heath Ledger good looks to win over the hearts of the female viewing audience. Veteran actors Malcolm McDowell and Jonathan Hyde add villainous heft to their respective roles of the Sheriff of Notthingham and Prince John. And Keira Knightley? Well, she's simply luminous and one can see why things got bigger and better for her soon after, career wise. As the feisty Gwyn - who'll brazenly steal a horse but who then is insulted when the horse is offered to her because of her gender - Keira embodies modern girl empowerment to a tee. Boy, whenever she's on the screen, I can't take my eyes off her. Plus she has that sexy-cool Brit accent.

This dvd contains two noteworthy bonus features: "Princess of Thieves: The Adventure Behind the Adventure," which is the 8 and a half minutes long, behind-the-scenes segment and a so-so audio commentary by Director Peter Hewitt. These extras are certainly miniscule but apropos of a small screen feature. But it's not about the extras, it's about the film itself. Never mind the historical discrepancies. Watch this instead for the entertainment value. PRINCESS OF THIEVES effectively pays homage to the Outlaw of Sherwood, one of the all-time great historical legends. The climactic scenes may not be as rousing as or contain the magnitude of Errol Flynn's or even Kevin Costner's versions, but they'll certainly do. With ample servings of derring-do, false identities, royal intrigue, and star power as provided by Knightley, PRINCESS OF THIEVES is a breath of fresh air and an appealing addition to the mythos of Robin Hood. Once again, Keira Knightley rocks.

One question, though. Where's Little John in all this?

A nice continuation of the Robin Hood mythos. An action packed family film.

One laughable thing though. In the movie Gwyn cuts her hair and pretends to be a boy. Everyone believes it. Pretty funny considering she's a rather beautiful young lady. No way you could mistake her for a boy.

From grandma to kids everyone at our house liked this movie.

A light hearted portrayal of Gwyn, Robin and Marian's daughter. She been raised and protected for years by her uncle and other friends of the prince of thieves. While her father is away, this "princess" is busy learning the arts of the forest and following in her fathers foot steps more than she might like to admit.

This is a pretty clean film. There are no language concerns to think of. Gwyn has a friend that has a special crush on her. He's more like a brother , but dreams that Gwyn might somehow see him for more than he is. Gwyn and Phillip develop a love interest, but there is nothing distasteful about their relationship.

The movie offers some very good discussion points and lessons on honor, respect, loyalty, friendship, and obedience. In the end, good prevails and the loving relationship between father and daughter is restored and made stronger.

A good film for a family movie night.