62 of 63 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Finally! A classic series comes to DVD, December 27, 2006
I have been waiting years for this series to be available on Region 1 DVD. The series is a re-telling of the adventures of Robin Hood. A mystical slant has been incorporated into many of the plots but is really not a main focal point except for a couple of the episodes. The cast is outstanding and their interaction is the drawing card of the series. Robin in the Hood is played by Michael Praed (Robin of Loxley) for eleven episodes. When he left the series, he was replaced by Jason Connery (Robert of Huntington) for the remaining thirteen episodes. The transition from one Robin to the next was done gracefully and with dignity. Judi Trott is a joy as Marian and does an amazing job in expressing her devastation at the loss of the first Robin and her slow, reluctant but ultimately growing love of the second Robin. What really sets this series apart from many others, for me, is the comaraderie between the characters: Loutish, kind-hearted Little John; surly, quick to anger but willing to do anything to protect the weak Will Scarlet; humorous, voice of reason Friar Tuck; rarely speaking, deadly assassin Nasir; simple, gullible Much. If you are a fan of television series that make you wish that you were part of the gang (ex. Firefly, The Paper Chase) then this is a series for you.
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43 of 43 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
At long last, January 1, 2007
The DVD release of this series for U.S. viewing is a dream come true. This is, by far, the best conceptualization of the Robin Hood mythos to date. The writing, directing, casting, acting, and cinematography, not to mention the musical score by the Irish group, Clannad, is excellent. The entire cast is totally believable, and the powerful, omni-present, yet often understated, pagan aspect of Hern, the patron god of Sherwood forest, adds a much needed spiritual dimension to the rob from the rich, give to the poor stereotype.
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51 of 52 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Walk into the Mystic Forest, April 23, 2007
As other reviewers have said, Richard Carpenter's Robin of Sherwood is THE definitive TV retelling of the Robin Hood ballads. This series had it all. The characterizations were spot-on, and you actually care about them. The villainous Lord High Sheirff of Nottingham, Robert De Rainault, his brother Abbot Hugo De Rainault, and their steward, Sir Guy of Gisbourne aren't one-dimensional stock villains; Carpenter made them three-dimensional people who're evil for a reason. The locations are stunning, the costumes authentic (except for the obviously fake chain-mail and the aluminum shields of De Rainault's men-at-arms), and the theme and incidental music by Irish Celtic folk-rock band Clannad is ethereal and mysterious, beautifully haunting, joyous and playful-everything the show needed. I highly recommend the sound track, I only wish they'd realese all of the tracks used in the show (there are four or five from season three that aren't on the sound track).
One thing that really sold me on this show was the way the writers Carpenter and Anthony Horowitz wove actual medieval English history into the episodes, such as Richard's return to Nottingham after his ransom in which he pardoned his treasonous brother John; Richard's death in Normandy and John's accession to the throne; King John's divorce of his first wife Isabella (aka Hadwisa) of Gloucester to marry the young Isabella of Angouleme (Corey Pullman played her wonderfully), and John's alleged murder of his nephew Arthur of Brittany, who it was said was named heir to the English throne by the Lionheart on his deathbed; historians still debate whether John actually killed Arthur or not. The real John liked jewels and in the show John likes Jewels; he also has the Plantagenet short fuse. In one episode the Sheriff discusses an upcoming hundred court with Gisbourne. Add to this the fact that real medieval English geography is referred to (Barnesdale; the Newark Road; Lincoln; York; etc.) . These connections to authentic history all added to the authenticity of this show.
Both Michael Praed and Jason Connery (son of Sean) played their respective Robins brilliantly, and the change of actors (Praed landed a role on Broadway) was handled very nicely and examined two prominent versions of the legends, one that Robin was a peasant yeoman and the other that he was an earl's son. Judi Trott was fabulous as Marian of Leaford, and brought a believability to the role-while a very beautiful and feminine woman, Trott's Marian is nevertheless married to an outlaw wolf's head and lives in Sherwood Forst with his band; thus her Marian can shoot nearly as good as Robin as well as handle a sword. The other "merry men" each have distinct personalities and character traits, from the quick-tempered Will Scarlet, to the simple, yet firecly loyal Much the Miller's Son, to the brooding and silent, yet deadly former member of the sect of the Asassins, Nazir.
Robin's band is kept small on purpose and for very practical reasons: two hundred men can't hide very well, even in Sherwood (which in the 12th/13th centuries was fairly large). Plus, more time can be devoted to exploring the main characters. All of the traditional main characters from the legends are present, save Allan a' Dale who only appears in one episode ( though it's a great one). Significant is the addition of a Saracen (Muslim) character, Nazir, played by Mark Ryan. The Costner film producers got the idea for a Saracen in Robin's band from RoS. And a Saracen in Sherwood is actually not so far-fetched, as Richard the Lionheart actually hired several Muslim mercenaries to fight in his army.
Nicholas Grace was fantastic as the Sheriff, giving what is usually a stock villain real depth and personality. Robert Addie (Mordred in John Boorman's 1981 "Excalibur") played a great Gisbourne, also portraying what is usually a stock villain with depth and feeling. As the series progresses we learn why Gisbourne turned out the way he did and acts as he does. And there were interesting character revelations about Gisbourne in season three. Philip Davis played Prince/King John to the hilt-Davis' performance is the best portrayal of John I've ever seen. And while John Rhys-Davies doesn't physically look like Richard the Lionheart (who had read hair) he played him brilliantly, capturing the historic Plantagenet king's valor and bravery, but also his characteristic Plantagenet short temper and treachery when he was crossed.
Add a dash of mysticism from Robin's patron, Herne the Hunter to round things out and make them really interesting. This character is more present in the first two seasons than in the last. John Abineri does a good job of portraying the fey and mysterious Herne, who "when the Horned one possesses me," becomes Herne the Hunter (Cerunnos), the Celtic Lord of the Trees and the Hunt. This character isn't over-used, and though Friar Tuck (Phil Rose) is portrayed as more tolerant of Herne's pagan ways than a real life 12th century religious would probably be, it's still believable. Carpenter says Robin needed a patron or mentor and he couldn't use Merlin, so Herne fit the bill nicely. The show doesn't definitively say whether Herne actually IS Herene/Cerunnos or not, but his fey powers, such as his prophectic ability and second sight, are portrayed as real. Like Herene, the villainous sorcerer Gulnar is a bit much for authentic 12th/13th century England, what with his public devotion to Arianrhod and Thor, but not terribly so if one suspends one's disbelief. In that respect the show's magical, mystical element works nicely and is an interesting twist to the standard legends. Carpenter carefully researched the magical and mystical elements of the show to make them as accurate as possible.
Recurring characters such as Edward of Wickham (played by Jeremy Bulloch, Boba Fett in the original "Star Wars" films) Meg of Wickham (Claire Toeman), and Sir Richard of Leaford, as well as recurring villains such as the Sheriff's brother Abbot Hugo de Rainault (played by Philip Jackson), the Baron de Belleme (Anthony Valentine) and King John round out the cast.
This show deserved more than the three seasons it got in the UK. The series needed closure and a suitable ending which it never got. One wishes Carpenter's plans for a feature film concurrent with the Costner Robin Hood film had materialized.
In the early 1990s an American video company (I believe it was Good Times), released the five two-part episodes of the series as two-hour features on VHS, but didn't releasse the rest of the series for some odd reason. Season three of the series begins immediately where the cliff-hanger of season two ended, so not including those other episodes makes no sense at all. Episodes were written and filmed in sequence and the series works best when viewed that way; for example, what happens in the first episode of season three directly impacts what happens in later episodes. Despite flashbacks at the beginning of the first episode of season three, viewers need to have seen what came before in the first two seasons. Finally American audiences have the chance as the complete series is now available to them.
So walk into the mystic forest: I guarntee you that you won't be disappointed.
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