"Autumn is entering the home straight. Winter is coming. We are more than due, therefore, a piece of fantasy/folkloric tomfoolery set in the days of yore which is further back than yesteryear and therefore more forgiving all round stuffed with young actors trying out their talents, and old thesps keeping their alimony/next passion-project funded. Welcome, my friends, to this year's most glorious offering: Robin Hood."
"One is that it stars Sean Bean as the Sheriff of Nottingham. I know. I know. We all wanted to live that long and we have! And two, there are no bad wigs in it! Because there are no wigs at all! Some benevolent hand must have reached down and gently turned wardrobe away from the long, stringy, Yore-hair box that habitually damns these ventures, and instead commanded our hero and his men and the occasional woman to be merry without them."
"This is enough to earn my undying devotion by itself, but there are more delights to come. In fact, it begins with the opening caption. Who does not enjoy a good opening caption? Ideally, one that tells us the makers have worked on the basis of no assumed knowledge whatsoever, and which sets out exactly where we are and what is happening without the need for a lot of dialogue and showing rather than telling?"
Autumn approaches and a folkloric Robin Hood production offers playful, forgiving-period entertainment populated by young actors and veteran thespians. Sean Bean appears as the Sheriff of Nottingham. Wardrobe deliberately omits wigs, favoring natural hair for heroes, men and occasional women. The production opens with an explicit caption that situates the story many years after the Norman Conquest under Henry II, describing Norman laws and Christianity imposed on Saxon people who must pay taxes and give deference to new masters. The tone blends affectionate humour, deliberate ramshackle charm and a preference for showing rather than telling, producing comforting seasonal tomfoolery.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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