When Sean Connery agreed to star in The Death of Robin Hood, the James Bond star was thrilled to play a character where they wouldn’t ask him to come back for a sequel. But when the film was renamed Robin and Marian to be more marketable, did that affect the way the film was perceived? Or was the script reworked to try and capture the romance? It’s hard to say, but it does make for interesting discussion. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we continue our Robin Hood series with Richard Lester’s 1976 film Robin and Marian.

We talk about the expectations of a film about an old Robin Hood and the romance and wonder what would’ve made it work the way it was meant to. Was it the script by John Goldman and some sloppy comedy elements? Was it something in Lester’s direction, or perhaps the performances by Connery, Audrey Hepburn, Robert Shaw, Richard Harris, or one of the other great actors in it? We look at what Lester brings to the film and where it fits in his career. We argue about our readings of moments in the film, especially the climactic finale. And we touch on John Barry’s score and wonder if Michel Legrand’s rejected score may have worked better.

It’s an interesting film and a welcome entry in our series, but perhaps just because it changes the story in ways that allow it to be interesting because of those changes. We have a great time talking about it, so check it out then tune in! The Next Reel – when the movie ends, our conversation begins.

Join the conversation with movie lovers from around the world on The Next Reel’s Discord channel!

Film Sundries

Thank you for supporting The Next Reel Film Podcast on Patreon!

• Watch this film: iTunes • Amazon • Netflix • YouTube
• Script Transcript
• Original theatrical trailer
• Original poster artwork
• Flickchart
• Letterboxd

• Cinema Scope: Bridging Genres, Subgenres, and Movements
• The Film Board
• Movies We Like
• Sitting in the Dark

• The Web
• Letterboxd
• Facebook
• Instagram
• Threads
• Bluesky
• YouTube
• Flickchart
• Pinterest
• Pete 
• Andy

• You can buy our movie-related apparel, stickers, mugs and more from our MERCH PAGE.
• Or buy or rent movies we’ve discussed on the show from our WATCH PAGE.
• Or buy books, plays, etc. that was the source for movies we’ve discussed on the show from our ORIGINALS PAGE.
• Or renew or sign up for a Letterboxd Pro or Patron account with our LETTERBOXD MEMBERSHIP DISCOUNT.
• Or sign up for AUDIBLE.