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CS
Weekly Archive > DVD of the Day > 07/06/07
Robbing From the Present
to Reinvent the Past
by jason davis
Robin Hood: Season One
Simon Ashford, Paul Cornell, Bev Doyle, Richard Kurti, Dominic Minghella, Debbie Oates, Joe Turner, and Mark Wadlow (one episode uncredited)
 
 
Paralleling the 12th-century's Crusades to the modern Iraqi War, the BBC's new production of the Robin Hood legend mines the present to bring relevance to the past in an action-packed adventure suitable for the whole family. Returning home from the Holy Land, Robin of Locksley (Jonas Armstrong) finds his people enslaved by the corrupt Sheriff of Nottingham (Keith Allen) and as per usual turns outlaw to fight the power. But the traditional trappings end there as the series explores topical issues like weapons of mass destruction (gunpowder), post-traumatic stress disorder (a tortured Crusader), and even the profits of conflict (the Sheriff's heightened "war" taxes) in a fashion that links 2007 with 1192. Co-creator Dominic Minghella (son of The English Patient's Anthony Minghella) and his writers don't belabor the issues but use them instead to provide weighty subtext to their fast-paced adventure stories. The over-populated commentaries offer little insight into the show's storytelling, and the supplemental features sadly focus on the production more than this specific take on the medieval legend.
Robin Hood : Season One
BBC Video
Not rated; 545 min.
$79.98
Buy it now
Jason Davis is the DVD Manager for CS Weekly , a contributing editor for Creative Screenwriting Magazine, and has written for Cinescape.com, MSN.com, and created the TV series Studio 13, which ran on Lorne Michaels' Burly TV network. He lives in the small space left over by his ever-expanding library of books, movies, and music.
Robin Hood: Season One courtesy BBC Video
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