Casting Robin Hood

I have been fascinated with Robin Hood since I was a little kid and first watched Errol Flynn sweep Olivia de Havilland off her feet with his heroics. (I then graduated to that adventuresome fox, followed by a curly-headed kid, and finally a big, handsome rogue.) Recently, a friend and I sat down and casted our ideal Robin Hood movie. But we had a problem with finding the perfect couple to play Robin and Maid Marian. I mean, should Robin be debonair or bold? Young or old(er)? There were too many different versions of Robin Hood, and all versions were equally good. Maid Marian was much the same. The quintessential lady or a stubborn firebrand? Her age would have to match Robin's, too... There were far too many choices, so we decided to choose four different Robins, with Maid Marians to match them. The rest of the characters are more or less the same in every movie (or TV show) we've seen, so there is only one actor or actress for each.

Note: All filmography links on this page courtesy of The Internet Movie Database. Clicking on said links will send you to that actor's or actress's IMDb page, complete with filmographies, photos, bios, and other information. Another great picture resource is Masterpiece Theatre, which has pages for most of the movies mentioned in this post.

Robin Hood (outlaw rogue; Richard Greene in the old TV show): Christian Bale (Batman from Batman Begins and The Dark Knight). Very muscular, good dramatic actor.

Maid Marian (elegance personified): Rosamund Pike (Jane Bennet from Pride and Prejudice 2005 and Lady Harriet from Wives and Daughters). Very elegant, very beautiful.


Robin Hood (suave; Errol Flynn): Rupert Penry-Jones (Captain Wentworth from Persuasion 2007 and Richard Hannay from The 39 Steps). Clipped tones when speaking, but oozes honor.

Maid Marian (Sweet and noble): Daniela Denby-Ashe (Margaret Hale from North and South). Large, luminous eyes, good at playing a proper young lady.


Robin Hood (adventurer; the fox in the animated classic): Ben Barnes (Prince Caspian from Prince Caspian). Dashing looks, reminds me of Orlando Bloom in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.

Maid Marian (tough): Lydia Leonard (Victoria Sinclair from The 39 Steps). Sweet smile, good as an energetic young woman.


Robin Hood (young guy; Richard Todd in the live-action Disney version): William Moseley (Peter Pevensie from The Chronicles of Narnia). The only British actor we could think of who's the right age!


Maid Marian (young lady): Kimberley Nixon (Sophy Hutton from Cranford). Sweet face, plays a good gentle young lady.


The rest of the cast:

The Sherrif of Nottingham: Ciaran Hinds (Captain Wentworth from Persuasion 1995 and Mr. Rochester in Jane Eyre 1997). Great voice for a bad guy!

Prince John: Mark Gatiss (John Dashwood from Sense and Sensibility 2007). Looks like a typical Prince John and plays a weak guy pretty well.

Sir Guy of Gisbourne: Ioan Gruffudd (Horatio Hornblower from the Hornblower series). Good at dark, conflicted characters.

Little John: Matthew Macfadyen (Arthur Clennam from Little Dorrit and Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice 2005). Not a conventional Little John, but he's really tall and can look stupid.

Friar Tuck: Eddie Marsan (Mr. Pancks from Little Dorrit and Mr. Scudder from The 39 Steps). Short, round-faced guy who could easily be roly-poly.

Will Scarlet: Dan Stevens (Edward Ferrars from Sense and Sensibility 2007). Handsome, and I can easily imagine him playing a debonair, adventuresome outlaw.

Much the Miller's Son: Andrew Buchan (Jem Hearne from Cranford and St. John Rivers from Jane Eyre 2006. Good cockney accent.

Bess (Marian's Maid): Claudie Blakley (Martha from Cranford and Charlotte Lucas from Pride and Prejudice 2005). Good cockney accent, plays a loyal maid very well.

As you can tell, we had too much time on our hands when we sat down and drew this up. However, I'm satisfied with the result. Anyone have any disagreements, suggestions, observations, or questions?

Regarding The Russell Girl

Sarah Russell (Amber Tamblyn) has leukemia. Terrified at the prospect of dying, she goes back home to visit her parents, but, at the last moment, decides not to tell them about her disease. While on her visit, she runs into people she fondly remembers and people she'd rather forget - namely, her high school boyfriend Evan Carroll (Paul Wesley), and her next-door-neighbor Lorainne Morrissey (Jennifer Ehle). While Evan is delighted to see her, Sarah's reappearance stirs up tragic memories for Lorainne, who starts down a slippery slope of bitterness and a refusal to let go of the past.

Pros: There's nothing I like better than an awful Hallmark movie. Quite honestly, I love watching them with my friends and laughing the whole way through. But the only laughs I got out of this movie were the intentionally funny lines, and other parts made me cry. Evan is really very adorable, and all three dads in the movie (Sarah's father, Evan's father (even though he's only in one scene), and Lorainne's husband) are awesome. That's really why I like this movie so much. When is a father ever portrayed as anything other than an idiot nowadays? Jennifer Ehle was fabulous as Lorainne, and Amber Tamblyn did a great job with some not-so-easy lines and facial expressions as Sarah.

Cons: To be honest, tragedy and faith go hand-in-hand. If you're going through a tough time, lean on the Lord. Unfortunately, there is barely (if any) mention of God in this movie. But I don't allow that to overshadow the rest. I must admit, too, that the kissing scenes were weird. Neither Evan nor Sarah do anything wrong; the kisses are just weird.

My Rating: OK (tragedy, lack of trust in parents and family)

Picture from movieberry.com

Pertaining To The Scarlet Pimpernel

Sir Percy Blakeney (Anthony Andrews) is not only a very rich English nobleman, he is also a fop. At least, that's what society believes. But society doesn't know that he has a secret identity - the Scarlet Pimpernel, a dashing hero who rescues French aristocrats from the very shadow of Madame Guillotine. When Sir Percy helps the brother of beautiful actress Marguerite St. Just (Jane Seymour), a romance is born. But neither of them counted on the jealousy of Marguerite's former suitor, nor the possibility that Sir Percy's secret might come between them.

Pros: I must admit, I came into this movie baised against it. Who could ever beat Leslie Howard as Sir Percy? But then I saw Anthony Andrews. Never was there a more perfect Sir Percy! He is absolutely exactly how he's supposed to be! And Jane Seymour is really one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen - which is quite unusual. It's typical of movies (particularly old ones) to have not-so-pretty women play the beautiful ones, and beautiful women to play the not-so-pretty ones. Very little in this movie seemed like it was filmed in the eighties. Could the lighting have been better? Yes. The sets? Perhaps. The costumes? Likely not. The acting for the lead parts? Never!

Cons: Despite what I said about the acting, I was disappointed in Sir Ian McKellen. I guess I was expecting him to play Chauvelin as well as he played Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings and Creakle in David Copperfield. However, he is still a passable bad guy. And why didn't they pick a handsome guy to play Sir Andrew?! I love Sir Andrew in the book! Although I suppose the actor they chose might have been considered handsome back in 1982...

My Rating: T (mild sexual content not involving hero or heroine, thematic elements)

Picture from topdvdcollections.com

Concerning The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

Dobbs (Humphrey Bogart) is dirt poor and stuck in a dusty little town in Mexico. If only he had enough money to buy transport to America, he would be happy. Then he and his pal, Curtin (Tim Holt), meet an old-timer named Howard (Walter Huston) who has had experience with gold mining. When Dobbs and Curtin get their hands on some money, they decide to go in with the old man and dabble in gold. After all, they're too tough to be driven wild by gold like other men - or are they?

Pros: I must admit, I didn't see the ending coming. I also have to admit that Humphrey Bogart did a fine piece of acting. I didn't like him in Casablanca, but he's great as a seedy tramp. The old guy is great, from his acting to his character.

Cons: Too long. Not enough action. There are some random parts in the story (which are later revealed as not so random, but that doesn't make them any less annoying when they first happen).

My Rating: AGC

Picture from impawards.com

Really Bad Actors

Since I love movies and, by extension, love to talk about actors, I have decided to compile a list of really bad actors. I won't say these are the "worst" actors I've ever seen, because it's difficult to judge actors on one or two performances - which is about as much as I've seen of most of these men. However, I can safely say that these are some of the worst actors I've ever seen.

1. Peter Fonda. Not only can he not act, but he's fer durn sure not good looking (which, I must admit, sometimes helps me get past lacking acting abilities). As a good friend of mine once said, "Saying Peter Fonda is handsome is like saying a porcupine is soft." That about sums it up.
2. Henry Fonda. Yes, the Fonda men top the list. I once had the misfortune of watching an episode of an old show called The Deputy. Henry's acting performance was so bad, I was completely confused about a vital part in the story. It's difficult to explain, but suffice it to say that Henry's idea of "losing consciousness" looks more like "oh, he's pretending to lose consciousness to trick the bad guys!"
3. Bill Holden. In case you haven't noticed, I'm a bit of a softie when it comes to heroes and heroines. In my view, a decent love story is a requirement to a good movie or book (with a few exceptions). But Bill was the worst romantic actor I've ever seen, reducing otherwise sweet scenes to laughingstocks.
4. Gary Cooper. Bleah. High Noon was an awful movie. Even putting aside the ballad popping up in strange places and Grace Kelly's all-wrong Quaker character, Gary Cooper absolutely ruined the movie. I must admit he was pretty decent in For Whom the Bell Tolls (another awful movie), but maybe that was because he was opposite Ingrid Bergman, the greatest actress ever.
5. Nicolas Cage. After I first watched National Treasure, I told myself, "Nicolas Cage must be related to someone, because he could never have gotten so famous purely on acting talent." Turns out I was right. He's the nephew of some famous director whose name slips my mind. Thought so.
6. John Wayne. I realize this is a very polarizing pick. Either you love 'im or you hate 'im. I'm not quite on the "hate" side (I love The Quiet Man), but I must admit he was one of the worst actors I've ever seen. Anytime he had to inject some emotion into his character, he fell on his face.
7. Harrison Ford. I must admit, I love Han Solo. But some of his lines were a bit shaky. And I like Linus Larrabee in Sabrina. But some of his lines were a bit shaky. Finally, I can't stand Jack Ryan in Clear and Present Danger. (I mean, going from Alec Baldwin, who's not so great himself but was at least handsome, in The Hunt for Red October to Harrison Ford?! No contest.)
8. An honorable mention goes to Elizabeth Taylor, who couldn't make this list because she's a woman.

(There is no "really bad actresses" post in my future, because famous actresses are generally pretty good at what they do. Except, apparently, for some I haven't seen in any movies, such as J-Lo.)

I would advise you to be wary if you ever come across a movie with one of these seven men - unless, of course, you don't mind unconvincing acting.

Regarding The Love Letter

Scott Corrigan (Campbell Scott) is going to be married to a wonderful young lady named Debra (Daphne Ashbrook). When Deb's eye is attracted to a beautiful wedding dress in the window of an antique store, the couple ventures in to take a look around. Scott discovers an old Civil War-era desk, which he promptly buys. When he brings it home, he discovers a letter hidden in a secret compartment of the desk - and begins to communicate with a woman who has been dead for a hundred years.

Pros: Um... *Scratches head* I liked Scott's mother, Beatrice (Estelle Parsons). I also liked Deb.

Cons: Where to begin? First, the acting was terrible and the writing was worse. Elizabeth, the woman who falls in love with Scott through his letters, was so modern it was literally painful. (Painful because I was laughing so hard my side hurt.) **Spoiler Warning** Plus, what was up with the "I'm in the past and the future, only I'm different people"? Huh? That smacks of reincarnation to me.

My Rating: AGC

On Spider-Man

Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) is just an ordinary geeky high school senior with giant glasses - and a giant crush on his beautiful classmate, Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst). But MJ barely even notices he exists, except to stand up for him when he misses the schoolbus and has to chase it for about ten blocks. Then one day, Peter is on a field trip to a research laboratory and is bitten by a "super spider" that has been genetically designed to include the characteristics of several different natural spiders. The next morning, he has powers beyond his imagination.

Pros: Spider-Man is one of my favorite heroes of all time. He's a regular guy (I mean, despite his special powers) who has to deal with his problems like any other guy. Of course, his problems aren't exactly like any other guy's... but you get my drift. MJ isn't too bad, either. She really annoyed me the first time I watched this movie, but she's grown on me since then. I feel really sorry for Harry Osborn (James Franco), and Willem Dafoe plays an awesome insane bad guy! The scene with him and the mirror reminds me of Gollum/Smeagol in The Two Towers and The Return of the King - and Dafoe is every bit as good as Andy Serkis was!

Cons: I hate the way this movie is considered a "family movie." It's rated PG-13; it is not a family movie!

My Rating: T (mild sexual content, scary)

Picture from fandomania.com

Pertaining To Jamaica Inn

Miss Mary Yellen (Maureen O'Hara) has recently lost her mother. She pulled up stakes in Ireland and is en route to the Cornish coast to live with her aunt Patience (Marie Ney). When she arrives, she discovers that Jamaica Inn, which is run by her aunt and uncle, has a very bad reputation. For what, she doesn't know. But she soon finds out - and has to flee for her life.

Pros: Personally, I really like Maureen O'Hara. This was her first movie, and though she was a little weak on the acting in parts, I liked her character and she was absolutely beautiful. Plus, her facial expressions are hilarious! I liked the hero, too, and Charles Laughton, who plays Sir Humphrey Pengallon, is one of my favorite old-time actors. There were a few surprising developments in the storyline. (After all, it is a Hitchcock!)

Cons: The first scene was so badly done I wondered what on earth I was doing watching this movie. *Cough, cough* But it got much better. Also, I feel like I've watched and read dozens of stories with wreckers. They're all essentially the same: Desperate characters who need money badly... they cover up beacons so ships crash onto the rocks... then they murder the people on board.

My Rating: T (mild sexual content)

Picture from movieberry.com

Concerning The Sixth Sense

Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis) is a great child psychologist. Heck, he even got an award from the mayor of Philadelphia for his efforts and successes in helping troubled children and their families. Then one of his former patients, a young man he couldn't help, shows up. This traumatic meeting scars Malcolm so deeply he feels he must atone for his failure in some way. So when he comes across a patient who reminds him of his failure, he throws himself into his work, neglecting his loving wife in the process. But he has no idea what is really troubling little Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osmont).

Pros: This movie is absolutely awesome. The writing is fabulous, and the acting amazing. (Yes, Bruce Willis was amazingly good in this movie - at least for him!) Haley Joel Osmont was particularly great. I love the religious angle, which is seen in the movie, but not really a big part of it. As I can't really say anything else without spoiling everything, I'll just say that it's one of the best movies I have ever seen.

Cons: I really had to think about and discuss some aspects of the movie in order to understand how all the pieces fit together. But the pieces pretty much fit like a jigsaw puzzle!

My Rating: MT (intensity, sexual content involving a married couple)

Picture from impawards.com

In Relation To Pooh's Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin

Life is perfect in the Hundred Acre Wood. Pooh is with his best friend, Christopher Robin, and the pair of buddies spend the entire day playing. But when morning comes, Pooh finds Christopher Robin is gone - and the only clue to his whereabouts is in a very honey-smeared note on a honeypot that Pooh found outside his door. Pooh and his friends are horrified when Owl deciphers the contents of the note and discovers that Christopher Robin has gone to a terrible place called "Skull." Pooh instantly sets out on an adventure to find and rescue his friend.

Pros: I'm a sucker for Pooh Bear. He's so adorable, and Tigger is so funny. I like the rest of the characters, too, even down to Eeyore. And Rabbit, whom I couldn't stand when I was younger. There are some great songs in this movie, including Owl's spine-chilling song about adventure, and Rabbit's know-it-all song about maps.

Cons: When I was little I had the hardest time figuring out the main point of this movie. Even though Christopher Robin isn't always with Pooh, they're still together? Huh? I thought that only applied to God and sweethearts! But I think I've figured it out. If Pooh has a great friend like Christopher Robin, even though they're not always together, Pooh is never alone. He always has Christopher Robin to back him, even though they're apart.

My Rating: AGC

Regarding Shadow of a Doubt

The Newton family is falling apart. At least, according to the oldest child, Charlie (Teresa Wright). Named Charlotte after her uncle Charlie (Joseph Cotten), young Charlie is determined to stop her family from sliding into a rut. On an impulse, she decides to send her mother's kid brother a telegram begging him to come for a visit. Then she finds that he had the same idea and was already on his way. Elated, young Charlie eagerly welcomes him into the Newton household, completely unaware of his dark secret.

Pros: This is Hitchcock at his best! Suspense drips from this movie, particularly in the later scenes when young Charlie begins to catch on to her uncle. Oh, and I love Teresa Wright. She wasn't a particularly great actress, but her characters were usually sweet, good girls. And the dad's friend Herbie (Hume Cronyn) is hilarious!

Cons: As is usually the case with Hitchcock, this movie has a few slow parts, particularly in the beginning. Plus, the whole waltzing couples thing got a little annoying...

My Rating: OK (murder)

Picture from hollywoodoutbreak.com

Concerning Black As Night

Once upon a time... A young woman escapes from a pair of muggers and runs to an old church for refuge. When she wakes up in the vestibule, she is surprised to see a group of monks standing over her. Check that. She is surprised to see a group of friars standing over her. The seven friars, which range from gruff Father Francis to jolly novice Brother Leon, take the young woman under their wings. Afraid to return to her family, the young lady remains with the friars, desperately trying to puzzle out who would want her out of the way.

Pros: I absolutely love this book! The heroine and hero are my favorite couple ever! The friars are great, the story is good, the bad person is sufficiently creepy... and I love how Regina Doman works Through the Looking Glass into the story! The slapstick humor can be pretty funny, too, particularly the dogs.

Cons: There is nothing that I don't like about this book.

My Rating: T (fairly intense, drugs)

Picture from fairytalenovels.com

Pertaining to The Sable Quean

In Brian Jacques's The Sable Quean, an evil female sable named Vilaya has a plot to take over Redwall Abbey. Her minions, an assortment of villains called the Ravagers, kidnap any young creatures they see out in the woodlands. When the captive young ones reach a sufficient number, Vilaya will threaten to kill the little tykes unless the Redwallers give up their abbey and slave for her. But she didn't plan on Buckler, the master swords-hare from Salamandastron, and his tubby friend Diggs paying the Redwallers a visit just when her plan begins to ripen.

Pros: Diggs is hilarious; a true Brian Jacques character! I'm also quite fond of Buckler... and just about all the good characters, for that matter! Also, the story was much more complex than most Redwall tales.

Cons: I don't like Flib, the shrew maid.

Note: This book is darker than any of the other Redwall tales. I haven't decided whether that's a good thing or a bad thing. Sometimes it was difficult to remember that the book was about animals. Which is good! But, on the other hand, I generally like Redwall books because they're harmless...

My Rating: OK (good creatures torturing, a little violent)

Picture from redwall.org

On Dragon Slippers

In Jessica Day George's Dragon Slippers, Creel Carlbrun is a poor orphan who gets captured by an evil dragon. That is, she gives herself up to a not-so-evil dragon. Her aunt planned for Creel to get captured by a dragon so she could be rescued by a knight in shining armor, who would marry her and raise the whole family from poverty. But Creel talks her way out of the dragon's lair herself, and gets a pair of beautiful slippers in the process. She then makes her way to the King's Seat to become a professional embroiderer. Then she trips over a little lap dog... and her entire life is thrown into turmoil.

Pros: At first I thought this would be a "grrl" power book. The girl rescues herself from the dragon and the lord's son is pathetic? Blech! But the hero turned out to be a hero, so I'm good. (By the by, I really like the hero, Luka.) The dragons are really cool, and pretty original, too.

Cons: I don't like the ending.

Note: Jessica Day George is a Mormon. I didn't notice any exclusively Mormon beliefs or themes in the book, but then, I don't know that much about Mormonism.

My Rating: T (thematic elements)

Picture from jessicadaygeorge.com

In Relation To Secondhand Lions

When young Walter (Haley Joel Osmont) is dropped off on his old great-uncles' farm, his mother tells him he'll only have to stay a few weeks. Two months at the most. Walter knows better. At first he thinks he's stuck in the middle of nowhere with the two crabbiest men on the planet. Uncle Hub (Robert Duvall) and Uncle Garth (Michael Caine) are so crabby, in fact, they shoot shotguns at traveling salesmen. But then Walter's curiosity starts getting the better of him as he begins to wonder about their past... How did they become filthy rich? Where do they hide all their money? And who is the beautiful woman in the picture he found in the attic?

Pros: Anyone who knows a crusty old man will think this movie is hilarious. I must admit, it wasn't quite like what I expected, though. Half of the movie is taken up with a yarn Uncle Garth spins about what he and Hub were doing during the forty years they were missing. But that's a good thing! I love adventure stories that take place in Africa!

Cons: There are fairly slow parts, but none of them last long.

My Rating: T (uncaring mother, steady stream of mild language)

Picture from impawards.com

Concerning Silver Canyon

In Louis L'Amour's Silver Canyon, Matt Brennan rides into dusty Hattan's Point - and almost instantly falls in love. Beautiful Moira Maclaren catches his eye, and he decides he wants to marry her. Unfortunately, Matt ends up siding against Moira's father in a land dispute. As the tension (and body count) escalates, Matt must find a way to bring peace back to Hattan's Point before he ends up on the wrong end of a bullet.

Pros: There ain't nothin' like a good ol' western! In this one, I like both the hero and the heroine, which is rather rare. There was an unusual twist to the storyline that I didn't see coming at the beginning of the book, though it became clearer to me as the book went on.

Cons: A fist fight lasts waaaaay too long. Matt got overly aggresive (and bloodthirsty) at times. **Spoiler warning** The title totally gives away a key part of the story (which I picked up on anyway, long after I forgot the title of the book!)

My Rating: T (aggresive hero)