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The Legend(s) of Robin Hood

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Ridley Scott’s "Robin Hood" is out this weekend. We’ll look at the origins of the archer and his Merry Men in legend and lore.

Russell Crowe is out in theaters today as Robin Hood. Cate Blanchett as Maid Marion at his side.

It’s not the Robin Hood story you know. It’s a kind of Braveheart prequel to the Merry Men in the woods story.

But Friar Tuck is there. And Little John. And Sherwood Forest. And derring-do, and arrows and quivers all over the place.

My guest today may be the world’s top scholar of Robin Hood myth and legend. It’s a very old story, he says. And it’s changed and changed and changed.

This Hour, On Point: from Middle Ages to Hollywood, the legend of Robin Hood.

Guests:

David Thomson, film critic and historian. He's author of over 20 books on film, including "The New Biographical Dictionary of Film," and "Have You Seen . . . ? A Personal Introduction to 1000 films."

Read David Thomson's take on Ridley Scott.

Stephen Knight, professor of english at Cardiff University, and a leading Robin Hood historian. His most recent book on the subject, “Robin Hood: A Mythic Biography,” is out in paperback.

This program aired on May 14, 2010.

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