07 June,2010 06:53 AM IST | | Jordan Riefe
Says actor Russell Crowe about Robin Hood. Crowe, who plays the titular character, and director Ridley Scott, share some of what goes into the making of an epic saga and their opinions on test screenings
We were talking to some of the other actors and they were telling us about the way you shot the movie with a bunch of cameras. Would you still be allowed to do that in 3D?
Ridley Scott: Not with that absolute freedom, but I was told that you can't do what we did with 2D cameras either. Russell is just an expert in what every f'''ing camera does. He knows exactly where the ninth camera is...
Russell Crowe: I spend all the time that I need to during a rehearsal and have a look at where they are. I ask what lens they have on and I will do that between each take. I also have that thing where, you know, this comes from growing up out of smaller films, you don't want to waste an inch of footage. You don't want to be the guy whose back is to the camera in the emotional part of the movie, thank you very much. So you have to be aware of the camera movement and what the camera is doing. So, it's just in a much more fluid sense when you are on a set with Ridley.
RS: There is nothing worse than saying to actors, "We will be ready in forty-five minutes," which is going to be an hour, and he goes back to the trailer going, 'F'''!'u00a0 When you just got going, you don't want to stop. Right?
RC: Right.
RS: It's death, death, death.
Many of us have heard the early stories about Nottingham...
RS: It happens on almost every project.
RC: If you look at the two and a half years between when we were first given the idea and the last day of shooting... I don't know, people have tried to pump it up like it was falling apart and this was going wrong and that was going wrong. The reality is we took a normal responsible period of time to develop a story into a feature film that was shootable within a confined period of time. And then also there was a real thing that happened when a certain series of dates was put forward. It was like, you know, this is going to be a very bleak landscape if we are going to shoot in England, starting in January. We had shot a part of Gladiator in England in January ufffd you can't do your first shot until 9.30 in the morning and you are done by 2.30 in the afternoon. I mean, on Gladiator at least we had a balance where we had some day and some night in the same sequence.
RS: We packed the tents on top of one another and so we would, say, rap at two, have a quick lunch and be in the tent at 3 o'clock. We would have sets on the hill, which was incredibly practical...
RC: That worked in our favour. Also trying to get that amount of artillery and horses and stuff in place, when you are dealing with a foot and half of mud. You know, we knew that January is not a great time to be shooting, like, epic battles in England. So, we had to wait a little bit. Obviously, once you have had a film like Gladiator that's in your background, everyone is going to hold everything else you do after that. I don't think at all that we ever tried to functionally live up to that. But we do apply the same methodology no matter what is going on. We are going to get up every day, and our aim is that before this day is done, we are going to have done something special.
Is there a lot that might be on the DVD or Blu-ray?
RS: There is 17 minutes more, which is not a lot, actually. The first cut on this was like three hours and ufffd
RC: Four minutes.
RS: And did it work? Yeah, because everything was fresh and you live to see rushes. When I am shooting, the reward in the evening is not going home and having a drink and lying down. I go straight to the darkrooms and then watch rushes and eat dinner and then go into the editing room afterwards, because that's the reward. The fun of it; it doesn't sound right "fun of it"... you are doing 18-hour days. It is truly rare that you get a day of rushes, and then you are walking on air and you got to have a drink.
Did you guys do a test screening on this?
RS: Yeah.
What did you think about it?
RS: Horrible.
RC: He hates it, but I said, "You got to do it, man. You gotta to do it. I know it's hard. But actually I felt that it gave you another burst of energy, after people's opinions.
RS: Yeah it did, because one thing is for sure when you do what I do, one thing is for sure... nothing is for sure. Whatever you think, you don't know everything. The value of a screening is that when you think "that really works," and then you go to a screening and then a third of the audience says something that you knew was in the back of your mind, which was kind of needling away at you, and as soon as they say it... F'''! I've got to deal with that. So all you are doing is getting an endorsement of the problem. So, you got to deal with it.
Planet Syndication
Robin Hood opens in theatres on Friday, May 11.
Three of the most significant Robin Hood films
The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) directed by Michael Curtiz and William Keighley
The film starring Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland and Basil Rathbone went on to become a huge box office success in its time, winning three Oscar awards, including one for Best Film Editing for Ralph Dawson. The role was among actor Errol Flynn's most acclaimed roles.
Robin Hood: The Prince of Thieves (1991) directed by Kevin Reynolds
The film, starring Kevin Costner in the lead with Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio as Maid Marion and Alan Rickman as the Sheriff of Nottingham, was reportedly inspired by the Robin of Sherwood television series, which ran from 1983 to 1986. The film met with moderate success at the box office, and failed to receive much critical acclaim.
Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993) directed by Mel Brooks
Director Mel Brooks' spoof on previous adaptations of Robin Hood films, most notably Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and The Adventures of Robin Hood, has acquired something of a cult following since its release in the '90s. Though it is not among Brooks' highest grossers, it did reasonably well at the box office.
