Bondage of Robin Hood (Tapette, 1972)

DIRECTOR: JEAN-PAUL BRANLETTE. RUNNING TIME: 89 mins. DVD: REDWING. PRICE: £14.99 CERT: 18

A curious film made in 1970s France, Bondage is perhaps the only example of a homo-erotic attempt at the Robin Hood legend. For the most part it follows the traditional version of the oft-told tale, its only new addition to the myth being a strange sub-plot concerning the very gay Sheriff of Nottingham. The Sheriff becomes more and more obsessed with capturing Hood and bending him to his will. Whilst I’m not sure about the portrayal of homosexuals in this film as sado-masochistic bullies, it does make for a much more interesting take on the old stories than the plethora of robbing from the rich and giving to the poor, which seems to be the staple fare of this genre.

At the start of the film we find a weary Robin Hood escaping from the Turks after suffering terrible abuse at their hands. It is this that underpins the film, giving Robin flashbacks to the Turkish prison and receiving what would appear to be a sound buggering from the guards. Teaming up with some fellow inmates, including Will Scarlet, he forms his band of merry men. Perhaps ‘merry’ is the wrong word to describe them. ‘Dysfunctional and pervy’ might be a better description. Friar Tuck, for instance, appears to have been excommunicated for some ecclesiastical irregularities concerning a parsnip and a novice nun, whilst Little John joins only after being given a good thrashing with a quarter-staff by Hood. Stranger still is the relationship between Robin and Will Scarlet – as former prisoners of the Turks they posses a close bond that is threatened by the arrival of Maid Marion, whose presence at Robin’s side seems to cause Will considerable distress.

It is later in the film that we get the first face to face meeting between Sheriff and outlaw when Robin wins the archery contest and becomes a guest of the Sheriff. At dinner the Sheriff realises who Hood is and offers to allow him to continue his merry ways as long as he will submit himself to him. Robin’s refusal leads to the bondage of the title in its most obvious sense as he is subjected to torture and sexual humiliation before his merry men rescue him. In the escalating violence the Sheriff becomes more and more insane as he brings in people to hunt down Hood, including a band of Turkish mercenaries who eventually kill Will Scarlet. It is this that finally convinces Robin to kill the Sheriff, begging the question of how deep is the bond between him and Will – another bondage for Robin? Again, after the torture at the hands of the Sheriff there does seem to be some strange relationship between the hero and villain as they descend into a self-destructive homo-erotic confrontation, eventually leading to both their deaths after the final sword fight on a very suggestive tower.

A strange example of a European co-production that rises above most Robin Hood films by examining the underlying close male relationships, not unlike some westerns such as the excellent Warlock, this is probably one of the most original takes on the legend since the Marxist retelling of Arrows of Robin Hood, and the revisionist reworking of Robin And Marion.