The Last of Robin Hood

For connoisseurs of classic Hollywood, The Last of Robin Hood is quite a treat. We follow the last years before the death of the famous philanthropist and adventurer alongside his last girlfriend, the youthful Beverly Aadland. The relationship would be slightly offensive even today, and the parallel offered with Nabokov's Lolita is not too far off (Kubrick's film was made at a time of public scandal and premiered shortly after Flynn's death). What's really interesting is that the script was based on two books published after Flynn's death - his candid memoir "My Wicked, Wicked Ways" and his almost-mother-in-law Flo Aadland's equally scandalous book "The Big Love." In the 1960s, there were some truly unreal lyrics parasitic on the dream factory. Another highlight is the casting of Kevin Kline in the lead role, who already played Douglas Fairbanks in Chaplin (1992), on whom Errol Flynn based his career, and in De-Lovely (2004) he turned into the composer Cole Porter. To have so many distinctive contemporaries played by a single actor is a perverse decision, to say the least. And of course, there is no need to doubt the acting concerts of Dakota Fanning and Susan Sarandon as Aadland. A decent lesson in many disciplines, and definitely a thought-provoking film (30.07.2022)