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A Quick Note to the Makers of the Next Robin Hood

Saturday, October 7th, 2006
3 Comments

I’m going to reserve commenting in detail on the new Robin Hood for a few episodes to see how it comes on. I’m also going to ignore that Robin seems capable of using a 2kg long sword as though it were a throwing dagger.

I am going to however make one small suggestion to the makers of the next Robin Hood retelling. Look at a map. Please look at a map. One with contours. Nottingham Castle stood (before it’s destruction and being replaced by a manor house) on a 38m high lump of rock. The rock itself is a landmark called that can be seen from quite a distance, strangley, Castle Rock. It has cliffs and escarpments. The rock is sandstone. The type of sandstone it’s made of is called Castle Rock Sandstone!

It dominated a crossing point of the Trent. It had the river lean running directly beneath the cliff of the rock. Next to it were the Norman town and then the Saxon town. A passage called Mortimer’s Hole was cut from the Brewhouse Yard at the base of the rock to the castle probably around 1194 but you can use a bit of artistic licence and have it there earlier.

Why do I mention this for future film and TV show makers? Well if they can’t see the dramatic potential in putting the castle where it takes on a dramatic appearance and creates story possibilities and if they can’t see the fun in having cliffs, passageways and escarpments as well as fortifications to play with then they really need to go into another line of work.

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3 Responses to A Quick Note to the Makers of the Next Robin Hood

Mark Monday, October 9th, 2006

One small mistake during the civil war and we never hear the end of it from up North. Still at least they don't use a southern caste as a stand in ;-)

Kim Knox Saturday, October 7th, 2006

My gripe?

Do A Knight's Tale. Or don't.

As yet, not impressed.

darkdwarf Saturday, October 7th, 2006

For as long as I can remember Alnwick (pronounced an-nic) castle in Northumberland has usually doubled for Nottingham castle. Probably because us Geordies made much better fortifications, which is why it's still standing ;-)

I was OK with the first episode, mainly because I was prepared to enjoy the pantomime, but I'll probably start complaining after a few more. (Mental note - I must learn how to spin a sword over the back of my hand). Novelist Supermum hates it, but then she's still moaning that they were using stirrups in Gladiator - which reminds me that we both groaned when they replicated a classic scene from this film.

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