Sean Connery And Audrey Hepburn Starred In The Best Robin Hood Movie You've Never Seen

1976's "Robin and Marian" saw Audrey Hepburn return to moviemaking following an eight-year absence from the industry. The film, which also starred Sean Connery, was well-reviewed but remains somewhat overlooked, both in terms of the two stars' careers and in the history of movies based on the Robin Hood legend.

In 1967 Hepburn starred in Terence Young's terrifying Oscar-nominated thriller "Wait Until Dark." Then, she left show business behind. The "Roman Holiday" and "Breakfast at Tiffany's" star moved to Switzerland at what seemed like the height of her career. There, she devoted her time to her new husband, Italian psychiatrist Andrea Dotti, their son Luca Dotti, and her son from her previous marriage, Sean Hepburn Ferrer. Despite several attempts to coax her out of what would eventually prove to be semi-retirement, the actor remained committed to her family.

But in 1976, Hepburn finally returned to the big screen with "Robin and Marian." Directed by Richard Lester, the film paired Hepburn with Connery to tell the story of an aging Robin Hood who returns to Sherwood Forest and rekindles his love affair with Lady Marian. It wasn't quite the triumphant return many expected for Hepburn, as "Robin and Marian" barely made more than its budget. Overlooked though it may be, it is one of Audrey Hepburn's best films and critics liked the movie, with most praising the chemistry between she and Connery. Roger Ebert in particular found the two leads to be infinitely watchable, and in his three-star review wrote about how they "glow" and "really do seem in love." 

Tempting Hepburn back to filmmaking after her 1967 retirement wasn't exactly easy. As Terrence Young put it (per the Irish Independent), "First of all you spend a year or so convincing her to accept even the principle that she might make another movie in her life. Then you have to persuade her to read a script. Then you have to make her understand that it is a good script." Even after vaulting these hurdles, Young reported that Hepburn would be inclined to "just say she has to get back to her family."

Meanwhile, Richard Lester, who made his name with multiple comedies including the Beatles' "A Hard Day's Night" and "Help!" was gearing up to make his old man Robin Hood movie. Hepburn was intrigued by the project because everything else she'd been offered at the time had been "too kinky, too violent, or too young" (via Turner Classic Movies). Ultimately, the actor was convinced to return in order to "play somebody of [her] own age in something romantic and lovely."

The movie itself was certainly romantic, though Hepburn maintained that this was mainly due to her efforts to "defend the romance in the picture." Connery played an older Robin Hood who alongside his sidekick Little John (Nicol Williamson) returns to Sherwood after an absence of 20 years. There he finds his beloved Lady Marian (Hepburn) has become mother superior at a convent. But after Sheriff of Nottingham (Robert Shaw) orders her arrest, we get one final showdown between Robin Hood and his arch nemesis. It wasn't a perfect Audrey Hepburn movie, but "Robin and Marian" was an interesting take on the source material that gave its stars a chance to show off their palpable chemistry.

"Robin and Marian" wasn't a huge commercial success when it debuted in March 1976. The movie made between $8 million and $9 million on a $5 million budget but it was the reviews that made it a solid return for Audrey Hepburn.

Most effusive in his praise was Roger Ebert, who wrote that Connery and Hepburn "project as marvelously complex, fond, tender people; the passage of 20 years has given them grace and wisdom." Three years later, Ebert didn't mince words about Hepburn's forgotten thriller "Bloodline," which left him "totally appalled." But he was very complimentary about the actor's return to the big screen. In fact, Ebert wasn't too sure about "Robin and Marian" itself, which he felt had a muddled tone at times. But he loved Connery and Hepburn's performances, saying they saved the movie "from really losing its way."

Today, "Robin and Marian" holds a respectable 73% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes (though this is the site that claims Connery's made a perfect movie in "Darby O'Gill and the Little People"). It has also fared well on Letterboxd despite the fact it only has 12,463 logged views. Otherwise, the film that marked Hepburn's return has remained somewhat overlooked since its original release, making it one of the best Robin Hood movies you've never seen. The film is available to rent from all the usual platforms, and is well worth a watch not only for being Hepburn's first movie following an eight-year absence from Hollywood, but for her and Connery's undeniable chemistry and the fact that Richard Lester tried to do something a little different with the myth that had been, and would go on to be retold thousands of times.