Princess of Thieves
Encyclopedia
Princess of Thieves is a romantic action-adventure TV movie starring Keira Knightley
, produced by Granada Productions
in 2001
and first broadcast on The Wonderful World of Disney on ABC
in the United States
that same year. Co-starring in the film are Malcolm McDowell
as the Sheriff, Jonathan Hyde
as Prince John, Stuart Wilson as Robin Hood, Del Synnott
as Froderick, and Stephen Moyer
as Philip. The movie was directed by Peter Hewitt
and filmed in Romania
.
stars in this made-for-TV Disney adventure that puts a spin on an often-told story. The film picks up years after the "known" events of the Robin Hood
legend, centering on Robin's daughter, Gwyn, played by Knightley. As Maid Marian
has died and Robin Hood (Stuart Wilson
) is perpetually away battling in the Crusades
, Gwyn has lived much of her life alone. She has grown up to be a strong-willed young woman with a talent for archery
, much like her father. Her only friend is the sweet but plain Froderick (Del Synnott
), who clearly is in love with her. Upon the death of Richard the Lionheart, Robin returns to see that the proper man takes Richard's place as king of England. However, Robin is quickly foiled and imprisoned by his enemies, the Sheriff of Nottingham (Malcolm McDowell
) and Prince John (Jonathan Hyde
).
It is then up to Gwyn to save the day. She must complete Robin's mission to find and protect the young Prince Philip (Stephen Moyer
), who has just returned from exile in France to claim the throne — not an easy task since he has decided to forsake his true identity and is traveling anonymously under his valet
's name (who died en-route protecting his prince). Though she does fortuitously cross paths with the prince, she is not aware of his identity for much of the film. With a romantic spark budding between them, they must find the Merry Men
and join forces to free her father from the tortures of the Tower of London
before the evil Prince John ascends to the throne and brings England to ruin. After freeing her father, Gwyn along with her father and Prince Philip stop the coronation of Prince John.
In the end when Philip is about to be crowned as king, Gwyn with a heavy heart tells him that she can only serve and work for him and they cannot be together. Gwyn joins her father and works alongside him.
Keira Knightley
Keira Christina Knightley born 26 March 1985) is an English actress and model. She began acting as a child and came to international notice in 2002 after co-starring in the film Bend It Like Beckham...
, produced by Granada Productions
Granada Productions
Granada Productions was a British commercial television production and distribution company. The company took its name from the successful ITV franchise, Granada Television....
in 2001
2001 in television
The year 2001 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 2001.-Events:-Debuts:-1940s:*Meet the Press .*Candid Camera .*CBS Evening News ....
and first broadcast on The Wonderful World of Disney on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
that same year. Co-starring in the film are Malcolm McDowell
Malcolm McDowell
Malcolm McDowell is an English actor with a career spanning over forty years.McDowell is principally known for his roles in the controversial films If...., O Lucky Man!, A Clockwork Orange and Caligula...
as the Sheriff, Jonathan Hyde
Jonathan Hyde
Jonathan Hyde is an Australian-born English actor, well known for his roles as J. Bruce Ismay, the managing director of the White Star Line in Titanic, Egyptologist Allen Chamberlain in The Mummy and Sam Parrish/Van Pelt, the hunter in Jumanji. He is married to the Scottish soprano Isobel Buchanan...
as Prince John, Stuart Wilson as Robin Hood, Del Synnott
Del Synnott
Del Synnott is a British actor, perhaps best known for playing Froderick in Princess of Thieves and DC Alan Carter in Murphy's Law...
as Froderick, and Stephen Moyer
Stephen Moyer
Stephen Moyer is an English actor who has starred as vampire Bill Compton in the HBO series True Blood since 2008.-Early life and career:Moyer was born in Brentwood, Essex...
as Philip. The movie was directed by Peter Hewitt
Peter Hewitt (film director)
-Filmography:*The Maiden Heist *Chuckle Bears *Zoom **aka Zoom: Academy for Superheroes*Garfield **aka Garfield: The Movie*Thunderpants *Princess of Thieves...
and filmed in Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
.
Synopsis
Keira KnightleyKeira Knightley
Keira Christina Knightley born 26 March 1985) is an English actress and model. She began acting as a child and came to international notice in 2002 after co-starring in the film Bend It Like Beckham...
stars in this made-for-TV Disney adventure that puts a spin on an often-told story. The film picks up years after the "known" events of the Robin Hood
Robin Hood
Robin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....
legend, centering on Robin's daughter, Gwyn, played by Knightley. As Maid Marian
Maid Marian
Maid Marian is the wife of the legendary English outlaw Robin Hood. Stemming from another, older tradition, she became associated with Robin Hood only in the 16th century.-History:The earliest medieval Robin Hood stories gave him no female companion...
has died and Robin Hood (Stuart Wilson
Stuart Wilson
Stuart Wilson is an English actor.-Early life:Wilson was born in Guildford, Surrey, to an RAF family, and consequently had a varied educational history. Having relocated to London, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. After leaving Royal Academy of Dramatic Art he played in theatres...
) is perpetually away battling in the Crusades
Crusades
The Crusades were a series of religious wars, blessed by the Pope and the Catholic Church with the main goal of restoring Christian access to the holy places in and near Jerusalem...
, Gwyn has lived much of her life alone. She has grown up to be a strong-willed young woman with a talent for archery
Archery
Archery is the art, practice, or skill of propelling arrows with the use of a bow, from Latin arcus. Archery has historically been used for hunting and combat; in modern times, however, its main use is that of a recreational activity...
, much like her father. Her only friend is the sweet but plain Froderick (Del Synnott
Del Synnott
Del Synnott is a British actor, perhaps best known for playing Froderick in Princess of Thieves and DC Alan Carter in Murphy's Law...
), who clearly is in love with her. Upon the death of Richard the Lionheart, Robin returns to see that the proper man takes Richard's place as king of England. However, Robin is quickly foiled and imprisoned by his enemies, the Sheriff of Nottingham (Malcolm McDowell
Malcolm McDowell
Malcolm McDowell is an English actor with a career spanning over forty years.McDowell is principally known for his roles in the controversial films If...., O Lucky Man!, A Clockwork Orange and Caligula...
) and Prince John (Jonathan Hyde
Jonathan Hyde
Jonathan Hyde is an Australian-born English actor, well known for his roles as J. Bruce Ismay, the managing director of the White Star Line in Titanic, Egyptologist Allen Chamberlain in The Mummy and Sam Parrish/Van Pelt, the hunter in Jumanji. He is married to the Scottish soprano Isobel Buchanan...
).
It is then up to Gwyn to save the day. She must complete Robin's mission to find and protect the young Prince Philip (Stephen Moyer
Stephen Moyer
Stephen Moyer is an English actor who has starred as vampire Bill Compton in the HBO series True Blood since 2008.-Early life and career:Moyer was born in Brentwood, Essex...
), who has just returned from exile in France to claim the throne — not an easy task since he has decided to forsake his true identity and is traveling anonymously under his valet
Valet
Valet and varlet are terms for male servants who serve as personal attendants to their employer.- Word origins :In the Middle Ages, the valet de chambre to a ruler was a prestigious appointment for young men...
's name (who died en-route protecting his prince). Though she does fortuitously cross paths with the prince, she is not aware of his identity for much of the film. With a romantic spark budding between them, they must find the Merry Men
Merry Men
The Merry Men are the group of outlaws who followed Robin Hood, according to English folklore. An early use of the phrase "merry men" occurs in the oldest known Robin Hood ballad, "Robin Hood and the Monk", which survives in a manuscript completed around 1450. The word "merry" in this and other...
and join forces to free her father from the tortures of the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
before the evil Prince John ascends to the throne and brings England to ruin. After freeing her father, Gwyn along with her father and Prince Philip stop the coronation of Prince John.
In the end when Philip is about to be crowned as king, Gwyn with a heavy heart tells him that she can only serve and work for him and they cannot be together. Gwyn joins her father and works alongside him.
Trivia
- Knightley had to learn to shoot a bow for this film; this skill would come in handy again a few years later when she appeared in King ArthurKing Arthur (film)King Arthur is a 2004 film directed by Antoine Fuqua and written by David Franzoni. It stars Clive Owen as the title character, Ioan Gruffudd as Lancelot, and Keira Knightley as Guinevere....
playing another bow-carrying heroine. - The character of Little JohnLittle JohnLittle John was a legendary fellow outlaw of Robin Hood, and was said to be Robin's chief lieutenant and second-in-command of the Merry Men.-Folklore:He appears in the earliest recorded Robin Hood ballads and stories...
is the only major member of the Merry MenMerry MenThe Merry Men are the group of outlaws who followed Robin Hood, according to English folklore. An early use of the phrase "merry men" occurs in the oldest known Robin Hood ballad, "Robin Hood and the Monk", which survives in a manuscript completed around 1450. The word "merry" in this and other...
not accounted for in this story. - Phillip was a real person, but he was an illegitimate son of Richard I. He could not claim the throne, and before his death, Richard had left instructions that John was to inherit the throne even though their nephew, Arthur I, Duke of BrittanyArthur I, Duke of BrittanyArthur I was Duke of Brittany between 1194 and 1202. He was the posthumous son of Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany and Constance, Duchess of Brittany...
, had a better claim. Arthur was the son of their late brother Geoffrey II, Duke of BrittanyGeoffrey II, Duke of BrittanyGeoffrey II, Duke of Brittany and Earl of Richmond was Duke of Brittany between 1181 and 1186, through his marriage with the heiress Constance. Geoffrey was the fourth son of King Henry II of England and Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine.-Family:He was a younger maternal half-brother of Marie de...
who was the middle brother. - Richard I reigned for only 10 years (July 6, 1189 to April 6, 1199). Given the ages of the characters, it would be impossible for the Robin Hood / Prince John feud to span two generations with Richard as rightful king. The plot of Princess of Thieves would have to take place years into John's reign.
Characters
- Keira KnightleyKeira KnightleyKeira Christina Knightley born 26 March 1985) is an English actress and model. She began acting as a child and came to international notice in 2002 after co-starring in the film Bend It Like Beckham...
- Gwyn, the daughter of Robin of LocksleyLocksleyLocksley may refer to:* Robin of Locksley , a 1996 television movie* Locksley , an American rock band* Locksley, New South Wales* Locksley, Victoria* Locksley railway station, Victoria* Locksley , a Pennsylvania train station...
, aka Robin Hood, and Maid Marian - Stephen MoyerStephen MoyerStephen Moyer is an English actor who has starred as vampire Bill Compton in the HBO series True Blood since 2008.-Early life and career:Moyer was born in Brentwood, Essex...
- Prince Philip, illegitimate son of Richard the Lionheart - Stuart WilsonStuart WilsonStuart Wilson is an English actor.-Early life:Wilson was born in Guildford, Surrey, to an RAF family, and consequently had a varied educational history. Having relocated to London, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. After leaving Royal Academy of Dramatic Art he played in theatres...
- Robin of Locksely, a.k.a. Robin Hood - Del SynnottDel SynnottDel Synnott is a British actor, perhaps best known for playing Froderick in Princess of Thieves and DC Alan Carter in Murphy's Law...
- Froderick, a young man who has grown up with Gwyn; he is studying to be a churchman - Malcolm McDowellMalcolm McDowellMalcolm McDowell is an English actor with a career spanning over forty years.McDowell is principally known for his roles in the controversial films If...., O Lucky Man!, A Clockwork Orange and Caligula...
- Sheriff of Nottingham, Robin Hood's mortal enemy - Jonathan HydeJonathan HydeJonathan Hyde is an Australian-born English actor, well known for his roles as J. Bruce Ismay, the managing director of the White Star Line in Titanic, Egyptologist Allen Chamberlain in The Mummy and Sam Parrish/Van Pelt, the hunter in Jumanji. He is married to the Scottish soprano Isobel Buchanan...
- Prince John, Richard the Lionheart's younger brother who attempts to steal the throne of England - Crispin Letts - Will Scarlett, Robin Hood's loyal friend and companion
Production credits
- Director - Peter HewittPeter Hewitt (film director)-Filmography:*The Maiden Heist *Chuckle Bears *Zoom **aka Zoom: Academy for Superheroes*Garfield **aka Garfield: The Movie*Thunderpants *Princess of Thieves...
- Executive Producers - Susan B. Landau, Robert Rovner, Jon Cowan, Antony Root
- Art Director - Cristian Niculescu
- Second Unit Director - Mary Soan
- Composer (Music Score) - Rupert Gregson Williams
- Editor - Sue Wyatt
- Producer - Bill Leather
- Production Designer - Chris Roope
- Screenwriter - Robin Lerner
External links
- Princess of Thieves - Robin Hood Spotlight A review of the film and an analysis of historical and legendary background, including a feature on Robin Hood's children