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Robin Hood: Men in Tights: Difference between revisions
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{{work}}
[[File:robinhoodmenintights.jpg|
|'''The Merry Men'''}}
Really, it was only a matter of time before [[Mel Brooks]] turned his sights on the venerable legend of [[Robin Hood]] and completely shredded it (again - see ''[[When Things Were Rotten]]''). This anachronistic, irreverent romp through one of the best-known tales of the Western world runs roughshod over classic and modern adaptations alike, aiming most of its quips at Kevin Costner's ''[[Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves|Prince of Thieves]]'' version but getting in a good many jabs at the classic [[Errol Flynn]] ''[[The Adventures of Robin Hood (
▲{{quote|We're ''men''<br />
▲We're ''men in tights'',<br />
▲Always on guard,<br />
▲Defending the people's rights!|'''The Merry Men'''}}
And unlike some ''other'' Robin Hoods, ''this'' one has an English accent! (Instead of an [[Errol Flynn|Australian]], [[Russell Crowe|New Zealand]], or [[Kevin Costner|American]] one, that is. [[It Will Never Catch On]].)▼
▲Really, it was only a matter of time before [[Mel Brooks]] turned his sights on the venerable legend of [[Robin Hood]] and completely shredded it (again - see ''[[When Things Were Rotten]]''). This anachronistic, irreverent romp through one of the best-known tales of the Western world runs roughshod over classic and modern adaptations alike, aiming most of its quips at Kevin Costner's ''[[Robin Hood Prince of Thieves|Prince of Thieves]]'' version but getting in a good many jabs at the classic [[Errol Flynn]] ''[[The Adventures of Robin Hood (Film)|The Adventures of Robin Hood]]'' as well.
▲And unlike some ''other'' Robin Hoods, ''this'' one has an English accent! (Instead of an [[Errol Flynn|Australian]], [[Russell Crowe|New Zealand]], or [[Kevin Costner|American]] one, that is. [[It Will Never Catch On]].)
----
{{tropenamer}}
* [[Bad News in a Good Way]]
* [[
{{tropelist}}
* [[Abhorrent Admirer]]: Latrine. Even her ''cardboard picture'' of Rottingham ends up cringing.
* [[Accidental Aiming Skills]]: "To tell you the truth, I was aiming for the hangman!"
* [[Actor Allusion]]: [[History of the World Part One|"It's good to be the king!"]]
** Dick Van Patten (apart from being part of Mel Brooks' [[Production Posse]]) was likely cast as the Abbot as a [[Shout
* [[Affectionate Parody]]: [[Mel Brooks]]' raison d'etre.
** The sheer number of [[Shout
* [[Aliens of London]]
* [[All Women Are Lustful]]: Brumhilda immediately tries to pick up on Little John and Maid Marian seemed REALLY pissed when she found out the Chastity Belt wouldn't open. And let's not even get started on Latrine.
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* [[Anachronism Stew]]: [[Rule of Funny|Because it's]] ''[[Rule of Funny|funny]]''[[Rule of Funny|, dammit!]]
* [[Angrish]]: The Sheriff of Rottingham, numerous times. Normally he just transposes two words ("Over that boy hand"), or swaps syllables of words ("Struckey has loxed again") when mildly annoyed. But watching Robin and Marian kiss at the ball causes him to rant out the following sentence with every single word out of order.
{{quote|
* [[Arrow Cam]]: Parodied.
* [[Arrow Catch]]: See [[Disability Superpower]] below.
* [[Arrows
{{quote|
"LEAVE US ALONE, MEL BROOKS!" }}
* [[Automatic Crossbows]]: Used by a sniper, complete with laser sight and [[Noisy Guns|lots of clicking.]]
** Not to mention [[IKEA Weaponry|a long assembly sequence]].
* [[Award Bait Song]]: "Marian" is a parody of the [[Disney Animated Canon]] award bait, especially with the soft rock cover of it that plays over the credits, which was a quite common of various animated [[Award Bait Song|award bait songs]] at the time (such as [[Celine Dion]] & Peabo Bryson's version of ''[[Beauty and
** It also may be more directly parodying Bryan Adams' "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You" from [[Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves]].
* [[Badass Back]]: Accidentally.
{{quote|
* [[Bait and Switch Comparison]]: At the feast after Robin deposits a hog on Prince John's table.
{{quote|
'''Robin:'''"No, that's a wild pig." (Points at Prince John) "''That's'' a wild bore!" }}
* [[Big Damn Heroes]]: Robin's crews came to his rescue just as [[It Makes Sense in Context|a chandelier fell on him]] during his fight with the Sheriff's guards.
* [[Bishonen]]: Will [[Gone
* [[Blade Lock]]: Subverted.
* [[Blind Mistake]]: Blinkin's entire reason for being.
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* [[Camera Abuse]]: The camera moving in on Marian singing in the bath crashes through a window before sheepishly retreating. Also, the Abbott's staff smashing into the camera lens.
* [[Captain Obvious]]:
{{quote|
"They call me Little John. Oh, but [[Ironic Nickname|don't let my name fool you]]; in real life, I'm very big." }}
* [[Cardboard Prison]]: Parodied (as with everything else) in the intro, with the Robin and Ahsneeze escaping from Le Dungeon within five minutes of Robin getting tossed in.
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* [[Celebrity Paradox]]: At one point, they pull out the script to see what happens next.
** Or during the wedding:
{{quote|
'''Abbot:''' Good morrow.
'''Person in Crowd:''' Good morrow, Abbot.
'''Abbot:''' Good morrow.
'''Person in Crowd:''' Heeeeey [[Abbott and Costello|Abbbboooot!]]
'''Abbot:''' ...I ''hate'' that guy! }}
* [[Character Filibuster]]: Played for laughs.
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* [[Combat Breakdown]]: Damn substandard quarterstaves...
* [[Cool and Unusual Punishment]]: As punishment for his treachery, King Richard names all the toilets [[Did Not Do the Bloody Research|in England]] after Prince John, then has him locked in the Tower of London and makes him part of the tour.
* [[Cough
** *cough* Bullshit! *cough*
* [[Creator Cameo]]: [[Mel Brooks]] as a Jewish rabbi selling sacramental wine.
{{quote|
* [[Creepy Changing Painting]]: [[Played for Laughs]] with the sheriff's cardboard cutout.
* [[Deus Angst Machina]]: Parodied.
* [[Disability Superpower]]: Blinkin.
{{quote|
"Right-o, Blinkin, very good."
"Pardon? Who's talking?" }}
** Don't forget when he beats the ''hell'' out of that pillar. For a blind man, Blinkin is ''really, '''really''' fast''.
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** Possibly justified in that younger audiences might not have seen ''Blazing Saddles''.
* [[The Duenna]]: Broomhilde.
* [[Easy Come, Easy Go]]: "I CAN ''SEE''!" [''CRASH!''] "No, I was wrong."
* [[Embarrassing First Name]]: Mervyn, the Sheriff of Rottingham.
* [[Everybody's Dead, Dave]]: Mercilessly parodying a similar scene in ''Prince of Thieves''.
{{quote|
'''Blinkin:''' I thought it felt a bit drafty. Cor, this never would have happened if your father was alive.
'''Robin Hood:''' He's dead?
'''Blinkin:''' Yes.
'''Robin Hood:''' And my mother?
'''Blinkin:''' She died of pneumonia while... oh, you were away...
'''Robin Hood:''' My brothers?
'''Blinkin:''' There were all killed by the plague.
'''Robin Hood:''' [sounding a little sadder] My dog, Pongo?
'''Blinkin:''' Run over by a carriage.
'''Robin Hood:''' [sounding a little more hopeful] My goldfish, Goldie?
'''Blinkin:''' Eaten by the cat.
'''Robin Hood:''' [on the verge of tears] My cat?
'''Blinkin:''' Choked on the goldfish.
[[[Beat]]]
'''Blinkin:''' Oh, it's good to be home, ain't it, Master Robin? }}
* [[Exact Words]]: ''Constantly''.
{{quote|
''[a soldier runs up and hits him in the back two times]''
'''Atchoo''': Your back just got punched twice. }}
** "Lend me your ears!"
* [[Expy]]: Cary Elwes is essentially playing [[The Princess Bride (
* [[Eye of Newt]]: And Latrine's [[Lethal Chef|the cook...]]
* [[Fake Brit]]: Strangely enough, averted with Robin Hood. That's because unlike [[Kevin Costner|some other Robin Hoods]], [[Lampshade Hanging|this one's can speak with an English accent.]]
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* [[False Reassurance]]: Semantics, semantics...
* [[Fanfare]]: The Sheriff gets a hilarious one, played without trumpets.
{{quote|
** During the archery tournament, trumpets are played directly into Prince John's ears.
* [[Fate Worse Than Death]]: The Sheriff of Rottingham's fate is to spend the rest of his life with Latrine.
* [[Flynning]]: Parodied, played straight, and then spanked like a naughty child.
* [[Fun
* [[Gag Penis]]: By way of a suggestive shadow puppet and a scabbard. It makes the Merry Men burst into spontaneous applause.
* [[Gesundheit]]: A common gag regarding Ahchoo.
* [[Glove Slap]]:
{{quote|
''(Sheriff slaps Robin Hood across the face with his glove. Robin then grabs a gauntlet from a suit of armor and slaps the Sheriff back, flooring him.)''
'''Robin Hood''': I accept! }}
* [[Godiva Hair]]: Maid Marian, coming out of the bath.
* [[Groin Attack]]: Unintentional on Blinkin's part:
{{quote|
'''Blinkin''': How do you do? ''(reaches out to shake Achoo's hand, but ends up hitting him in the happy spot)''
'''Achoo''' ''(in much pain)'': I've been better. }}
** Another unintentional one when Robin "accidentally" finds Maid Marian's chastity belt.
{{quote|
'''Robin''': [''in pain''] I'll bet.. }}
* [[Have I Mentioned I Am Heterosexual Today?]]
{{quote|
* [[Home Guard]]: The Sheriff and his men. Robin takes a [[Take That|cheap shot]] at the Sheriff, who seized his family's property while Robin was fighting in the Crusades.
{{quote|
'''Crowd:''' ''Oooooooohh...'' }}
* [[Incessant Music Madness]]: Prince John calls for the knights to stop Robin and his men. About 50 men in suits of armor start marching into the room from all sides, the clanging of their armor getting louder and louder and louder. After several minutes of this, Prince John, who has taken refuge under a table and is holding his ears, says, "I hope this is worth THE NOISE!!!"
* [[I Have You Now, My Pretty]]: ... too bad about the chastity belt, though.
{{quote|
"No matter what you do, I shall ''never submi-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-it!''" }}
* [[I Know Kung Faux]]:
{{quote|
'''Ahchoo''': You're ''looking'' at him. }}
* [[Improbable Aiming Skills]]: Subverted. [[Rule of Three|He was aiming for the hangman.]]
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** The laser-guided "Patriot Arrow."
** This exchange:
{{quote|
'''Blinkin:''' Did you say ''Abe Lincoln?'' }}
** Latrine's "magic pill that can '''save''' your '''life'''"...one guess as to what it is.
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* [[Innocent Innuendo]]: See [[Gag Penis]], above.
* [[Insurmountable Waist High Fence]]: The bridge that Little John guards, spanning a stream that's only a few inches wide and deep.
** Ahchoo [[Lampshade Hanging|notices this]] and tries to explain it to Robin. Robin tells him it's [[Honor Before Reason|"the principle of the thing."]]
* [[It Will Never Catch On]]:
{{quote|
"Hey, why not? It worked in [[Blazing Saddles]]..." }}
* [[Knife Nut]]: Will Scarlet.
* [[Knife Outline]]: Using [[More Dakka|six arrows]], fired all at once.
* [[Knighting]]: One of the few things played straight. Robin Hood gets knighted by King Richard after the climax.
* [[Land in
* [[Large Ham]]: King Richard. This should come as no shock, though, being played by [[Patrick Stewart]]. Prior to him, the Sheriff handles the rest of the movie's hamminess; more than half his lines are either intensely sinister whispers or resounding shouts.
* [[Last
* [[Left the Background Music On]]: When Robin sings "The Night is Young" to Marian, some of the Merry Men join in as the background music. Marian keeps turning her head every time they pitch in, wondering where it's coming from.
* [[Malcolm Xerox]]: Ahchoo's [[Rousing Speech]] to the villagers.
* [[Mistaken for Gay]]: Rabbi Tuckman mistakenly labels all of the Merry Men as this upon their first meeting.
{{quote|
'''Robin Hood''': No, we're straight. Just...merry. }}
* [[Misplaced Wildlife]]: Like everything else in the movie, intentional and played for laughs. The fox they use to send a message<ref>i.e. a pun on "to fax"</ref> is a grey fox, which aren't native to England. To add to the absurdity, it makes the sound of [[Flipper]] as it runs off.
* [[Moment Killer]]: Marian's nursemaid. That's her ''job''. And, of course, a shout out to ''[[
* [[Multishot]]: Featured on the posters.
* [[Name's the Same]]:
{{quote|
'''Abbot:''' I hate that guy! }}
** [[Don't Explain the Joke|And here's the kicker: the random guy looks like Lou Costello. Get it?]]
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* [[Offhand Backhand]]: Do You Know Praying Mantis?
* [[One-Scene Wonder]]: [[Patrick Stewart]] as [[Richard the Lion Heart|Richard the Lionhearted]].
{{quote|
* [[Pig Latin]]: Or, the New Latin used by the Abbot.
{{quote|
* [[Piss
* [[Precision F-Strike]]: When Blinkin is trying to get down from the observation tower, he ends up knocking over the ladder, which he only discovers after leaning forward to grab it.
{{quote|
* [[Production Posse]]: Dick Van Patten and Dom De Luise return.
* [[Produce Pelting]]: At Robin, after he actually ''loses'' an archery contest.
{{quote|
* [[Promise Me You Won't X]]: "All right. I promise you won't go."
* [[Rage Against the Author]]: The villagers in the opening sequence yell at [[Mel Brooks]] for burning down their village - ''again''.
Line 209 ⟶ 208:
* [[Rousing Speech]]: Subverted and played straight, in that order.
* [[Running Gag]]: Robin lapsing into long-winded speeches, him and Maid Marian being prevented from kissing, people mistaking Achoo's name for a sneeze, the Sheriff's dyslexia, Prince John's mole moving around his face......
{{quote|
* [[Scarpia Ultimatum]]
* [[Sequel Snark]]: The rapping [[Greek Chorus]] jokes about reappearing in ''Robin Hood 2''.
Line 216 ⟶ 215:
* [[Shoot the Rope]]: [[Overly Long Gag|Not what he was aiming at.]]
* [[Shotgun Wedding]]: Marian volunteers for one with Rottingham to save Robin from the gallows. Later, Rabbi Tuckman seems to think that Robin's gotten Marian pregnant (it's actually to get Broomhilde to quit cockblocking):
{{quote|
* [[Shout
{{quote|
"Hey, why not? It worked in ''[[Blazing Saddles]]''." }}
** Also, that hangman sure looks familiar...
** Also:
{{quote|
[[Young Frankenstein|"I have a mole?"]] }}
** And...
{{quote|
** Don't forget the screaming kid:
{{quote|
* [[Something Else Also Rises]]: The moonlight serenade.
* [[Spiritual Successor]]: To ''[[When Things Were Rotten]]''.
* [[Stop Drowning and Stand Up]]: In about an inch of water.
* [[Sword Over Head]]
* [[Sword Sparks]]: Lampshaded.
* [[Take That]]: To ''Prince Of Thieves'', most obviously in the line: "Unlike other Robin Hoods, ''I'' can speak with an English accent."
** The Italian version says: I'm not someone who [[Dances
** The German version has him say that he doesn't cost ("[[Kevin Costner|Kosten]]") the producers several million.
* [[Theme Tune Rap]]
* [[Throwing Down the Gauntlet]]: Parodied: the Sheriff of Rottingham slaps Robin with a glove to challenge him to a duel, and Robin counters with an ''actual'' gauntlet by way of accepting the challenge. Rottingham then lays out the terms of the duel, which happen to include [[Just You and Me
* [[Throw It In]]: The part where Achoo pumps up his sneakers during a fight came about because Dave Chapelle happened to be wearing the shoes on set along with his costume. At first Mel Brooks pointed out that they were '''somewhat''' anachronistic but decided to make a joke about it.
* [[Title Drop]]: A funny variation.
{{quote|
* [[Training the Peaceful Villagers]]: Parodied.
* [[Trick Arrow]]: Laser-guided Patriot Arrow.
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*** <del>Gesundheit.</del> '''BLESS YOU!!!'''
* [[Villains Want Mercy]]: Prince John tries to beg his way out of trouble with King Richard.
{{quote|
'''Merry Men''': (''[[Cough
* [[Visual Innuendo]]: The moonlight serenade.
* [[Visual Pun]]: Look closely the magic pill Latrine gives the Sheriff to "save his life."<ref> For British viewers, what you call Polo mints are called Life Savers in the States.</ref>
** Also,
{{quote|
[''cue inevitable joke'']
"...that's disgusting." }}
* [[Walk This Way]]: Led by the Sheriff of Rottingham after the archery contest.
* [[Wedding Deadline]]
* [[We Will Meet Again]]: Parodied and subverted.
{{quote|
''(Robin does his [[Knife Outline|six arrows at once thing]], pinning him to the tree)''
'''Thug''' ''(sheepishly)'': You've seen the last of us. }}
* [[What Are You in For?]]
* [[Whatever]]: "Hold this, Father." "Rabbi." / [[Ironic Echo|"Thank you, your majesty, here's your knife." "Sword."]]
* [[What Happened to
** Or, for that matter, the potion she promised John to poison Robin.
* [[Yiddish
* [[You Fight Like a Cow]]
* [[You Haven't Seen the Last of X]]: Parodied.
{{reflist}}
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
[[Category:Films of the 1990s]]
[[Category:Mel Brooks (Creator)]]▼
[[Category:Robin Hood Men In Tights]]▼
[[Category:Film]]
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