``Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves'' The three ``Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves'' and the strange relationship between the two Kevins

What does <Production Consultant> mean?

Kevin Costner's name is credited in the end credits of "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" under the unfamiliar title of "Production Consultant." This is related to a feud that occurred during filming. The film had a production budget of $48 million and hundreds of staff members. And the unfamiliar overseas filming in England and France, far from his home country, was a burden for director Kevin Reynolds. Furthermore, Kevin Costner, who had experience as a "director" in "Dances with Wolves," had begun to argue with Reynolds over direction. Reynolds, who had no track record as a director, owed him the title "because of Costner's recommendation," and he also felt that he was "unwanted" by the film company. It was clear that Morgan Creek had offered the condition that Reynolds, his friend, would direct in order to lure Costner away from 20th Century Fox.

As filming progressed, the relationship between Kevin Costner and director Kevin Reynolds deteriorated. For example, Costner led the crew in directing and filming the scene where Robin returns from the Crusades, while Reynolds filmed scenes that could be done without Costner. Reynolds also recalled that he was advised to step back from editing. In an interview the year after Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves was released, he admitted, "Sadly, the friendship between us is not what it once was." The "Production Consultant" credit was, so to speak, a stamp that Costner "directed some scenes" in order to take responsibility for the directing aspects.

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves(c)Photofest / Getty Images

However, "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" is full of "cinematic charm" that can only be found in an era when CG and digital technology were not yet developed, such as the unique shot of the subjective view of the arrow that has never been seen before, the magnificent location, and the heavy soundtrack by Michael Kamen using an orchestra. After this film, the "two Kevins" worked together as producer (Costner) and director (Reynolds) on "The Mystery of the Moai" (1994), and their relationship deteriorated further due to a dispute over the direction of " Waterworld " (1995). The discord between the two continued for 17 years until they reunited in the 2012 TV miniseries "The Hatfields and the McCoys."

This makes one wonder, "What would have happened if Kevin Costner had accepted the offer to do the 20th Century Fox version, or if he had taken on the TriStar version?" and makes one think about the friendship between the "two Kevins."

【source】

・Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves theater pamphlet

・"The Kevin Costner Story" by Kelvan Cadys, translated by Chisaho Oobi (published by Shinko Music)

・"60 Years of Billboard Annual Chart Records 1955-2014" (Kyodo News)

・BOX OFFICE MOJO 『 DEEP IMPACT 』 『 ARMAGEDDON 』

Text: Takeo Matsuzaki

Film critic Graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts, Graduate School of Film and New Media, majoring in film. After working on TV and movie sets, he turned to writing specialized in movies. Currently appearing on TV, radio, and online distribution programs such as ``Plus'' and ``Japan Group.'' He has contributed numerous articles to ``Kinema Junpo'', ``ELLE'', movie theater pamphlets, etc. Currently, he is a member of the Kinema Junpo Best Ten selection committee, a judge for the ELLE Cinema Awards, the Tanabe Benkei Film Festival, and the Creators Factory section of the Kyoto International Film Festival. Co-authored “Modern Movie Terminology Dictionary” (Kinema Junposha) and others.

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