Question: When Little John is cutting everybody free from the gallows, he calls them milksops. Why was this word censored when it was shown on TV?
Question: Who exactly are the masked cult of which the Sheriff is a member, shown at the beginning when he unmasks and demands that Robin's father join them or die? If memory serves, the cult and the Sheriff's affiliation with them isn't referenced again at any point in the film. I know the Sheriff and the Witch are dark magic practitioners, but that was suggested to be a private thing between them in the bowels of the castle.
Chosen answer: The masked men weren't part of a cult, they were the Sheriff's soldiers, the same ones that Robin meets when he first returns home. They are just in hoods and masks to appear intimidating while trying to kill the noblemen, like Locksley.
Question: Mortianna is seen practicing some sort of magic, and in the extended addition we see the Sheriff "praying" (I think) in front of an upside-down crucifix. And he assures Mortianna that his true faith lies in the "old ways." I'm trying to figure out: Is this art Mortianna and the Sheriff practice supposed to be Devil worship? Black magic with no real base, that they just invented for the movie? A form of pre-Christian religion, e.g. something like the Druidic religions of pre-Roman Britain? For the life of me, I can't put my finger on it.
Answer: The white robes, reference to "the old ways", and pentagram across the map when the Sheriff meets the Barons suggests per-Christian Druidism; the upside down crucifix certainly implies Devil-worship. These two spiritual paths are, by nature, mutually exclusive. In short, a fictional pseudo-witchcraft invented for the film, yes.
Question: When Robin and Azeem are catapulted into the castle near the end, Will says something just after the go. I thought he said "Well BLOW me, they made it", but another site says that he swears, if he did the film wouldn't be a PG would it? And when the film was shown on the television, he didn't say anything. So does anyone know the actual line?
Answer: He says "Fuck me, he cleared it". However, this was most likely changed for other formats (TV, airline showings etc) to make it more family-friendly. The original is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CK8tyQZVfcc.
Question: What was Sheriff of Nottingham trying to do to Marian in the church, (when he's on top of her trying to hold her down)in the middle of their wedding? At first I thought he was trying to rape her but he would hardly do that in front of a priest in a church.
Answer: That's exactly what he's trying to do. He doesn't care what the priest thinks. He wants to consummate the marriage so it can't be considered invalid. A marriage could be annulled if a couple didn't consummate the marriage.
Question: On several occasions (just after he kills Mortiana, for example), Azeem calls Robin something which sounds like 'Sadji'. What is he actually saying, and what does it mean?
Answer: At the end, he says "sadiq", which is an Arabic word for "friend". I don't think he used it any other time, though. Remember that Azeem was only with Robin to fulfill his vow to save his life, not because they were friends. At the end, Azeem acknowledges they're friends even though his vow is fulfilled. If there's another scene where you heard the word, I'd be interested in knowing which one.
He says it when he asks Robin to help him when he is performing the caesarean, and just before Will comes back towards the end when they are covering Duncan. Not sure if there are any more.
He says it to him at least one other time when delivering the baby he says "help me Sadiq." When he says it when they bury Duncan "no Sadiq, it is you who gave pride to these people."
Answer: There's no reason it should be bleeped out, though maybe censors misinterpreted it. The word merely refers to someone who is weak or timid.
raywest ★