belleme vs gulnar - Robin of Sherwood (1984) Discussion

[–] Orpington 15 years ago

Belleme was far more sinister. Gulnar was too much of a pantomime villain.

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[–] 15 years ago

[deleted]

I'm not familiar with Belleme yet...

Gulnar really could have been expanded upon. He's such a mysterious character. During "Herne's Son" part 2, when he kept looking over at Marion and she kept looking at him, I thought I was seeing mental cues between them (like the whole "spell" was put on and Gulnar was planning on overthrowing Owen of Clun).
And that twitch at the end of one of his scenes...you know the one.

However that wasn't the case and Gulnar apparently just worshiped the ground Owen walked on. Rather pathetic really, since Owen was pretty much just a big oaf.

So I agree, Gulnar could have been expanded upon greatly.
But I guess that's what fanfiction is for, lol.

-Amanda

"She will remember your heart when men are fairy tales in storybooks written by rabbits"

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[–] auroracat-1 14 years ago

Belleme is in the very 1st two episodes and then again towards the end of season 2 (depending on your watching order) in Enchantment. Are you only watching season 3?

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[–] Witchytwo 14 years ago

Belleme was brilliant, a worthy opponent for Robin of Loxley.

Gulnar was just ridiculous, but fitted with the lacklustre performance of Robert of Huntingdon in series three.

The Witch is back!

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[–] am_buglet_82 14 years ago

Yeah, I've only seen Series 3 Part 1.

You have to get Part 1 and Part 2 separately on Amazon right now and I haven't gotten part Part 2 yet.

I will someday.
The problem is it's so expensive.

There are three Part 2's for sale on Amazon, two new and one used.
The used and one of the new is $34.99 and the other new one is $160.

I'm sorry, but $35.00 for half a season is too expensive for me right now....and $160's just ridiculous to me!

Series 1 and 2 are available on Netflix, though, so I'm going to check those out.

-Amanda

"She will remember your heart when men are fairy tales in storybooks written by rabbits"

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[–] auroracat-1 14 years ago

I got my introduction through Netflix. If you get the money and opportunity, buy the 3 season box set. The extras make it well worth the purchase.

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[–] Just_Call_Me_Nathan 14 years ago

My vote goes to the Baron. The man is creepy and unsettling to the extreme and his ice cold voice is enough to send shivers down the spine. Anthony Valentine captured his menace and his ruthlessness perfectly. Plus the fact that he was never satisfactorily killed off makes him even scarier (the closing scene of The Enchantment was a marvellous way to end the episode)

I felt that more could have been done with Gulnar. He was too over-the-top and his Gollum-like voice grated on me after a while. I personally think it would have been better if Richard O'Brien had kept his real voice. Ironically it was because of Richard O'Brien that I first watched Robin of Sherwood as I loved him in The Crystal Maze.

Incidentally I do like the Gulnar character. We really got to see what he could be like in Herne's Son and The Time of the Wolf - he too is a really sinister and somewhat mysterious character and you never really know how dangerous he can actually be and had he been given the chance to develop further he could have been a serious contender for the most effective villain.

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[–] 14 years ago

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[–] am_buglet_82 14 years ago

I finally broke down and shelled out the money for Part 2.

I too wish they'd fleshed Gulnar out more, because it would have been nice to see how he became the way he was...maybe given a flashback or something.
Was he possessed?
Or did the magic consume him?
And WHY was he so vengeful against Robin Hood?
Did he really worship Clun that much?

It would have been nice to delve more into those aspects.
I'm aware most people wouldn't care...they just want to see the villain get his comeuppance.

I'm just into character studies and also a Richard O'Brien fan :D.

-Amanda

"She will remember your heart when men are fairy tales in storybooks written by rabbits"

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[–] blackswan50 10 years ago

if I saw simon belleme id be scared

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[–] 10 years ago

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[–] frank-270 14 years ago

If you get the chance, watch Anthony Valentine play the evil Baron Gruner in The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes episode "The Illustrious Client" - an absolutely chilling performance, totally superb. He seems to like getting redheads in his power!

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[–] blackswan50 14 years ago

hes a good actor

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[–] 14 years ago

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[–] loyal_lumpling 14 years ago

Gulnar was far better! He always gets a cheer from me. Strange that the Baron just vanished though - he's all "You thought you could get rid of _me_?" ...and then never returns. Tehehe. He was epic, but gulnar's much more fun - faster paced and more entertaining. Plus it's very satisfying to see the writer of the Rocky Horror having a little Rocky moment making his clay Robin

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[–] ZoneFighter 14 years ago

The writers goofed. Gulnar knew his master was going to get killed and sent him to die, he obviously wanted him dead. Then they foolishly brought Gulnar back seeking revenge for having his wish granted.

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[–] loyal_lumpling 14 years ago

I dont think he was seeking revenge. He'd just taken over the men for his own purposes, which is in keeping with him wanting his master dead. I dont rememebr revenge being mentioned.

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[–] am_buglet_82 14 years ago

He spoke of revenge in Cromm Cruac...something about killing his master and humiliating Gulnar.

It was kind of confusing in Herne's Son part 2.
He'd obviously seen Owen's death, but sent him forward just as the gate fell.
Then he has a very dramatic "Nooooo!" moment right after.
It's like whataya want, Gulnar?

I don't know if he wanted Owen dead or not.
It's something to think about...

On a side note...Richard O'Brien has some very sexy legs (Time of the Wolf).

-Amanda

"She will remember your heart when men are fairy tales in storybooks written by rabbits"

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[–] MrEdnablackadder 7 years ago

Both were great characters and both actors gave great performances, but I ultimately found that the more mysterious nature of Belleme's magic was more intriguing. Gulnar did some really big stuff, such as creating a golem. With Belleme's spirit somehow surviving the death of his flesh we entered a more supernatural sphere and I found the end result to be eventually scarier and more disturbing and so perfectly in tune with the middle ages' darkness. It's a pity the character was never brought back, but he was after all, very much linked to the first Robin. After Locksley's death, it would've been more far fetched for him to seek revenge.

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[–] MrEdnablackadder 7 years ago

He'd obviously seen Owen's death, but sent him forward just as the gate fell.
Then he has a very dramatic "Nooooo!" moment right after.
It's like whataya want, Gulnar?

I don't know if he wanted Owen dead or not.
It's something to think about...

He'd seen someone getting crushed to death by the gate, not necessarily Owen. He may have hoped it would be Robert. He was obviously upset by Owen's death. You could argue that he should have blamed himself rather than Robert & co. for the accident, but that's not how villains reason. :-)

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