Thirty-five years ago, two films about the legend of Robin Hood – stealer from the rich, giver to the poor – met and duelled in cinemas; we all know who won, Kevin Costner’s big-budget blockbuster, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. But what about the other one? It was titled simply Robin Hood, directed by John Irvin and starring Patrick Bergin in the title role alongside a pre-Pulp Fiction Uma Thurman as Maid Marian.

“It was very much a stand-alone film with the aim of giving Kevin Costner’s version a good kicking if we could,” says Irvin, now 85. “The studio wanted to go immediately because they wanted to pre-empt the Costner.”

Ironically, this Robin Hood might never have existed if it weren’t for Costner’s heavily Americanised version, released two months after Irvin’s film in 1991.

Before being appointed as chair of 20th Century Fox in 1989, American film executive Joe Roth had been developing a Robin Hood movie. Unable to bring the project with him to Fox, it was picked up by Warner Bros and became Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. So Roth quickly greenlit a rival film, with Irvin drafted into the director’s chair, the latter having achieved mainstream attention for directing Alec Guinness in the celebrated miniseries Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

“I didn’t get involved in that mess, I just put my head down. Politics were left to the producers and executives,” Irvin said.

A three-month shoot began in October 1990 with principal photography taking place at Peckforton Castle in Cheshire – a Victorian country house built in the medieval style – as well as nearby salt mines, and the lush greenery of Gwynedd in north Wales. Irvin admitted: “The production was tricky. It was cold and wet. It was winter, so Robin Hood couldn’t be in ‘Merry England’. All the trees were bare, so nobody could hide and ambush people.

“Quite serendipitously, we found in Cheshire, near the castle, a whole warren of salt mines. I thought it was perfect because it was underground. It was my attempt to give a more honest version of Robin Hood during the middle ages. Around the time of the film there were poll tax [protests] in England. There is a sort of underlying current of anti-Thatcherism in the movie, which was picked up by one or two critics. We tried, without being too on-the-nose, to make it relevant to Thatcher’s England. It was subversive, but in a very, I hope, subtle and nuanced way.”

The movie’s plot see’s Bergin’s forest man challenge Norman rule in 12th-century England, which was overseen by Bond villain Jeroen Krabbé and perennial action heavy Jürgen Prochnow – the latter also competes with Robin Hood for the affections of Thurman’s Maid Marian. Irvin’s more intimate take on the legend saw Irish actor Bergin immerse himself in the lead role in the same year he played Julia Robert’s abusive husband in the thriller Sleeping With the Enemy.

It’s a wonder Bergin completed the production of Robin Hood at all, as he battled chronic colitis during the shoot. “He was so ill that we had to use doubles a lot of the time,” Irvin says. “We couldn’t let the studio know, because he hadn’t declared his problem on his insurance form. So, we had to keep that really quiet.

“I thought Patrick Bergin did a terrific job,” he added. “I’m surprised he didn’t really take off and become a significant force like Liam Neeson. I thought he had real presence. I saw him in Los Angeles about three years ago and he didn’t talk about acting at all. He was much more interested in his band [Patrick Bergin and the Spirit Merchants].”

Aged just 20, Uma Thurman at that point was best known for her role in period drama Dangerous Liaisons. Irvin says she had been originally considered for a role in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, so he quickly cast her as his leading lady. Irvin says: “I thought she was perfect. At that time, she’d just married Gary Oldman. He was lurking in the shadows. He never appeared, I could see him hiding.”

Robin Hood was released in cinemas internationally, but in the US it premiered as a three-hour TV film in May 1991. It was warmly received by critics, but was quickly blown out of the water by Kevin Costner’s rival picture, released a month later. Costner’s film took just short of $400m in worldwide receipts and became the year’s summer blockbuster.

“I remember about a year later talking to an executive at Warner Bros, he said: ‘Well, you got the reviews, but we got the audiences.’”

Irvin adds: “I think it holds up well. The story of Robin Hood seems to be woven into our national psyche. When there’s a sense of oppression, it’s good to have a saviour like Robin Hood, who’s going to give two fingers to the establishment.”