His film “Robin Hood – King of Thieves” made an iconic tree in northern England famous – now US director Kevin Reynolds has condemned the illegal deforestation of the sycamore maple as “murder”. The act was “despicable” and “senseless,” Reynolds told the BBC.
The depression with the tall tree was one of the most idyllic places on earth. “Now he’s gone, he’s been murdered, and for what reason? Would you destroy the Taj Mahal, the Gullfoss waterfall in Iceland or the Big Dipper?” said the 71-year-old.
Grief and horror after deforestation
The Sycamore Tree was featured in a scene in Reynolds’ 1991 Hollywood film starring Kevin Costner and Morgan Freeman. Illegal deforestation at the end of September caused sadness and horror in Great Britain. The police are investigating a 16-year-old and a man between 60 and 70 years old.
“This is the second loss ‘King of Thieves’ has suffered in recent years – first Alan Rickman and now this one,” the director said. Rickman, who played the Sheriff of Nottingham in “Robin Hood,” died in 2016. “Some people will say you can’t compare the death of a tree to the death of a human being,” Reynolds said. “But some things are so iconic, so perfect in their essence, that they have a profound effect on people.”
