Kingdom of Heaven (2005)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Ridley Scott

Writer (WGA):

William Monahan (written by)

Release Date:

6 May 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | History

Tagline:

Be without fear in the face of your enemies. Safeguard the helpless, and do no wrong

Plot:

Balian of Ibelin travels to Jerusalem during the crusades of the 12th century, and there he finds himself as the defender of the city and its people.

Plot Keywords:

Jerusalem | Knight | King | Sword | Blacksmith

Awards:

3 wins & 11 nominations

Cast

Martin Hancock	...	Gravedigger
Michael Sheen	...	Priest
Nathalie Cox	...	Balian's Wife
Eriq Ebouaney	...	Firuz
Jouko Ahola	...	Odo
David Thewlis	...	Hospitaler
Liam Neeson	...	Godfrey de Ibelin
Philip Glenister	...	Squire
Orlando Bloom	...	Balian de Ibelin
Bronson Webb	...	Apprentice
Kevin McKidd	...	English Sergeant
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau	...	Village Sheriff
Steven Robertson	...	Angelic Priest
Marton Csokas	...	Guy de Lusignan
Alexander Siddig	...	Imad

Also Known As:

El reino de los cielos (Spain)
Königreich der Himmel (Germany)
The Crusades (USA) (working title)
Cruzada (Argentina) (Panama) (Peru) (Venezuela) [es]
Царство небесное (Russia) [ru]
Cennetin kralligi (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Cruzada (Brazil) [pt]
Königreich der Himmel (Austria) [de]
Kingdom of Heaven (France) [fr]
Kingdom of heaven - Taivas maan päällä (Finland) [fi]
Království nebeské (Czech Republic) [cs]
Královstvo nebeské (Slovakia) [sk]
Le crociate (Italy) [it]
Le royaume des cieux (Canada: French title) [fr]
Nebesko kraljevstvo (Serbia) [sr]
Taevane kuningriik (Estonia) [et]
Taivas maan päällä (Finland) [fi]
To vasileio ton ouranon (Greece) [el]

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence and epic warfare.

Runtime:

144 min | 190 min (director's cut) (Blu-Ray Disc) | 192 min (director's cut)

Country:

UK | Spain | USA | Germany

Language:

English | Arabic | German

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Taiwan:R-12 | Canada:14A | Portugal:M/12 | Netherlands:16 | Malaysia:U | Iceland:16 | Germany:16 (director's cut) | New Zealand:R16 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:14 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Ontario) | Finland:K-15 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:15A | Italy:T | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:NC-16 | South Korea:15 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R | Indonesia:Dewasa

Filming Locations:

Atlas Corporation Studios, Ouarzazate, Morocco

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Both director Ridley Scott and writer William Monahan felt that the unnamed character played by David Thewlis was an embodiment of God, or at the very least, an angel on a mission from God. This is not at all apparent in the theatrical cut, but in the Director's Cut, there are two scenes which strongly hint at it - one where the character seemingly disappears after a conversation with Balian (Orlando Bloom); the other where he seems to 'resurrect' Balian after being attacked by three assassins.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the battle for Jerusalem, the crescent moon and the star nearby, change positions during a short period of time. First, the crescent is horizontal, with the star a short distance above it. In the next scene, the crescent is on an angle, and the star is where the unlit part of the moon would obscure it.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Gravedigger: Crusaders.
Squire: Clear the road, if you will.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Strength and Honor: Creating the World of 'Gladiator' (2005) (V)

Soundtrack:

Saa Magni

Credit the director and writer for balancing the guilt and horror among Christians, Jews, and Arabs.

"There was a Knight, a most distinguished man, Who from the day on which he first began To ride abroad had followed chivalry, Truth, honour, generousness and courtesy. He had done nobly in his sovereign's war And ridden into battle, no man more, As well in Christian as in heathen places, And ever honoured for his noble graces."

Chaucer, "The Canterbury Tales"

In Kingdom of Heaven, Orlando Bloom plays Balian, a former blacksmith turned knight, at the siege of Jerusalem in the late 12th century. Director Ridley Scott takes care to make this knight every bit as ideal as Chaucer made his. In the process Balian becomes too perfect, perhaps because of Bloom's cross gender prettiness and the intonations of his dialogue, each word of which weighs heavily on the leader and the viewer. I probably missed a moment of light-heartedness, if there is one. This film could have used a good study of Chaucer to show how to intersperse gravity with levity.

In other words, Scott has forsaken the gritty toughness of Russell Crowe's Oscar performance in Gladiator for the saintliness of Bloom, which makes Kingdom of Heaven a parable of virtue rather than a hardscrabble tale of violence and intrigue. The violence makes itself known in every other scene, as to be expected in the genre, but with the quick cut, hand-held blurriness and slomo now characteristic of war films that eschew realism for artiness and thereby lose the sense of reality.

Kenneth Branagh's Henry V got battle just right with a camera that stayed in the action at a reasonable length for shots and ended with an Agincourt unforgettable for its camera tracking over the carnage and music something like a funereal choir at a midnight mass. Scott's fidelity to the war technology of the time with catapulting balls of oil and movable breaching towers is offset by a constant choir of angels so pervasive it loses its effect by the end of the final battle.

Credit the director and writer for balancing the guilt and horror among Christians, Jews, and Arabs. Jerusalem's King Baldwin (voice of Edward Norton) is a leper, hidden behind stunning silver masks, weakened but determined to the end to save his people from the overwhelming hordes of Muslims, led by the audience-pleasing Saladin (Ghassan Massoud). The "terms" between Christians and Muslims allow both sides to exit with honor.

It is clear no one owned Jerusalem in the Middle Ages, and no one owns it now, Palestinian protests notwithstanding. For a history lesson with modern relevances, see this epic; for a lighter touch, see Brian Helgeland's A Knight's Tale; to have it all, read Chaucer.