Kingdom of Heaven (film)

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This article is about the film. For the theological concept, see Kingdom of Heaven.


Kingdom of Heaven
Directed by Ridley Scott
Produced by Ridley Scott
Written by William Monahan
Starring Orlando Bloom
Eva Green
Jeremy Irons
David Thewlis
Brendan Gleeson
Marton Csokas
and
Liam Neeson
Music by Harry Gregson-Williams
Cinematography John Mathieson
Editing by Dody Dorn
Chisako Yokoyama (director's cut)
Distributed by 20th Century Fox
Release date(s) May 6, 2005
Running time 145 min.
Language English
Budget $135 million
IMDb profile

Kingdom of Heaven is a film released on May 6, 2005, written by William Monahan, and directed and produced by Ridley Scott. It stars Orlando Bloom, Eva Green, Jeremy Irons, David Thewlis, Marton Csokas, Brendan Gleeson, Alexander Siddig, Ghassan Massoud, Edward Norton, Jon Finch, Michael Sheen and Liam Neeson. The Director's Cut, about 30% longer, is considered by some as better and more historically accurate.

The story deals with the Crusades of the 12th century, and involves an artificer (a military mechanic; French: artificier) and Engineer (that is, someone who makes siege engines), serving as a village blacksmith who goes on to aid the city of Jerusalem in its defense against the great Islamic leader Saladin, who battles to reclaim the city from the Christians. The script is loosely based on the life of Balian of Ibelin. Professor Hamid Dabashi of Columbia University was the film's chief academic consultant.

Most filming took place in Ouarzazate in Morocco, where Scott had filmed Gladiator and Black Hawk Down. A replica of the ancient city of Jerusalem was constructed in the desert. Filming also took place in Spain, at the Loarre castle, Segovia, Valsaín, Ávila, Palma del Río and buildings in Seville.

It was reported that the Moroccan government sent hundreds of soldiers to protect the set and crew from Muslim extremists who threatened attacks. However, the Moroccan cavalry were actually on hand as extras in the epic battle scenes.

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

Contents

[edit] Cast and characters

Many of the characters in the movie are fictionalized versions of historical figures:

[edit] Synopsis

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Kingdom of Heaven follows the story of an Engineer and Artificer making his living as a blacksmith in France. After discovering the existence of his out-of-wedlock father, Baron Godfrey of Ibelin (Neeson), he goes to Jerusalem as a way to cope with his wife's suicide, in the hope of gaining redemption and forgiveness.

Balian (Bloom), heads off to defend Kerak from Saladin's (Massoud) army. He also contends with the war- and power-hungry Guy de Lusignan (Csokas) and Raynald de Chatillon (Gleeson), who want nothing more than to attain personal glory in war against the armies of Saladin.

As the film progresses, King Baldwin dies from leprosy and is succeeded by his sister Sibylla, whose husband Guy becomes the King Consort. Guy, with Raynald's assistance, provokes Saladin to war and a great battle ensues, in which the Crusader army is annihilated (the Battle of Hattin, although the battle is neither named nor shown in the film; only the results are depicted). King Guy and Raynald are captured and the latter is killed by Saladin, who then marches upon Jerusalem and besieges it. After three days of intense siege battle, a section of Jerusalem's walls is knocked down, but the defenders are able to hold off Saladin's forces. Balian then surrenders to Saladin under the condition of safe passage for the inhabitants to the Christian Lands.

At the end of the film, Balian is seen back at his old home in France. A column of knights rides by, led by King Richard I of England. Richard tells Balian that he is leading his forces on a new Crusade to retake Jerusalem from Saladin. King Richard seeks Balian, the defender of Jerusalem, to join him, but Balian responds that he is only a blacksmith, and declines. We then see Sibylla, dressed in a rich travelling costume. The film ends with a placard summarizing that after many years of war Richard is unable to retake Jerusalem, and fighting over Jerusalem continues for years to come. "Even today, peace in the Kingdom of Heaven remains elusive."

Spoilers end here.

[edit] Visual style and cinematography

The visual style of Kingdom of Heaven emphasizes set design and stunning cinematography in almost every scene. It is especially notable for being visually and sonically beautiful with "visually stunning cinematography and haunting music." [1] Cinematographer John Mathieson created many large, sweeping landscapes, [2] where the cinematography, supporting performances, and battle sequences are meticulously mounted. [3] The cinematography and scenes of set-pieces have been described as "ballets of light and colour" (as in films by Akira Kurosawa). [4] Director Ridley Scott's visual acumen was described as the main draw of Kingdom of Heaven with the stellar, stunning cinematography and "jaw-dropping combat sequences" based on the production design of Arthur Max. [5] [6]

[edit] Historical accuracy

It is true that Baldwin IV, King of Jerusalem from 1174-1185, was a leper, and that his sister Sibylla was married to Guy of Lusignan. Also, Baldwin IV had a falling out with Guy before his death, and so Guy did not succeed Baldwin IV immediately. Baldwin crowned Sibylla's son from her previous marriage to William of Montferrat, five-year-old Baldwin V co-king in his own lifetime, in 1183. The little boy reigned as sole king for one year, dying in 1186 at nine years of age. After her son's death, Sibylla and Guy (to whom she was devoted) garrisoned the city, and she claimed the throne. The coronation scene in the movie was, in real life, more of a shock: Sibylla had been forced to promise to divorce Guy before becoming queen, with the assurance that she would be permitted to pick her own consort. After being crowned by Patriarch Heraclius of Jerusalem (who is unnamed in the movie), she chose to crown Guy as her consort. Raymond III of Tripoli, the film's Tiberias, was not present, but was in Nablus attempting a coup, with Balian of Ibelin, to raise her half-sister (Balian's stepdaughter), princess Isabella of Jerusalem, to the throne. However, Isabella's husband, Humphrey IV of Toron, betrayed them by swearing allegiance to Guy.

Raymond of Tripoli was a cousin of Amalric I of Jerusalem, and one of the Kingdom's most powerful nobles, as well as sometime regent. He had a claim to the throne himself, but, being childless, instead tried to advance his allies the Ibelin family. He was often in conflict with Guy and Reynald, who had risen to their positions by marrying wealthy heiresses and through the king's favour. Guy and Reynald did harass Saladin's caravans, although the claim that Reynald captured Saladin's sister is based on a conflation of two separate facts: after Reynald's attack on one caravan, Saladin made sure that the next one, in which his sister was travelling, was properly guarded: the lady came to no harm.

The discord between the rival factions in the kingdom gave Saladin the opportunity to pursue his long-term goal of conquering it. The kingdom's army was defeated at the Battle of Hattin, partly due to the conflict between Guy and Raymond. As already stated, the battle itself is not shown in the movie, but its aftermath is depicted. Guy and Reynald were captured, and according to al-Safadi in al-Wafi bi'l-wafayat, Reynald was executed after drinking from the goblet offered to Guy, as the sultan had once made a promise never to give anything to Raynald. Guy was imprisoned but later freed. He attempted to retain the kingship even after the deaths of Sibylla and their daughters during his siege of Acre in 1190, but was defeated by Conrad of Montferrat in an election in 1192. Richard I of England, his only supporter, sold him the lordship of Cyprus, where he died c. 1194.

There was a Haute Cour, a "high court", a sort of medieval parliament, in which Jeremy Irons's character Tiberias is seen arguing with Guy for or against war, in front of Baldwin IV as the final judge.

The movie alludes to the Battle of Montgisard in 1177, in which 16-year-old Baldwin IV defeated Saladin, with Saladin narrowly escaping.

The Knights Hospitaller and Knights Templar were the most enthusiastic about fighting Saladin and the Muslims. They were monastic military orders, committed to celibacy. Neither Guy nor Raynald was a Templar, as the movie implies by costuming them both in Templar surcoats: they were secular nobles with wives and families.

During one scene in the movie, shortly before Hattin, Balian is attacked by three soldiers referred to as "Templars". However, they clearly wear the white surcoats with black crosses of Teutonic Knights, rather than the white and red of the Knights Templar. The Teutonic Knights were not founded until 1190, three years after Hattin.

The historical original of Orlando Bloom's character, Balian of Ibelin, was a close ally of Raymond. However, he was a mature gentleman, just a year or two younger than Raymond, and one of the most important nobles in the kingdom, not a French blacksmith. His father Barisan (which was originally his own name, modified into French as 'Balian') was the founder of the Ibelin family in the east, and probably came from Italy. Balian and Sibylla were indeed united in the defence of Jerusalem; however, there was no romantic relationship between the two. Balian was married to Sibylla's step-mother Maria Comnena, Dowager Queen of Jerusalem and Lady of Nablus. The Old French Continuation of William of Tyre (the so-called Chronicle of Ernoul) claimed that Sibylla had been infatuated with Balian's older brother Baldwin of Ibelin, a widower over twice her age, but this is doubtful; instead, it seems that Raymond of Tripoli attempted a coup to marry her off to him to strengthen the position of his faction. However, this legend seems to have been behind the film's creation of a love-relationship between Sibylla and a member of the Ibelin family.

The events of the siege of Jerusalem are based on the Old French Continuation of William of Tyre, a favourable account partly written by Ernoul, one of Balian's officers, and other contemporary documents. Saladin did besiege Jerusalem for almost a month, and was able to knock down a portion of the wall. In the film Balian knighted everyone who could carry a sword, but historical accounts say he only knighted some burgesses. The exact number varies in different accounts, but it is probably less than one hundred in a city which had tens of thousands of male inhabitants and refugees. Balian personally negotiated the surrender of the city with Saladin, after threatening to destroy every building and kill every Muslim who entered. The film, however, downgrades the roles of Sibylla and of Patriarch Heraclius of Jerusalem in the siege, transforming Heraclius, unfairly, into a coward. Saladin allowed Balian and his family to leave in peace, along with everyone else who could arrange to pay a ransom, but thousands of poorer inhabitants who could not pay were sold into slavery.

The "uneasy truce" referred to in the closing scene actually refers to the Treaty of Ramla, negotiated, with Balian's help, at the end of the Third Crusade. The Third Crusade is alluded to at the end of the movie, when Richard I of England visits Balian in France. Balian, of course, was not from France and did not return there with Sibylla; she and her two daughters died of fever in camp during the siege of Acre. Conrad of Montferrat had denied her and Guy entry to the remaining stronghold of Tyre, and thus Guy was attempting to take another city for himself.

Balian's relations with Richard were far from amicable, because he supported Conrad against Richard's vassal Guy. He and his wife Maria arranged her daughter Isabella's forcible divorce from Humphrey of Toron so she could marry Conrad. Ambroise, who wrote a poetic account of the crusade, called Balian "more false than a goblin" and said he "should be hunted with dogs". The anonymous author of the Itinerarium Peregrinorum et Gesta Regis Ricardi wrote that Balian was a member of a "council of consummate iniquity," and described him as cruel, fickle, and faithless, and accused him of taking bribes from Conrad.

The young Balian of the movie thus did not exist in reality. The historical Balian had descendants by Maria Comnena. Thanks to their close relationship to Sibylla's half-sister and successor, Maria's daughter Queen Isabella (not shown in the movie), the Ibelins became the most powerful noble family in the rump Kingdom of Jerusalem as well as in Cyprus in the 13th century. Most notably, Maria and Balian's son John, the Lord of Beirut, was to be a dominant force in the politics of Outremer for the first third of the 13th century.

The historical accuracy of the film was analysed in an episode of The History Channel's series History vs. Hollywood. This and a Movie Real (a series by A&E Network) episode about Kingdom of Heaven, were both included on the DVD version of the movie.

[edit] Religious accuracy

There are several errors in the film's depiction of Catholicism.

It is suggested several times in the film, including in the title card, that people went on crusades to attain salvation or to receive forgiveness for sins. To receive salvation, Catholics are baptized, and to receive forgiveness for sins, Catholics confess their sins. Going on a Crusade did not forgive one's sins, but merely provided one with an indulgence.[7] An indulgence remits the temporal punishment for sins already forgiven, so as to avoid having to undergo this punishment in Purgatory; but to benefit from an indulgence one must already have received salvation and had one's mortal sins forgiven.[8]

When the Crusaders are preparing to board ships in Europe, a friar preaches to them that "to kill an infidel is not murder, it is the path to Heaven." First, to kill an enemy in a just war,[9] as the Crusade was conceived as, would not be murder whether the enemy were an infidel or a Christian. Killing infidels outside the context of a just war, self-defence[10] or some other similar situation would indeed be murder[11]; but the friar seems to be speaking of the Crusade specifically, since we see Muslims praying, unmolested, on the shores outside the town. Finally, the allusion to a "path to Heaven" seems to refer to the idea of a Crusade forgiving sins, which has been addressed above.

At one point, the Patriarch objects to the burning of corpses, because that would mean that they wouldn't resurrect before Judgment Day. But in Catholic theology, all the dead, burned or not, resurrect on Judgment Day.[12] Burning a corpse has no effect with regard to this.

[edit] Critical response

Upon its release, the general criticism has been divided, but leaning towards the negative. Critics such as Roger Ebert, however, found the film to be deeper and perhaps more emotionally engaging than Scott's previous Gladiator.

Several actors/actresses were praised for their performances. The unanimously praised performance was that of actor Edward Norton, who played the leper king of Jerusalem, Baldwin IV. Critics have described his acting as near "phenomenal", "eerie," and "so far removed from anything that he has ever done that we see the true complexities of his talent." (Jack Moore, Movie Insider). The Syrian actor Ghassan Massoud was also praised for his portrayal of Saladin, described by The New York Times as "cool as a tall glass of water." Also commended were Eva Green, who plays Princess Sibylla, with a measure of cool that defies her surroundings[2], and Jeremy Irons.

However, lead actor Orlando Bloom's performance as Balian was widely criticized in the United States. Although the medieval character of Balian of Ibelin is not well known to U.S. culture, many critics had strong notions of how Balian should be acted, as an "epic hero" with a strong presence. One critic conceded that Balian was more of a "brave and principled thinker-warrior" [2] rather than a large, strong commander, and Balian used brains-over-brawn to gain advantage in battle.

Orlando Bloom was not playing the young comedic role of the "Pirates" movies, but rather an older, mature, bearded man, who, in his late thirties, was in military combat for years, and questioned what was worth risking death. Some critics noted his "acceptable performance" in light of the far more difficult role that this film required over his previous famous, but light parts. Orlando Bloom had gained 20 pounds for the part,[2] and the Extended Director's Cut (detailed below) of Kingdom of Heaven reveals even more complex facets of Orlando Bloom's role, involving connections with unknown relatives, which even further complicate Balian's view of life and death. Despite the criticism, Orlando Bloom won two awards for his performance.

Online, general criticism has been also divided, but leaning towards the positive. As of early 2006, the Yahoo! Movies rating for Kingdom of Heaven was a "B" from the critics (based on 15 Reviews) and a "B" from Yahoo! users (based on 18,099 ratings). Both of these ratings equate to "good" according to Yahoo! Movie's rating system. Similarly, the rating (as of February 2006) on the Internet Movie Database was a 7.0 out of 10 (based on 24,284 votes). This rating falls below Gladiator (8.1), but well above some recent entries to its genre; for example Oliver Stone's Alexander (2004) (based on the life of Alexander the Great) received a 5.5, while Troy (2004) received an equivalent 7.0. Finally, the popular website Rotten Tomatoes found 68% of its users liking the film, though its survey of critics was a distinct 39%.

Academic criticism has focused on the supposed peaceful relationship between Christians and Muslims in Jerusalem and other cities depicted. Historians such as Jonathan Riley-Smith, quoted by The Daily Telegraph, called the film "rubbish," "ridiculous," "complete fiction" and "dangerous to Arab relations." Fellow Crusade historians Jonathan Phillips and Amin Maalouf also spoke against the film. Riley-Smith had not seen the film or read the final script when his quote was solicited by a reporter for The Daily Telegraph. He had been provided with an earlier draft, as had other persons quoted by the Telegraph.

Scott himself defended this depiction of the Muslim-Christian relationship in footage on the DVD version of the movie's extra features. Scott sees this portrayal as being a contemporary look at the history. He argued that peace and brutality are concepts relative to one's own experience, and since our society today is so far removed from the brutal times in which the movie takes place, he told the story in a way that he felt was true to the source material yet was more accessible to a modern audience. In other words that the "peace" that existed was exaggerated to fit our ideas of what such a peace would be, because in the time it was a relative lull in Muslim-Christian violence during this period compared to the standards of the day.

The "Director's Cut" of the film is a 4-disc set, two of which are dedicated to a feature-length documentary called "The Path to Redemption." This feature contains an additional featurette on historical accuracy called "Creative Accuracy: The Scholars Speak", where a number of academics support the film's contemporary relevance and historical accuracy. Among these historians is Dr. Nancy Caciola, who said that despite the various inaccuracies and fictionalized/dramatised details:

I think that these sorts of decisions are ones that are warranted in these kinds of circumstances. Surely, there are some historians that will look at this [film] and point out some inaccuracies. But I would suggest that it is, really for the most part, a responsible depiction of the period.

Screenwriter William Monahan, who is a long-term enthusiast of the period, has said "If it isn't in, it doesn't mean we didn't know it... What you use, in drama, is what plays. Shakespeare did the same."

Caciola agreed with the fictionalization of characters on the grounds that "crafting a character who is someone the audience can identify with" is necessary in a film. She said that "I, as a professional, have spent much time with medieval people, so to speak, in the texts that I read; and quite honestly there are very few of them that if I met in the flesh I feel that I would be very fond of." This appears to echo the sentiments of Scott himself. However, for commercial reasons, it is inevitable that the DVD does not feature historians expressing more negative reactions.

The historical content and the religious and political messages present have received both praise and condemnation, sentiments and perceptions. It is claimed that Christianity is portrayed in an unfavorable light and the value of Christian belief is diminished, especially in the portrayal of Patriarch Heraclius (Eraclius). In Lebanon, journalist Robert Fisk reported widespread appreciation for the film among Muslim audiences. In several screenings in Beirut, Muslim audiences leapt to their feet and applauded wildly during a scene in the film in which Saladin respectfully places a fallen crucifix back on top of a table after it had fallen during the 3 day siege of the city. [13] Some of the varied reactions and interpretations, especially in the U.S., as to the film's accuracy probably reflect the film's controversial subject matter and messages in relation to current world events.

The movie was a box-office failure in the U.S. and Canada, earning $47 million against a budget of around $130 million, but was successful in Europe and the rest of the world, with the worldwide box office earnings totaling at around $208 million. It was also a big success in Arabic speaking countries especially Egypt. Director Ridley Scott blamed the U.S. failure of the film on bad advertising which, he said, presented the film as an adventure with a great love story rather than as an examination of religious conflict. It's also been noted that the film was altered from its original version to be shorter and follow a more simple plotline. This "less sophisticated" version is what hit theaters, while some of the crew who worked on the film felt it was watered down. [citation needed]

As a final note, like some other Ridley Scott films, Kingdom of Heaven found success on the DVD in the U.S., and the release of the Director's Cut has reinvigorated interest in the film. Nearly all reviews of the 2006 Director's Cut have been positive.

Popular critic Srdja Trifkovic wrote a review of the movie entitled "The Kingdom of Self-Hate" [1] for Chronicles (magazine), focusing more upon the film's historical accuracy.

[edit] Extended Director's Cut

Around 40 to 60 minutes from the original version were cut for the theatrical version. The reason for this may have been the box-office and critical failure of Oliver Stone's Alexander.

An extended director's cut of the movie was released on December 23, 2005, at the Laemmle Fairfax Theatre in Los Angeles, unsupported by advertising from 20th Century Fox. This cut is approximately 45 minutes longer than the original theatrical cut. The DVD of the extended Director's Cut was released on May 23, 2006. It includes a four-disc box set with a runtime of 191 minutes, adding 46 minutes back into the film. Ridley Scott gave an insightful interview (watch it here) to STV on the occasion of the Director's Cut's UK release, when he discussed the motives and thinking behind the new version. It has received a distinctly more positive reception from film critics than the theatrical release, with many reviews suggesting that it offers a much greater insight into the motivations of individual characters.

It should be noted that Alexander Siddig in particular agitated for the release of a new cut to show more of the original plot.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The new director's cut provides information that may change how some interpret several characters and the story arc:

  • The village priest who taunts Balian and is killed by him is revealed to be his half-brother (his mother's son by her lawful husband), although the brothers are not initially aware of this. The animosity between them is shown as originating from the priest's coveting of the firstborn Balian's meager inheritance.
  • Godfrey is not only the father of Balian but the younger brother of the village lord who believes that Godfrey is looking for his own son to be Godfrey's heir in Ibelin. It is this lord's son and heir who organises the attack on Godfrey's party in the forest and is subsequently killed.
  • Both subplots above hinge on the firstborn son's right to exclusive inheritance: this is what apparently drove Godfrey to the Holy Land and the priest to his scheming against Balian.
  • Baldwin IV is shown refusing the last sacrament from Patriarch Heraclius.
  • Another major change is the re-insertion of the character of Baldwin V (who was shown in some of the trailers), the son of Sibylla by her first husband (William of Montferrat, not named in the film). The boy is crowned King after Baldwin IV's death, but is then discovered to have leprosy, like his uncle. His death is depicted as an act of euthanasia by his mother, using poison. Only then is Sybilla crowned queen and has Guy crowned, as in the theatrical version.
  • Balian also fights a climactic duel with Guy near the end of the film, after Jerusalem is surrendered and Guy has been released by Saladin (an act intended to humiliate Guy in the eyes of his former subjects). Guy is humilated furthermore by challenging Balian to a duel, being defeated, and then spared by Balian.
  • More violence, blood and gore is re-inserted.
  • A scene with Balian discussing his situation with the Hospitaller, which included the line "I go to pray" (featured in most trailers) is re-inserted.
  • It is made clear that Guy de Lusignan knows that Sybilla is having an affair with Balian. He is however interested in her only for political reasons.
  • It is explained in detail how Balian is so good at strategic fighting and also building siege engines.
  • Saladin decapitates Raynald de Chatillon instead of only cutting his throat.
  • Sybilla is portrayed much more as a corrupt princess and un-predictable as she stated herself.
Spoilers end here.

Details of Director's Cut DVD release:

Disc: Feature Presentation:

  • 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
  • English DD5.1 & DTS 5.1 Surround
  • Spanish Dolby Surround
  • French and Spanish subtitles

Disc 1: Director’s Cut Part One

  • Introduction by Sir Ridley Scott
  • Audio Commentaries: Director Ridley Scott, Writer William Monahan, and Orlando Bloom. Additional commentaries by Executive Producer Lisa Ellzey, film editor Dody Dorn, visual effects supervisor Wes Sewell and first assistant director Adam Somner
  • The Engineer’s Guide: Story Notes (Text & Images)

Disc 2: Director’s Cut Part Two

  • Audio Commentaries (Continued): Director Ridley Scott, Writer William Monahan and Orlando Bloom. Additional commentaries by Executive Producer Lisa Ellzey, film editor Dody Dorn, visual effects supervisor Wes Sewell and first assistant director Adam Somner
  • The Engineer’s Guide (Continued): Story Notes (Text & Images)

Disc 3: The Path To Redemption Documentary – Part 1

  • Development:
    • Part I: Good Intentions (Featurette)
    • "Tripoli" Overview & Gallery (Text & Images)
    • First Draft Screenplay by William Monahan (Text)
    • Story Notes (Text & Images)
    • Location Scout Gallery (Images)
  • Pre-Production:
    • Part II: Faith and Courage (Featurette)
    • Screen Tests (Video and Commentary)
    • Cast Rehearsals (Video)
    • Costume & Weapon Design Featurette (Video)
    • Production Design / Conceptual Art / Costume Galleries (Text & Images)
  • Production: Spain
    • Part III: The Pilgrimage Begins (Featurette)
    • Creative Accuracy: The Scholars Speak (Video)
    • Storyboard Comparisons (Multi-Angle Video & Images)
    • Photo Galleries (Text & Images)

Disc 4: The Path To Redemption Documentary – Part 2

  • Production: Morocco
    • Part IV: Into The Promised Land (Featurette)
    • Unholy War: Mounting The Siege (Video)
    • Storyboard Comparisons (Multi-Angle Video & Images)
    • Photo Galleries (Text & Images)
  • Post-Production:
    • Part V: The Burning Bush (Featurette)
    • Deleted & Alternate Scenes (Video & Commentary)
    • Sound Design Suite (Video & Audio)
    • Visual Effects Breakdowns (Video & Commentary)
  • Release:
    • Part VI: Sins and Absolution (Featurette)
    • Trailers & TV Spots (Video & Commentary)
    • ShoWest Presentation (Video)
    • Press Junket Walkthrough (Video)
    • Japanese & London Premieres (Video)
    • Poster Explorations: Domestic & International (Images)
    • The Director's Cut & DVD Campaign (Video & Images)

[edit] Awards

[edit] Won (3)

European Film Awards:

  • Audience Award - Best Actor (Orlando Bloom)

Satellite Awards:

  • Outstanding Original Score (Harry Gregson-Williams)

VES Awards:

  • Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Motion Picture (Wes Sewell, Victoria Alonso, Tom Wood, Gary Brozenich)

[edit] Nominations (8)

Satellite Awards:

  • Outstanding Actor in a Supporting Role, Drama (Edward Norton)
  • Outstanding Art Direction & Production Design (Arthur Max)
  • Outstanding Costume Design (Janty Yates)
  • Outstanding Visual Effects (Tom Wood)

Teen Choice Awards:

  • Choice Movie: Action/Adventure
  • Choice Movie Actor: Action/Adventure/Thriller (Orlando Bloom)
  • Choice Movie Liplock (Eva Green and Orlando Bloom)
  • Choice Movie Love Scene (Eva Green and Orlando Bloom - Balian and Sibylla kiss)

[edit] Soundtrack-related links

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Richard J. Radcliffe, "Movie Review: Kingdom of Heaven" May 29, 2005, BlogCritics.org, web: BlogCritics-KoH: noted "visually and sonically beautiful; visually stunning cinematography and haunting music."
  2. ^ a b c d Stephanie Zacharek, "Kingdom of Heaven - Salon" (review), May 6, 2005, Salon.com, web: Salon-KoH: noted "Cinematographer John Mathieson gives us lots of great, sweeping landscapes."
  3. ^ Carrie Rickey, "Epic 'Kingdom' has a weak link" (review), Philadelphia Inquirer, May 6, 2005, web: Philly-KoH: noted "cinematography, supporting performances and battle sequences are so meticulously mounted."
  4. ^ Uncut, Review of Kingdom of Heaven, Uncut, 2005-07-01, page 129, web: BuyCom-Uncut: noted "Where Scott scores is in the cinematography and set-pieces, with vast armies surging across sun-baked sand in almost Kurosawa-like ballets of light and colour."
  5. ^ Nix, "Kingdom of Heaven (2005)" (review), BeyondHollywood.com, web: BeyondHwood-KoH: noted "Scott's visual acumen is the main draw of Kingdom of Heaven" and "stunning cinematography and jaw-dropping combat sequences" or "stellar cinematography."
  6. ^ Roger Ebert, "Kingdom of Heaven" (review), Chicago Sun Times, SunTimes.com, May 5, 2005, webpage: Ebert-KoH: Ebert noted "What's more interesting is Ridley Scott's visual style, assisted by John Mathieson's cinematography and the production design of Arthur Max. A vast set of ancient Jerusalem was constructed to provide realistic foregrounds and locations, which were then enhanced by CGI backgrounds, additional horses and troops, and so on."
  7. ^ "Bull of the Crusade", Catholic Encyclopedia
  8. ^ Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica IV, q. 27, a. 1
  9. ^ Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica IIa IIae, q. 40, a. 1
  10. ^ Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica IIa IIae, q. 64, a. 7
  11. ^ Thomas F. Madden, "Crusade Myths", #5, Ignatius Insight, February 2005
  12. ^ Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica IV, q. 77, a. 1
  13. ^ http://www.counterpunch.org/fisk06102005.html

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:
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Ridley Scott's Films
Boy and Bicycle • The Duellists • Alien • Blade Runner • Legend • Someone to Watch Over Me • Black Rain • Thelma & Louise • 1492: Conquest of Paradise • White Squall • G.I. Jane • Gladiator • Hannibal • Black Hawk Down • Matchstick Men • Kingdom of Heaven • All the Invisible Children • A Good Year • American Gangster
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