THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN

“The Kingdom of Heaven” is a everything you’d expect from Ridley Scott, the man who made “Gladiator.” Set against the backdrop of the 2^nd Crusade, it’s a grand piece of epic filmmaking that strikes a pitch perfect balance between human drama and bloody spectacle.

In Jerusalem, the Crusaders fight amongst themselves. The Templar Knights long to wage an all out war to annihilate the Muslims, while the followers of the iron willed King Baldwin - aka the Leper King (a faceless Edward Norton) - maintain an uneasy peace dispensing justice as equally as their code of honor will allow. The Christian court is full of intrigue while Saladin marshals his forces on the frontier for the inevitable confrontation.

Scott and screenwriter William Monahan begin their story in a poverty stricken village in France. Young Balian (Orlando Bloom), a blacksmith by trade, buries his wife and kills a corrupt cleric for stealing an heirloom from her body. With a firm belief in the will of God, he is ready to pay for his sins until he comes face to face with the man who will alter his destiny in the guise of Liam Neeson as Sir Godfrey.

Godfrey has returned home from the Hold Land to acknowledges Balian as his bastard son and sole heir. Balian is to succeed him in all things. He must first learn how to wield a sword to defend himself before he is introduced to the chivalric code of knighthood. In true heroic tradition, Balian rises to the occasion in thought, word, and deed. Ambushed, father and son fight side by side in the first great action scene of the movie with the promise of more excitement and high adventure to come. And does it come!

Ridley Scott assaults the senses with the sights and sounds of an impoverished Europe, colorful ports of call, storms at sea, the blistering heat of the desert sun, the beauty of the night sky, the clash of steel, the thunder of horses’ hoofs, men crying out in the throes of death and the sighs of lovers. Life in the 12^th Century has never been more vividly portrayed on the big screen.

Balian survives by his wits and relies on his father’s wisdom turning enemies into friends and earning the respect of his father’s subjects. He also has the ire of the Templars who will never treat the bastard son of a knight as one of their own. Balian passes one supreme test of honor after another and embraces the land and people he has pledged to protect. He is groomed by to become the confidant of the king but cannot find it within himself to condone an execution in a power play that would also pave the way for him to claim the dead man’s wife - the King’s sister - as his own. He would be untrue to himself.

Once the true nature of the key characters in “The Kingdom of Heaven” are defined and their intrigues acted upon, Ridley Scott moves the Crusaders and the Muslim warriors around like pieces on a chess board. Balian helps fortify the city’s defenses while his peers attack Muslims indiscriminately. All the while Saladin moves his Saracen army across the desert from one watering hole to the next to reclaim Jerusalem for his people.

Just as important as the big action scenes, like the siege of Jerusalem, are the actors who bring Ridley Scott’s version of history to life. In the space of his two hours plus on screen the naive peasant Balian of Ibelin matures into a leader of men through the measured performance of Orlando Bloom. Liam Neeson, has a brief but memorable presence that makes Sir Godfrey’s impact felt throughout Balian’s rise to prominence. Jeremy Irons is the world weary Tiberius, the Leper King’s right hand man who takes Balian under his wing. Edward Norton should be remembered at Oscar time for projecting the power of the man behind the throne with one look of the eye and the tremor in his voice. He speaks softly but with a ‘big stick.’ He spends most of his time on screen behind a mask to hide the hideous effects of King Baldwin’s leprosy. Irishman Brendan Gleeson is Reynaud de Chatillon a gleeful warmonger who eggs on the power hungry Guy of Lusignan played by New Zealander Marton Csokas (Celebron in “The Lord of the Rings” films). Sir Guy is Baldwin’s Brother in Law. Sir Guy’s wife and King Baldwin’s sister Sibylla is Eva Green (from Bernardo Betolucci’s last film, “The Dreamers”). Alexander Siddig has a small but pivotal roll as Nasir, a Muslim who plays an integral part in Balian’s survival. Ghassan Massoud, a Syrian actor of whom I know little, strikes a commanding figure as the charismatic Saladin.

There are not too many movies that I long to see again as soon as I walk out of the theater, but that’s the way I felt about “The Kingdom of Heaven.” It’s one of the most thrilling films I’ve seen since the holidays and deserves to be put on anyone’s must list. Only time will tell of if Ridley Scott’s latest achievement will be on anyone’s top ten list after having come out so early in the year. With the paucity of good films prior to this past year’s Oscarcast, “The Kingom of Heaven” is the best thing out there. I loved it!

Copyright 2005

Two more films about “The Crusades”

“The Crusades” (1935) - This is the Crusades as only Cecil B. De Mille could make it. A De Mille stalwart, Henry Wilcoxon plays Richard the Lion Hearted (who appears at the end of “The Kingdom of Heaven”) who must rescue Loretta Young as the damsel in distress. Alan Hale, who played Errol Flynn’s sidekick in at least half a dozen movies joins in the action.

“King Richard and the Crusaders” (1954) - This one is trashed by most of the ‘serious’ critics but as a kid, this movie captured my imagination and gave me a thirst for knowledge about the Crusades. It was the first time I had heard about Saladin. Veteran English actor Rex Harrison plays the Saracen leader with a stiff upper lip. George Sanders is Richard the Lion Hearted but Lawrence Harvey is the hero.

Another great epic that came to mind while seeing “The Kingdom of Heaven” and it wasn’t “Lawrence of Arabia”

“El Cid” (1961) - This one has it all! Romance, human drama, hand to hand combat and sword fights to the death that rival any movie Errol Flynn made in his glory days at Warner Brothers. Charleston Heston is Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar the 11^th Century Spanish legend who drove the militant Moors out of Spain. A key scene where Rodrigo earns the respect of the Moorish allies for his humanity is more than echoed in “The Kingdom of Heaven.” El Cid, or the Lord, is a title of honor bestowed on him by. More notably, the Siege at Valencia does not rely on computer generated ramparts for the Moors’ attacks on the city as Ridley Scott does in his movie. Sophia Loren plays the love interest. It was directed by Anthony Mann. “El Cid” is without a doubt one of my all time favorite movies.