Kingdom Of Heaven DVD

Advantages: stylish visually
Disadvantages: historically flawed

"If this is the kingdom of heaven, let God do with it as he wishes" so spoke Balian of Ibelin during his defence of the city of Jerusalem, unfortunately it is Ridley Scott and not god who calls the shots here. Ridley Scott does have an impressive back catalogue under his belt, Blade Runner remains high on my list of favourites but with Black Hawk Down, Thelma and Louise, Alien and the obvious point of reference Gladiator all on his C.V. you know ...
...Kingdom of Heaven is centred on real historical events, places and people and as such should try to uphold the responsibility of portraying actual events. Balian of Ibelin played by Orlando Bloom was the hero of the doomed defence of Jerusalem in 1187, then controlled by the Christian knights, as the truce with Saladin collapsed beginning a series of events that ultimately lead to the third crusade and the name that most people have heard of Richard ... Read review

Advantages: This is fictionalised history, set between the 2nd and 3rd Crusades - shortly before the time of King Richard the Lionhearted - Balian of Ibelin was historically "the defender of Jerusalem"
Disadvantages: It was a harsh, superstitious time - the film highlights this through its bloodiness; although not "anti-God" the film is somewhat anti-religious. NOT FOR THE QUEASY - very gory!

...FILM - KINGDOM OF HEAVEN >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> THE STORY BEGINS (AS I UNDERSTOOD IT) Between the 2nd and 3rd Crusades, the Christian Kingdom of Jerusalem is at peace, while an uneasy truce exists between King Baldwin IV and Salah-ad-Din, following a victory by the young king many years before when he was only 16. One successful knight, (the fictitious) Godfrey of Ibelin, finding himself without an heir, decides ...
...(post-crusades). Thus, we chose KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, as it was set between the second and third of the eight main "Crusades" to reclaim the holy land for pilgrims seeking to more fully appreciate their redemption through Christ, who lived, died and rose there. We had mixed feelings when it was finished (explained above) due to the contrast between the content and the spectacle. VISUALLY: This is a magnificent panoramic spectacle on a wide screen. ... Read review

Advantages: Good cinematography and set design
Disadvantages: Orlando Bloom, One-dimensional characters, Frequently tedious

Kingdom of Heaven (2005) - FILM ONLY REVIEW Certificate: 15 (UK), R (USA), 15A (Ireland) Running time: 145 minutes (there is also a director's cut at 194 minutes) Writer: William Monahan Director: Ridley Scott Main cast: Balian - Orlando Bloom Godfrey - Liam Neeson Guy de Lusignan - Marton Csokas Nasir - Alexander Siddig Sibylla - Eva Green Tiberias - Jeremy Irons King Baldwin - Edward Norton Saladin - Ghassan Massoud "Kingdom of Heaven" ...
...this time is a Christian kingdom captured during the first Crusade and held/ occupied (depending on your perspective) by European soldiers seeking wealth and glory as much as for religious reasons. The kingdom is divided between Baldwin's party, led by Tiberius (Jeremy Irons), who have brokered an uneasy peace with Saracen leader Saladin (Ghassan Massoud); and the war mongering Knights Templar (who I'm sure you will remember from "The Da Vinci Code") ... Read review

Advantages: Convincing performances, great battle scenes
Disadvantages: A Bit Long

Kingdom of Heaven is the latest epic from Director Ridley Scott (Gladiator, Alien) and stars Orlando Bloom. There are also appearances from a number of established actors such as Liam Neeson and Jeremy Irons. Kingdom of Heaven is based between the 2nd and 3rd Crusades, where Jerusalem is currently held by the Christians. There is currently a kind of peace (in that there is not an open war) in Jerusalem and Christians, Moslems and Jews all co-exist ...
...Richard (the Lionheart) set of on his Crusade. THE STORY: Set in 1186, the story centres around Balian (Bloom), a young French blacksmith mourning the recent death of his wife who committed suicide after their baby died. As a result of this the local priest cheerfully assures Balian that his wife will be at that very moment burning in hell as suicide is a sin! At this point Baron Godfrey of Ibelin (Liam Neeson) turns up claiming to be Balian's ... Read review

Advantages: good action scenes
Disadvantages: Poor storyline, poor acting by main character

...Gladiator, Black Hawk Down and Kingdom Of Heaven certainly follows these titles footsteps in the impressive battle scenes. Actors Include: Orlando Bloom, Liam Neeson, Jeremy Irons, Eva Green and Brendan Gleeson amongst others. Certificate 15 Film Time 138 minutes The main vein of the storyline is a Hollywood approach to the pre-third crusade Jerusalem. The main character, Blacksmith Balian (Orlando Bloom) who has just lost his child and wife ...
...by his father, a real knight of the holy land the Baron of Ibelin who has returned to bring his son into the fold. Balian refuses, subsequently kills a really annoying priest and then trots after his father in a search for forgiveness in the holyland. - Here we have the typical hollywoodisation of what could have been a really historically accurate film, while the film puts Balian as a blacksmith who rises through the ranks of society (a feat totally ... Read review