The Crusades (1935)

King Richard and the Third Crusade (1190-1192) are given the DeMille treatment with more spectacle than history.

Director:

Cecil B. DeMille

Writers:

Harold Lamb (screen play), Waldemar Young (screen play)

Stars:

Loretta Young, Henry Wilcoxon, Ian Keith

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Loretta Young	...	Berengaria - Princess of Navarre
Henry Wilcoxon	...	Richard - King of England
Ian Keith	...	Saladin - Sultan of Islam
C. Aubrey Smith	...	The Hermit
Katherine DeMille	...	Alice - Princess of France (as Katherine De Mille)
Joseph Schildkraut	...	Conrad - Marquis of Montferrat
Alan Hale	...	Blondel
C. Henry Gordon	...	Philip the Second - King of France
George Barbier	...	Sancho - King of Navarre
Montagu Love	...	The Blacksmith
Ramsay Hill	...	John - Prince of England
Lumsden Hare	...	Robert - Earl of Leicester
Maurice Murphy	...	Alan - Richard's Squire
William Farnum	...	Hugo - Duke of Burgundy
Hobart Bosworth	...	Frederick - Duke of the Germans

Storyline

The Third Crusade as it didn't happen. King Richard Coeur de Lion goes on the crusade to avoid marrying Princess Alice of France; en route, he marries Berengaria to get food for his men. Berengaria.is captured by Saladin, spurring Richard to attack and capture Acre. But Saladin, attracted to her, takes her on to Jerusalem, and Richard is in danger of assassination.

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Plot Keywords:

crusades | spectacle | jerusalem | attack | medieval times | 

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Taglines:

Wonders to dazzle the human imagination - in a flaming love story set in titanic world conflict!

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | History | War

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 October 1935 (USA)

Also Known As:

Las cruzadas

Filming Locations:

Paramount Ranch - 2813 Cornell Road, Agoura, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

125 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Although Cecil B. DeMille states in his autobiography that the film failed to be a financial success when released, it was listed as the box-office champion of 1935 in the 1936-37 issue of the Motion Picture Almanac.

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Goofs

Incorrect heraldry for the Marquisate of Montferrat (Monferrato), Italy. It is a band of red above white/silver. No chevrons, no snakes.

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Quotes

Berengaria, Princess of Navarre: [Resisting Richard pulling her into her father's room] Let go of my wrist! You're hurting it.
Richard, King of England: Well stop pulling then.

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Connections

Featured in Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage (1983)

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Soundtracks

Blondel's Love Song
(1935) (uncredited)
Music by Rudolph G. Kopp
Lyrics by Harold Lamb
Performed by Alan Hale and chorus

User Reviews

Cecil B. DeMille's version of history

Starring Henry Wilcoxon, Loretta Young, and Ian Keith. This film focuses mainly on the Third Crusade, with events from the others used as background.

In 1187 , when infidels take Jerusalem and hold Christians captive, a man called The Hermit escapes and goes back to Europe, preaching for a Crusade to free Jerusalem. Several countries join. When The Hermit reaches England, King Richard the Lion-Hearted (Henry Wilcoxon) joins the Crusade to avoid marriage to Alice (Katharine DeMille), the King of France's sister. When the soldiers from the various countries reach Navarre, the King of Navarre sells his daughter Berengaria (Loretta Young) in marriage to Richard in exchange for rations for the soldiers and horses. The director in tall boots takes the story from there.

This film is long, drawn out by political intrigues and lots of speeches about Christianity being the only true religion. Film Finally wakes up in the second hour with some spectacular footage of the siege of Acre, and the plot gets moving.

Wilcoxon plays Richard as a thuggish dimwit. Young is seemingly the only person in the film to have a brain in her head, and who acts with subtlety. Ian Keith, as Saladin, does well in a small role. Everyone else is either of very good or very bad character, and you can tell by their dialogue in their first sentence which they're meant to be. No real nuance in the characterization. Alan Hale is annoying as a minstrel.

The film is almost free of knee slapping lines, but there is one priceless line. Just before Acre is attacked, a sentry yells: "The Christians are coming! The Christians are coming!".

Comic book history, smothered with religion to please the production code, and spectacle on the side. It's an okay watch-just have caffeine handy for the talky scenes in the first hour.