Lionheart (1987)

A young knight sets out to join King Richard's crusaders. Along the way, he encounters The Black Prince who captures children and sells them as slaves to the Muslims. It is Robert Narra's ... See full summary »

Director:

Franklin J. Schaffner

Writers:

Menno Meyjes (screenplay), Richard Outten (screenplay)

Stars:

Eric Stoltz, Gabriel Byrne, Nicola Cowper

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Eric Stoltz	...	Robert Nerra
Gabriel Byrne	...	Black Prince
Nicola Cowper	...	Blanche
Dexter Fletcher	...	Michael
Deborah Moore	...	Mathilda (as Deborah Barrymore)
Nicholas Clay	...	Charles De Montfort
Bruce Purchase	...	Simon Nerra
Neil Dickson	...	King Richard
Penny Downie	...	Madelaine
Nadim Sawalha	...	Selim
John Franklyn-Robbins	...	The Abbot
Chris Pitt	...	Odo
Matthew Sim	...	Hugo
Paul Rhys	...	Mayor of the Underground City
Sammi Davis	...	Baptista

Storyline

A young knight sets out to join King Richard's crusaders. Along the way, he encounters The Black Prince who captures children and sells them as slaves to the Muslims. It is Robert Narra's sworn duty to protect the children and lead them to safety.

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Plot Keywords:

knight | slave dealer | muslim | france | crusader | 

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Taglines:

A timeless evil. A warrior lost. A mystical quest.

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

Hungary USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 August 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

Lionheart: The Children's Crusade

Filming Locations:

Hungary

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hungaro,Mafilm,TaliaFilm II Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Inspired loosely on an event that took place in 1212 called "The Children's Crusade", when a French boy tried to lead a large group of children to the Holy Land. However, most either died on the way or were sold into slavery when they reached North Africa on the way to Jerusalem. Similar events are said to have occurred at the same time around Germany.

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Connections

Referenced in Kingdom of Heaven (2005)

User Reviews

low grade high adventure

It's the end of the 12th century. The young pious Robert Narra (Eric Stoltz) sets out to join The Third Crusade with King Richard the Lionheart. On route, he runs away from a battle. He encounters two escaped performers/thieves Michael (Dexter Fletcher) and his sister Mathilda (Deborah Moore). Michael would like to go to Paris. They seek shelter at a monastery where they're told about The Black Prince (Gabriel Byrne) who captures and sells children to the Muslims. The Black Prince is a disillusioned former crusader. In Paris, they are captured by the orphans of the Underground City. The Black Prince kills the mayor of the Underground City and plans to capture the army of orphans as they go off to join the crusade.

The Children's Crusade is not a happy story. The problem is that the goal is not well conceived. In order for this to work for a modern audience, they need to find a nicer place for them to strive for. I don't know why anybody would root for the kids to get to the crusade. Also this doesn't feel real enough to be gritty or fanciful enough to be magical. It operates in a weird middle ground where neither is satisfied. Jerry Goldsmith brings an epic score to this not-so epic movie.