The Crusaders (2001)

Towards the end of the 11th century, three friends - bell founder Peter, baron's son Richard and shepherd Andrew - set off to join The Crusades, after watching soldiers returning from Jerusalem.

Director:

Dominique Othenin-Girard

Writer:

Andrea Porporati

Stars:

Alessandro Gassmann, Johannes Brandrup, Thure Riefenstein

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Alessandro Gassmann	...	Peter (as Alessandro Gassman)
Johannes Brandrup	...	Richard
Thure Riefenstein	...	Andrew
Barbora Bobulova	...	Rachel
Karin Proia	...	Maria
Antonino Iuorio	...	Massoud
Uwe Ochsenknecht	...	Corrado
Thomas Heinze	...	Prince Roland
Flavio Insinna	...	Bartolomew
Dieter Kirchlechner	...	Baron William
Rodolfo Corsato	...	Bastiano
Franco Nero	...	Ibnazul
Armin Mueller-Stahl	...	Alessio
Elizabeta Djorevska
Dubravko Jovanovic

Storyline

Towards the end of the eleventh century, Pope Urban II announces a crusade against the Saracens, who have occupied the holy city of Jerusalem. Three young friends # Richard, Peter and Andrew # set off to join the crusading army. The three friends come from very different backgrounds: Andrew is a shepherd; Peter is a poor bell founder, and the illegitimate son of a Christian woman and a Saracen man; and Richard is the deeply religious son of Baron William of Aurocastro, who was murdered by his rival brother Corrado. The violent methods used by the crusaders soon cause the three friends to fall out with each other, and after a bloody attack on a Jewish monastery, they go their separate ways: Andrew remains with the crusaders, while Peter and Richard accompany the attractive Jewess Rachel # whose teacher, a rabbi, was killed in the raid # to Jerusalem. Andrew is very reluctant to see Rachel go, having # like Peter # fallen in love with her at first sight. In Jerusalem the situation is ...

---

Plot Keywords:

crusader | pope | shot with an arrow | bludgeoned to death | stabbed to death | 

---

Genres:

Adventure | Drama

---

Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

Italy Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 May 2004 (Hungary)

Also Known As:

Korsriddarna

Filming Locations:

Ouarzazate, Morocco

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lux Vide, Rai Fiction

Technical Specs

Runtime:

194 min (2 parts) 187 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Muslim defenders of the city are shown a demonstration of Greek fire by a Greek engineer. Greek fire required the knowledge of two closely-guarded secrets: the design of the siphon projector and the composition of the liquid. The Greek engineer is said to know the secret of the siphon projector, but the liquid is said to be just something picked up from the coast (i.e., crude oil). Crude oil is suspected of being only one ingredient in the now-lost recipe for Greek fire.

User Reviews

worth a rental?

From the moment the film begins, already there is a discrepancy. As this film takes place on the borders of Normandy and the middle East, and is also an international film, one would expect proper accents portrayed. This is not done as the majority of the cast sound American. Also, I find the acting to be rehearsed at best, the story line a little difficult to follow from the beginning. Who is who? Otherwise the film is very accurate in costume and scenery. If you want to see a movie to get a feel of what it was like in the past (albeit the lack of accents) then this movie is worth a rent. If you're looking for a movie as epic as Kingdom of Heaven, then look elsewhere.