Kingdom of Heaven (2005)

Balian of Ibelin travels to Jerusalem during the Crusades of the 12th century, and there he finds himself as the defender of the city and its people.

Director:

Ridley Scott

Writer:

William Monahan

Stars:

Orlando Bloom, Eva Green, Liam Neeson

5 wins & 15 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Martin Hancock	...	Gravedigger
Michael Sheen	...	Priest
Nathalie Cox	...	Balian's Wife
Eriq Ebouaney	...	Firuz
Jouko Ahola	...	Odo
David Thewlis	...	Hospitaler
Liam Neeson	...	Godfrey de Ibelin
Philip Glenister	...	Squire
Orlando Bloom	...	Balian de Ibelin
Bronson Webb	...	Apprentice
Kevin McKidd	...	English Sergeant
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau	...	Village Sheriff
Steven Robertson	...	Angelic Priest
Marton Csokas	...	Guy de Lusignan
Alexander Siddig	...	Imad

Storyline

It is the time of the Crusades during the Middle Ages -- the world-shaping 200-year collision between Europe and the East. A blacksmith named Balian has lost his family and nearly his faith. The religious wars raging in the far-off Holy Land seem remote to him, yet he is pulled into that immense drama. Amid the pageantry and intrigues of medieval Jerusalem, he falls in love, grows into a leader, and ultimately uses all his courage and skill to defend the city against staggering odds. Destiny comes seeking Balian in the form of a great knight, Godfrey of Ibelin, a Crusader briefly home to France from fighting in the East. Revealing himself as Balian's father, Godfrey shows him the true meaning of knighthood and takes him on a journey across continents to the fabled Holy City. In Jerusalem at that moment--between the Second and Third Crusades--a fragile peace prevails, through the efforts of its enlightened Christian king, Baldwin IV, aided by his advisor Tiberias, and the military ...

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Plot Keywords:

crusader | 12th century | jerusalem | templar | knights templar | 

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Taglines:

Be without fear in the face of your enemies. Safeguard the helpless, and do no wrong

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | History | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence and epic warfare

Did You Know?

Trivia

Three 60-foot siege towers were built for the film, using the technology of the period. Each one weighed 25 tons. To accomplish the scene where a number of siege towers collapse, one of the real towers was knocked over on set and filmed from 11 different positions and locations. Various shots of the single tower falling were then composited together to give the impression that several towers had collapsed in different ways and in different directions.

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Goofs

During the second day of the siege, Balian watches several Saracen soldiers put their flag upon one of the towers; Balian is seen taking a weapon from a nearby archer, if you look closely that weapon is a war hammer. In the next shot, Balian is seen slashing a Saracen with an arrow.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Gravedigger: Crusaders.
Squire: Clear the road, if you will.

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Crazy Credits

The opening 20th Century Fox logo has a ocher-yellow tint added to it.

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Alternate Versions

The Director's Cut on Blu-ray Disc (released November 14, 2006) runs 190 minutes as the overture and intermission have been excluded. The Ultimate Edition Blu-ray released in 2014 includes both the 190-minute and 194-minute versions, the latter as the "Director's Cut Roadshow Version".

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Connections

Featured in Unholy War: Mounting the Siege (2006)

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Soundtracks

LE ROI RENAUD DE GUERRE REVINT
Traditional

User Reviews

I saw a press viewing this morning, this is a good film

First of all, what can beat Gladiator, with lines like "father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife", etc. and Russell Crowe chopping off heads. Kingdom of Heaven is a similar heroic fable yet the good and evil polarity is slightly more ambiguous. I would say it was vastly better than Alexander. Ridley Scott's style (cinematography and music) as seen in Black Hawk Down and Gladiator also lend a wonderful historical ambiance. Orlando Bloom does a fine job as the lead, and the French actress is fantastic (and beautiful), but my favorite lead was the Leper King and the wise nobility of his character. The battle scenes are excellent (including one in falling snow in which the snowflakes seem to hang in the air) and the armies look very historically realistic - this is a very good-looking epic. Formulaic perhaps, but well-executed. Kingdom of Heaven made me feel like leaving the "blacksmithy" that is our dull modern urban existence and finding a cause worth fighting for, but Crusades just aren't what they used to be =D

Details

Country:

UK Germany Spain Morocco USA Italy France

Language:

English Arabic Latin Italian

Release Date:

6 May 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Crusades

Filming Locations:

Morocco

Box Office

Budget:

$130,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$19,635,996, 8 May 2005

Gross USA:

$47,398,413

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$218,122,627

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox, Scott Free Productions, BK

Technical Specs

Runtime:

144 min 190 min (director's cut) 194 min (director's cut roadshow)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital (Dolby Digital 5.1) (5.1 Surround Sound) (5.1) DTS (DTS HD Master Audio 5.1) (5.1 Surround Sound) (5.1) D-Cinema 48kHz 5.1 (D-Cinema prints) (5.1 Surround Sound) (5.1)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1