Film The Kingdom Of Heaven

[Raina Giorno]

Althoughthe historical value of the movie is low (see below), its intended purpose was more based on conveying a message of religious and cultural tolerance. Most of the Crusader characters (especially the Templars) were therefore meant to embody the violence of invaders motivated both by economic gain and power lust, as well as blind religious fanaticism. This was a choice that struck the critics, as the United States of America and its allies were at war against Iraq during its release.

Her subsequent visual transformation into a penitent (hair cut short, fineries replaced with an unadorned black dress, walking on foot instead of riding) reflects both her guilty feelings as well as the decline of the kingdom. A mere spectator of the submission of the city of Jerusalem, she then renounces her queenship and power to finally flee to France with Balian.

This depiction of Sybil is very much altered from what the historical evidence has left us. Medieval sources present the queen as a strong woman who knew how to navigate and rule within the bounds of the patriarchal medieval society. Contrary to what is presented in the film, it seems that it was Sybil herself who chose Guy as her second husband or, at least, took part in the decision. The relationship between the spouses is completely different: chroniclers note the devotion of Sybil towards her husband, who in turn relies on her help when dealing with the barons. After her own coronation as queen, Roger of Howden tells us how she refused to divorce Guy and tricked her vassals into accepting him as their king [1]. In the aftermath of the defeat of Hattin in 1187, Sybil helped lead the defence of Ascalon and Jerusalem during its siege by Saladin. She negotiated the release of her captive husband, then accompanying him with Christian forces to lay siege to Acre (earlier taken by Saladin) until her death in 1190 from an epidemy.

The story deals with the Crusades of the 12th century, and involves an artificer (a military mechanic; French: artificier) and engineer (in this case, someone who makes siege engines), serving as a village blacksmith who goes on to aid the city of Jerusalem in its defense against the Muslim leader Saladin, who battles to reclaim the city from the Christians. The script is a heavily fictionalised portrayal of Balian of Ibelin. Hamid Dabashi, a professor who mainly specialises in Iranian studies at Columbia University, was the film's chief academic consultant regarding the Crusades.[1]

Most filming took place in Ouarzazate in Morocco, where Scott had filmed Gladiator and Black Hawk Down. A replica of the ancient city of Jerusalem was constructed in the desert. Filming also took place in Spain, at the Loarre castle, Segovia, Valsan, vila, Palma del Ro and Casa de Pilatos in Seville.[2]

It was reported that the Moroccan government sent hundreds of soldiers to protect the set and crew from Muslim extremists who threatened attacks;[3] however, the Moroccan cavalry were actually on hand as extras in the epic battle scenes.[4]

Kingdom of Heaven begins in a remote village in France, with a blacksmith, Balian (Orlando Bloom), haunted by his wife's recent suicide as the result of the death of their child. A group of Crusaders arrives at the small village and Balian discovers the existence of his out-of-wedlock father, Baron Godfrey of Ibelin (Liam Neeson), amongst the crusaders, and that the town priest (who is his brother) is wearing a pendant taken from his wife's body. In addition, the priest reveals that his wife's body was beheaded before burial, which was customary practice in those times for people who committed suicide. Enraged, he viciously murders the priest. Afterwards he decides to follow his father and his men to Jerusalem in the hope of gaining redemption and forgiveness for both his wife and himself.

As they leave the village, the local ruler's men confront the Crusaders under the premise of arresting Balian. The Crusaders refuse to surrender him and a brief but bloody skirmish erupts in which Godfrey's knights are victorious, but several of them are killed and Godfrey is gravely wounded by an arrow.

In Messina, Godfrey, on the brink of death, knights Balian, orders him to serve the King of Jerusalem and protect the helpless, and ultimately shares with him his vision of a 'kingdom of conscience', morality, and righteousness in the Holy Land. On the journey to Jerusalem, the convoy is hit by a storm, and Balian is the sole survivor of the shipwreck. Balian soon finds himself confronting a Muslim cavalier and his servant over possession of a horse. Balian slays the horseman in single combat, but spares the servant, asking him to take him to Jerusalem. Upon their arrival in Jerusalem, Balian releases his prisoner, and asks him for the name of his master whom he has slain, so that he can pray for his soul. His prisoner tells him, and departing says that, 'Your qualities will be known among your enemies before ever you meet them'. Balian soon becomes acquainted with the main players in Jerusalem's political arena: King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem (Edward Norton), stricken by leprosy yet nevertheless one of the film's wisest and most sensible rulers; Princess Sibylla (Eva Green), King Baldwin IV's sister and Balian's love interest; Guy de Lusignan, Sibylla's scheming, bloodthirsty, and intolerant husband.

Guy and Raynald of Chtillon massacre a Muslim trade caravan. Enraged, Saladin, leader of the muslim forces, attacks Kerak, Raynald's castle. Balian decides to defend Kerak castle from Saladin's cavalry. Though outnumbered, he and his knights charge Saladin's cavalry to give the Kerak villagers time to flee to the castle; the quick battle ends with Balian's capture. In captivity, he encounters the "servant" he freed, learning he is actually one of Saladin's generals, who returns the favour, freeing him to Kerak. Then, King Baldwin IV arrives with his main army, and successfully negotiates a Muslim retreat with Saladin, averting a bloodbath. At Saladin's camp, several of his generals are angry that he made a truce, but Saladin dismisses these complaints as a foolhardy rush to war; he will only launch an attack against Jerusalem after ample preparation, when he feels he is strategically strong enough.

King Baldwin dies and Sibylla succeeds him. She names her husband Guy the King Consort of Jerusalem, after the King's failed pairing of Balian to Sibylla. Balian refused it, as Guy's murder was a kingly condition; such political intriguing is counter to Balian's morality. Elsewhere, Guy, helped by Raynald, provokes Saladin's attack by murdering Saladin's sister, and marches to the desert, without adequate food and water, to fight Saladin. The Muslim army ambushes them in a great battle; the crusaders are annihilated. King Guy and Raynald are captured; Saladin slits Raynald's throat, and then marches on Jerusalem, defended only by Balian. Saladin's siege of Jerusalem is three days of battle wherein Balian demonstrates tactical skill in knocking down siege towers and holding the line when a section of city wall is opened. The next day, Balian surrenders Jerusalem to Saladin on condition of the inhabitants' safe passage to Christian Lands. Balian points out that when the Crusaders took Jerusalem a hundred years previously, they massacred the Muslim inhabitants, but Saladin assured him that he is a man of honor, and keeping his word allows Balian and his people to leave.

At story's end, Balian is back in his French village. A column of crusader knights rides through, led by King Richard I of England, who tells Balian they are enroute to new Crusade to re-take Jerusalem from Saladin. King Richard asks Balian, the defender of Jerusalem, to join him, but Balian answers that he is only a blacksmith, and declines.

After visiting the grave of Balian's first wife, he and Sibylla ride into the sunset. A title card concludes the story, explaining that Richard the Lionheart failed to conquer Jerusalem from the Muslims after years of war, that fighting over Jerusalem continues, and that "even today, peace in the Kingdom of Heaven remains elusive".

The visual style of Kingdom of Heaven emphasizes set design and impressive cinematography in almost every scene. It is especially notable for its visual majesty with "visually stunning cinematography and haunting music".[5]

Cinematographer John Mathieson created many large, sweeping landscapes,[6]where the cinematography, supporting performances, and battle sequences are meticulously mounted.[7]The cinematography and scenes of set-pieces have been described as "ballets of light and colour" (as in films by Akira Kurosawa).[8]Director Ridley Scott's visual acumen was described as the main draw of Kingdom of Heaven with the stellar, stunning cinematography and "jaw-dropping combat sequences" based on the production design of Arthur Max.[9][10]

The music to the movie is quite different in style and content to the soundtrack of Ridley Scott's earlier 2000 film Gladiator and many other subsequent films depicting historical events. A composition of classical listings, rousing chorales, juxtaposing Muslim sacred chants, and subtle implementation of contemporary rock/pop influences, the soundtrack is largely the result of British film-score composer Harry Gregson-Williams. Gregson-Williams chose to move away from the "battle waltz" and the "wailing woman" that had been introduced by Hans Zimmer in Gladiator and would then find excessive use in more and more other movies, such as Alexander and Troy.

King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem, who reigned from 1174 to 1185, was a leper, and his sister Sibylla did marry Guy of Lusignan. Also, Baldwin IV had a falling out with Guy before his death, and so Guy did not succeed Baldwin IV immediately. Baldwin crowned Sibylla's son from her previous marriage to William of Montferrat, five-year-old Baldwin V co-king in his own lifetime, in 1183[11]. The little boy reigned as sole king for one year, dying in 1186 at nine years of age. After her son's death, Sibylla and Guy (to whom she was devoted) garrisoned the city, and she claimed the throne. The coronation scene in the movie was, in real life, more of a shock: Sibylla had been forced to promise to divorce Guy before becoming queen, with the assurance that she would be permitted to pick her own consort. After being crowned by Patriarch Heraclius of Jerusalem (who is unnamed in the movie), she chose to crown Guy as her consort. Raymond III of Tripoli, the film's Tiberias, was not present, but was in Nablus attempting a coup, with Balian of Ibelin, to raise her half-sister (Balian's stepdaughter), princess Isabella of Jerusalem, to the throne; however, Isabella's husband, Humphrey IV of Toron, betrayed them by swearing allegiance to Guy.

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