Kingdom of Heaven [WS] [2 Discs]

Overview

Ridley Scott directed this epic-scale historical drama inspired by the events of the Crusades of the 12th century. Balian (Orlando Bloom) is a humble French blacksmith who is searching for a reason to go on after the death of his wife and children. Balian is approached by Godfrey of Ibelin (Liam Neeson), a fabled knight who has briefly returned home after serving in the East. Godfrey informs Balian that he is his true father, and urges the blacksmith to join him as he and his forces journey to Jerusalem to help defend the holy city. Balian accepts, and he and Godfrey arrive during the lull between the Second and Third Crusades, in which the city is enjoying a fragile peace. Both Christian and Muslim forces are temporarily in retreat, thanks to the wisdom of the Christian monarch King Baldwin IV (Edward Norton), his second-in-command Tiberias (Jeremy Irons), and Muslim potentate Saladin (Ghassan Massoud). Violent agitators on both sides are foolishly eager to end the peace in a bid for greater power, and Saladin bows to pressures from Muslim factions; Godfrey is one of a handful of brave knights who has thrown his allegiance behind Baldwin IV and his community of diversity, and Balian joins him as they use their skills as warriors in a bid to build a lasting peace. Kingdom of Heaven also stars Eva Green as the princess Sibylla, David Thewlis as Hospitaler the priest, and Brendan Gleeson as Reynald.

Product Details

Release Date:	10/11/2005
UPC:	0024543206408
Original Release:	2005
Rating:	R
Source:	20Th Century Fox
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, DTS 5.1-Channel Surround Sound, Dolby Digital Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	2:24:00

Special Features

Closed Caption;"The Pilgrim's Guide" text commentary incorporating historical and production notes while you watch the film; Interactive production grid - lets you control the moviemaking experience from the perspective of the director, cast or crew; "Movie Real: Kingdom of Heaven" as seen on the A&E network; "History vs. Hollywood: Kingdom of Heaven" as seen on The History Channel; 4 behind-the-scenes featurettes; Theatrical trailer

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Orlando Bloom	Balian
Liam Neeson	Godfrey
Eva Green	Sibylla
David Thewlis	Hospitaler
Jeremy Irons	Tiberias
Edward Norton	King Baldwin
Brendan Gleeson	Reynald
Ghassan Massoud	Saladin
Velibor Topic	Almaric
Iain Glen	Richard Coeur de Lion
Marton Csokas	Guy de Lusignan
Martin Hancock	Gravedigger
Michael Sheen	Priest
Nathalie Cox	Balian's Wife
Eriq Ebouaney	Firuz
Jouko Ahola	Odo
Philip Glenister	Squire
Bronson Webb	Apprentice
Kevin McKidd	English Sergeant
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau	Village Sherrif
Steven Robertson	Angelic Priest
Alexander Siddig	Nasir
Michael Shaeffer	Young Sergeant
Nasser Memarzia	Muslim Grandee
Jon Finch	Jerusalem
Lotfi Yahya Jedidi	Old Ibelin Housekeeper
Samira Draa	Sibylla's Maid
Ulrich Thomsen	Templar Master
Matthew Rutherford	Rider
Michael Fitzgerald	Humphrey
Khaled Nabawy	Mullah
Karim Saleh	Saracen Messenger
Giannina Facio	Saladin's Sister
Emilio Doorgasingh	Saracen Engineer
Peter Cant	Peasant Boy
Angus Wright	Richard's Knight
Tim Barlow	Stary Straznik
Shane Attwooll	Reynald's Templar Knight
Lofti Yahya Jedidi	Old Ibelin Housekeeper
Robert King	Conductor
Harry Gregson-Williams	Composer

Technical Credits

William Monahan

Ridley Scott	Director,Producer
William Monahan	Screenwriter
Lisa Ellzey	Executive Producer,Producer
Branko Lustig	Executive Producer,Producer
Terry Needham	Executive Producer,Producer
Paul Alexiou	Special Effects
Christopher Assells	Sound Effects
Harry Barnes	Sound Effects
Alexander Beddow	Sound Effects
Bryan Bowen	Sound Effects
Peter Burgis	Sound Effects
Karim Abouobayd	Producer
Mark Albela	Producer
Bruce Devan	Producer
José Luis Escolar	Producer
Henning Molfenter	Producer
Denise O'Dell	Producer
Thierry Potok	Producer
Beverly Austin	Special Effects
Mohamed Aarif	Stunts
Ricardo Cruz	Stunts
Jose Maria Serrano	Stunts
Ratislav Kotula	Stunts
Branislav Martinak	Stunts
Stanislav Satko	Stunts
Menyhert Balog-Dutombe	Stunts
Domingo Beltran	Stunts
Rastislav Benza	Stunts
Vladimir Furdik	Stunts
Gabriel Garcia	Stunts
Krisztian Kery	Stunts
Gustav Kyselica	Stunts
Atilla Mora	Stunts
Miguel Santiago	Stunts
Allan Smith	Stunts
Michael Elson	Executive Producer
James Crowther	Key Grip
Carlo Postiglione	Key Grip
Edmundo Sanz	Key Grip
Ignacio Carreño	Stunts
Gabor Piroch	Stunts
Marek Toth	Stunts
Martin Uhrovcik	Stunts
Jason Rodriguez	Stunts
Peter Hric	Stunts
Lubomir Misak	Stunts
Zoltan Molnar	Stunts
Ales Kosnar	Stunts
Pedro Fraile	Stunts
Giedrius Nagys	Stunts
Joaquin Olias	Stunts
Peter Plazak	Stunts
Gaspar Szabo	Stunts
Laszlo Ujvari	Stunts
Charlie Bradbury	Producer
Dave Appleby	Key Grip
Neil Corbould	Special Effects
Debra Zane	Casting
Ivo Kristof	Stunts
Eugenio Alonso	Stunts
Ivan Mica	Stunts
Peter Olgyay	Stunts
Pedro Garcia Garcia	Stunts
Ferenc Berecz	Stunts
Toni Bobeta	Stunts
Jose Manuel Cerdan	Stunts
Jonathan Costelloe	Stunts
Rogerio Carlos De Oliveira	Stunts
Vladislavas Jacukevicius	Stunts
Anderson Martin	Stunts
Jose Antonio Ona	Stunts
Hernando Ortiz	Stunts
Domonkos Pardanyi	Stunts
Mark Aaron Wagner	Stunts
Jina Jay	Casting
Alejandro Cobo	Stunts
Pavel Vokoun	Stunts
Gergely Csolle	Stunts
Roman Jankovic	Stunts
Filip Kadlec	Stunts
David Garrick	Stunts
Oleg Botin	Stunts
Pablo Casillas	Stunts
Tomas Ereminas	Stunts
Saulius Janavicius	Stunts
Martin Kraus	Stunts
Inocencio Losada	Stunts
Lehocky Radoslav	Stunts
Stanislav Samuchov	Stunts
Gabriel Manja Sarki	Stunts
Istvan Szigeti	Stunts
David A. Stephenson	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

Director Ridley Scott (Gladiator) has really outdone himself with this spellbinding film, an elaborately mounted epic that takes occasional liberties with the historical record but recreates the period so evocatively that viewers will be held in thrall to its sweeping narrative. The movie opens in the 12th century, between the Second and Third Crusades, with Jerusalem in Christian hands and the Leper King, Baldwin (Edward Norton), maintaining an uneasy peace with the Muslim warrior prince Saladin (Ghassan Massoud). With a truce in place, Sir Godfrey of Ibelin (Liam Neeson) returns to France in hopes of persuading his illegitimate son, Balian (Orlando Bloom), to join him in the Holy Land and defend Baldwin’s “kingdom of heaven.” Unbeknownst to either of them, unscrupulous, plundering Templar knights are undermining the peace -- inflaming the Muslim hordes and risking Jerusalem’s safety. Scott exhibits remarkable skill in telling the larger story and depicting historical events while maintaining an emphasis on more intimate, character-driven aspects of the story, such as Baldwin’s tender relationship with his sister, Sibylla (Eva Green), and adviser, Tiberias (Jeremy Irons), as well as Sibylla’s on-and-off romance with Balian. Scott lays blame for the siege of Jerusalem plainly and unambiguously at the feet of the villainous knights, and he goes to considerable lengths to make Saladin the chivalrous warrior of legend, but the film isn’t a cut-and-dried exercise in political correctness. The Europeans aren’t all bad, nor the Arab Muslims all good. In fact, the director is to be commended for approaching this very complex phase of history in a reasonably evenhanded way. Were this not the case, however, it wouldn’t change the fact that Kingdom of Heaven is extraordinarily entertaining. Everything about it is first-rate, with Scott’s realistic, expansively staged battle sequences meriting special commendation.