September 20 - Kingdom of Heaven

This movie has a scene that happens today – September 20. I hope you will enjoy this film while watching it tonight.

KINGDOM OF HEAVEN

Holy Land Balian’s ship is sunk in a storm and he and a horse are the only survivors. He meets a Muslim knight who wants the horse. Balian fights and kills him. He makes the knight’s servant take him to Jerusalem and then releases him. In Jerusalem the King, Baldwin IV and Tiberius, his Marshall support peace, while Guy of Lusignan, who is married to the King’s sister Sibylla, and Reynald de Chatillon want war with the Muslims.   Balian, a French village blacksmith is troubled because his wife committed suicide after the death of their child. He is visited by Godfrey of Ibelin, a knight on the way to the Holy Land who tells Balian he is his father and asks him to come with him, but Balian refuses. When the village priest reveals that his wife’s body was beheaded before burial, since she was a suicide and that he had taken her cross necklace, Balian kills him and races to catch up with his father.  Representatives of the priest’s bishop arrive to arrest Balian but are beaten off. Godfrey is wounded. In Messina, before he dies Godfrey knights Balian. On the sea voyage to the Arriving in Ibelin Balian orders wells dug and has an affair with the visiting Sibylla. Then Raynald and Guy massacre a Muslim caravan, provoking an invasion by the Muslim leader, Saladin with a huge army. Balian and his knights charge the Muslim army to allow villagers to reach Raynald’s fortress. Balian is captured, but spared by the Muslim servant he spared, who is Saladin’s Chancellor. Baldwin arrives with his army and Saladin agrees to retreat upon Baldwin’s promise that Raynald will be punished. Raynald is jailed. Baldwin asks Balian to marry Sibylla, but he refuses as Guy would have to be killed for this to happen. Baldwin dies and Sibylla becomes queen, with Guy as king. Guy releases Raynald. Raynald kills Saladin’s sister and when Saladin wants her body and the bodies of those who killed her, Guy kills Saladin’s ambassador. Balain, having survived an assassination attempt opposes the war, but is outvoted. The Christian army under Guy and Raynald marches out into the desert and is annihilated by Saladin. Balian organizes the defense of Jerusalem. On September 20, 1187 [1:44:52 to 1:47:17] Saladin begins the siege of Jerusalem.  After a ferocious three day battle, Saladin offers to escort all the city’s inhabitants to Christian lands and Balian agrees to the surrender of the city. Balian returns to France where he meets Richard the Lion-Hearted on the way to his Crusade. Balian and Sibylla leave together to start over.

An interesting, if historically inaccurate drama. Has plenty of good action sequences. Fabulous cinematography, costumes and sets.

God’s War: A New History of the Crusades by Christopher Tyerman (Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, 2006) at page 372 gives date of start of the siege

Producer - Ridley Scott

Director - Ridley Scott

Screenplay - William Monahan

Runtime – 2 hours 24 minutes

Released – May 6, 2005

Starring –

Orlando Bloom as Balian of Ibelin

Eva Green as Sibylla of Jerusalem

Jeremy Irons as Raymond, Count of Tiberias

David Thewlis as Knight Hospitaller

Brendan Gleeson as Raynald of Châtillon

Marton Csokas as Guy of Lusignan

Liam Neeson as Godfrey of Ibelin

Edward Norton as Baldwin IV of Jerusalem

Ghassan Massoud as Saladin

Khaled El Nabawy as Mullah

Alexander Siddig as Imad ad-Din

Jon Finch as Patriarch Heraclius of Jerusalem

Iain Glen as King Richard of England

Velibor Topic as Almaric

Kevin McKidd as Godfrey's man-at-arms

Jouko Ahola as Odo

Michael Sheen as Priest

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Village Sheriff