R, 190 min. (director’s cut)
Director: Ridley Scott
Writer: William Monaghan
Starring: Orlando Bloom, Eva
Green, Jeremy Irons, David Thewlis, Marton Csokas, Brendan Gleeson, Edward
Norton, Velibor Topic, Alexander Siddig, Liam Neeson, Ghassan Massoud, Michael
Sheen, Jouko Ahola, Kevin McKidd, Jon Finch
With “Exodus: Gods and Kings”
in theaters for early preview screenings tomorrow, director Ridley Scott takes
his shot at the biblical epic. This is hardly Scott’s first foray into
Christian themes, however. Perhaps one of his most overlooked films, “Kingdom
of Heaven”, takes a look at faith in the backdrop of the Crusades to restore
the Christian lands around Jerusalem. It isn’t really a Christmas themed movie as
it has little to do with Christ’s life on Earth, but I include it for this year’s
Holiday Thoughts because it contains one of the best portraits of what it means
to be a good Christian in times that most Christians lose sight of the
teachings of Christ.
“Kingdom of Heaven” presents
to us a few good people trying to be as reasonable as possible in a situation
that is not reasonable. European Christians have taken Jerusalem from the
Muslims to restore Christian landmarks to Christian rule and have held the Holy
City for 100 years through uneasy truces with the Muslim leaders who have as
much claim on the land as the Christians, if not more, since the Christians
drove them out. Now, the truce is held by people who had nothing to do with the
initial invasion. The Christians in this story have traveled to Jerusalem on a
spiritual mission, escaping the devastating times that grip the European land
of the Medieval ages. They are told it is their duty to protect Jerusalem from
the Muslim threat. Many have found power in this land that they lacked in their
homeland. And we all know what power does.
The story focuses on Balian,
a blacksmith whose name was blemished when his wife committed suicide. After
committing a terrible sin in a fit of rage, Balian joins his father on a journey
to the Holy Land to find his way back into God’s grace. Balian is one of the
few truly good people I’ve ever seen depicted in film, yet he commits murder
and adultery. In the Jerusalem of this film these are daily sins, often done
for much less reason than Balian is given. But Balian doesn’t believe he’s
good. This is the key to his goodness. He’s lost his trust in himself and tries
to live the life he’s been taught about Christ. Part of this is the belief that
the lives of others is of the utmost importance to Christ, more important than
even the Roman Catholic Church’s desire to keep Jerusalem at all costs. That
doesn’t mean that Balian is just willing to give in to the Muslims. He operates
as a soldier of the Church and therefore God, but he does not confuse the
Church’s edicts with his beliefs and faith.
Scott and his screenwriter
William Monahan masterfully craft their story to perfectly convey Balian’s
belief system, explain the politics of the situation in Jerusalem, and depict
the necessity of war, its tactics and the strategies utilized by both sides to
gain what they each desire. As is often the case with Scott’s films, there is
more than one version out there. While I loved the theatrical version, his
Director’s Cut restores some important story elements to this epic tale. Scott
handles the battle sequences excellently, but it’s the entire journey and the
philosophy of his hero that make this picture such a powerful portrait of faith
and righteousness.
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