Ridley Scott's "Kingdom of Heaven" is well worth seeing :-)

[DARE to HOPE]

Saw it last night. It actually cheered us up. :-)

This film puts out a vision of what humans could do with respect for each other and for human life, Muslim and Christian, and lifts TRUE "moral values" as worth everything in one's life.

Great view of things to inject into our too screwed up present reality.

[DanCa]

1. Cool

Note I am squeamish how is the blood content. Yep am a big whimp. You can pm me the spoilers so other people wont have the movie ruinned for them.

[DARE to HOPE]

16. I am a wimp, too...

And there are parts I looked at through my fingers. But the violence was mostly NOT gratuitous. The scenes that moved me were the piles of dead soldiers, on both sides. I felt we were seeing the soldiers from the Iraq war, laying out in front of us.

This is definitely an anti-war film.

[Skarbrowe]

2. I hope people like the movie. My newspaper slammed it terribly.

At first, I didn't want to see a movie about the damn crusades. Then I found out that Ridley Scott, the writer and the lead actor were all agnostics and that the movie did not advocate or even slightly advocate the crusades. It's about a certain point in history that involves the crusades.

Not much for typing today. Just hope people like the movie a heck of lot better than the lazy butt guy that reviewed it for our paper.

[DARE to HOPE]

3. The fundies are after it--that's a good reason for us to support it!!

They charge that this is the PC version of history. They want it to close in the first two weeks. But it IS going around the world, from what I read.

[Just Me]

9. They're after it because they object to common reciprocal respect?

Why? :shrug:

What's wrong with people? Are they so bitter and ugly that the possibility of coexistence is rejected, outright?

[JNelson6563]

5. I'm a bit of a historian

and medieval Europe is my most studied period. As an atheist I find the crusades and all the politics involved fascinating. I'm not surprised these brilliant artists find it so as well.

:toast:

Julie

[K-W]

14. Ridley Scott doesnt have a history of thrilling historians. EOM

[KoKo]

7. Bad reviews in my newspaper here too and I was worried it was

focused on the Crusades (remembering Bush's first comments that we were on a "crusade" against terrorists) and would just be a bloodpath of crusaders against the infidels...so i thought I'd pass it up.

Glad to hear someone liked it, and I've never gotten a bad recommendation from DU'ers. Some odd ones :D...but even then, I've still liked the movie even if it was quirkier than my tastes. I'll check it out. I was always a fan of "Sword and Sandals," and liked "Gladiator."

[Warpy]

4. A slightly hostile review I read complained about the portrayal of

Saladin as both a warrior and a tolerant man who forgave his enemies. Gee, I guess that's now a bad thing.

I may rent this one when it finally hits the video stores. Saladin has always been one of those historical figures I find fascinating, a man who fought Christian crusaders for years, and then turned around and rebuilt their churches in Palestine.

I'm amazed they told the truth about him.

[JNelson6563]

6. It is the truth, you're right

I've read practically every single chronicle from that time period. To a man (women didn't write chronicles) they all related the same about Saladin. He was a clever and patient enemy, very resourceful. Only when he was betrayed by Christians in a prisoner exchange agreement did he go back on his word.

But of course the fundies probably don't like hearing that.....especially the ones who are chicken-hawk fans of boy George's current crusade.....

Julie

[leftchick]

11. Thanks for that bit of history Julie...

There was a thread around here the other day discussing whether this movie is historically accurate or not. A lot of folks just blew it off as a Hollywood movie and why does it need to be "accurate'. I was very curious about it(because I am pretty ignorant of that time period). From what you have stated it seems that the movie is indeed true to history. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

:hi:

[oasis]

8. Thanks for the headsup. DUer reviews hold a lot of weight with me.

:thumbsup:

[AP]

10. Anthony Lane (NY'er) says it's no Gladiator. His review is very funny.

[hector459]

12. No wonder the RW pundits are smearing it already.

They just can't say anything nice about it. Called it "boring" and picture to miss.

[Cha]

13. Ridley Scott and his brother Tony

produce one of my favorite tv shows.."Numb3rs"..I will definetly check this flick out.

[mainer]

15. The fundies will HATE it! That's why I liked it!

Aside from the tepid love story, I really liked the movie. Ridley Scott has made a ferociously anti-war film, and I think that was the point of the excessive gore and violence onscreen -- that war is hell, and that the righteous are often, in fact, evil in their thirst for blood. Every time the Christian soldiers would shout "God wills it!" I could just hear the echo of Bushies' voices. I suspect the right wing will boycott this movie -- all the more reason that the rest of us should see it!

[Just Me]

18. Those who perceive themselves as "righteous" are always destructive.

Always. There is overwhelming scientific proof,...of that truth.

[hertopos]

17. I saw movie and I also bought a companion book afterwords.

It is a great and bloody anti-war movie. The movie is neither anti-religion nor anti-Christian. However, it is very anti- Church establishment and Christian side of intolerance, which is historically very accurate.

Character wise, the companion book a very good job explaining the difference between history and movie script. Tiberius, Saladim, lepra king, idiot Templors are pretty much overlap the historical figure. On the whole, it is very close to history. I cannot believe the negative reviews it gets. As a movie, it is better than Gradiator. BTW O. Bloom is great. My two favorite characters are lepra king and the hospitalier, whom remind me of buddist monk.

Though I really love LOTR, this movie makes their battle scene fake. In many ways, we 'blue people' should support this movie. I bet this movie will be huge outside of U.S.

Hertopos

[okasha]

19. I saw Kingdom of Heaven this afternoon

and recommend it heartily. Scott has kept Balian of Ibelin's integrity and his mutually respectful relationship with Saladin while largely fictionalizing his biography, but the rest of the characters are pretty much as history gives them to us. (Though I have no idea why Raymond of Tripoli is rechristened "Tiberias.") The film is powerfully anti-war and powerfully applicable to the current "crusade."

[PopSixSquish]

20. I Just Returned From Seeing It Myself

and I thought it was extemely well done.

There are some very pointed anti-war ideas in the movie and some great lines about extremism.

Visually a great movie and the music was wonderful and very helpful to the storytelling rather than distracting.