Posted on 04/29/2005 1:00:01 PM PDT by missyme
We recently attended a preview of director Ridley Scott's crusader epic, "Kingdom of Heaven," which opens nationally May 6. The $130 million film -- which stars Orlando Bloom, Liam Neeson and Jeremy Irons -- tells the story of a 12th century blacksmith who rises to defend Jerusalem from Muslim invaders.
We're unable to officially review the film until its release, but we had these observations:
Although Scott put "Kingdom" in development before the 9/11 attacks, it's obvious that the War on Terror forms the backdrop for the film. "Kingdom of Heaven" is clearly intended to be a parable for our time, and it's therefore disappointing that a director of Scott's skill and experience (directing classics like "Alien," "Blade Runner" and "Gladiator") would opt for such a conventional, secular-liberal interpretation of the present conflict.
Even with its gorgeous settings, splendid action sequences, and some fine performances by Neeson and Irons, "Kingdom of Heaven" wears its politics too much on its sleeve.
The Western crusaders are too often dismissed as bloodthirsty and rapacious, and religion itself (both Christianity and Islam) is reduced to little more than a source of fanaticism. Scott doesn't glamorize the Islamic cause -- yet he can't understand it, either. Neither side's worldview is explored in any depth, because Scott assumes that war is the natural outflow of religion -- any religion.
Liberal Hollywood is struggling to find its voice in the post-9/11 world. Ridley Scott's effort may be the most ambitious yet in this regard, but the limitations of the liberal wordview in understanding our current struggle are become more obvious by the day. Aesthetically, "Kingdom of Heaven" may be a huge leap forward from "Fahrenheit 9/11," but its values are only baby steps removed.
last time I checked, the crusades are over and there are no sides to BE on.....
The problem is...I don't think he played the guy as a creep. I don't mind when a creep is played like a creep, but when creeps are glorified...well, the actor doesn't have to take the role. It's a moral choice.
Oh no, really? I'm sorry to hear that. I really liked him in that movie, and in Pirates of the Caribbean. Maybe he'll mature and reconsider...
How awful to be forced into that role and forced to talk about how awful that the eeeevil conservative "moralists" made Kinsey's life so miserable.
So sad that actors have to lie about their feelings for a person so that they can work.
Good actors tend to gravitate to playing people completely unlike themselves as a professional challenge. I saw the movie and he was portrayed as a guy with a lot of personal problems.
What boils down to is you're thinking about this in terms of 'what moral effect will this film have on the general populace' as opposed to people who think of it in terms of 'this is an interesting story and a good role'.
My very liberal sister told me back in 1985, that Communism was just another form of Government..........she was and still is very ignorant about that. You seem to have bought into the view that all religions are equally corrupt and viscous. Comparing Muslim v. Christian in conquest and slaughter is simply not historically accurate at all.
I think Sarge's point (and if it's not, it's mine) was that Hollywood in general is viscerally anti-American and viscerally anti-Christian and to expect that this movie is not skewed in its attempt to help the liberal cause is a bit naive
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No truer words have been spoken! The great irony is that the psuedo-intellectual actors (most of them only have a high school diploma) love misrepresenting history while lecturing to the rest of us poor slobs about how full of hate and ignorance we are for not worshipping there every qoute. Meanwhile, Hollywierd continues to slide into oblivion and is only capable of bringing in the teenage date crowd (got to take your girl somewhere on the weekend) for most of their propaganda movies:
The Alamo - Texas americans evil, mexican general who slaughters them good
King Arthur - Christian priests evil, pagan worshipping natives and arabic mercenaries good
Alexander the Great - Forget he kicked major butt and halted the Persian empire in its tracks before it could take over Europe, the most important thing is he was bisexual and therefore gay
Sin City - Canabalistic catholic priest evil, nazis and christians equivalent, sociopathic killers good
Kingdom of Heaven - Christians evil, Muslims good
Interesting pattern, and this is just a small sample, KOH will most likely bomb like the rest of them.
Oh, certainly. I'm not suggesting that the Church wasn't concerned by the schism with the East... I was just questioning Age of Reason's logic that they wanted the holy land in order to make themselves appear the legitimate church...
A lot of people didn't notice that Ermey had a bit part in Apocalype Now! He's a great character.
doubt all you like, but that is what I am seeing and I was just over in the ME for the past year. Historical information tends to support my assumption too.
Unless you can disprove that in anyway, I dont think you can say much.
You misspelled Hollyweird. ;^)
Did the movie "Troy"
even mention the Greek gods
or that religion?!
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