Devizes Melting Pot

“Protection. Conservation. Restriction. Deep ecology. Give me deep technology any day. They don't scare me. "I'm damned if I'll crawl, my children's children crawl on the earth in some kind a fuckin' harmony with the environment. Yeah, till the next ice age or the next asteroid impact." (Moh Kohn, The Star Fraction)/ "This is the fight between God and the Devil. If His Grace is with God, he must join me, if he is for the Devil he must fight me. There is no third way" King Gustavus Adolphus

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Location: Devizes, Wiltshire, United Kingdom

University graduate, currently working as an Information Assistant for the NHS. Interested in politics, history, sci fi etc.

Saturday, August 05, 2006

Movie Review - Kingdom of Heaven



A rather good film

I really enjoyed this movie and was surprised it got slated by the critics, perhaps they did not like the message or seeing Saladin being merciful, who knows. It had excellent action sequences and the photography was amazing, loved the costumes and scenery as well.

There was a Battle of Hattin (1187) where Saladin captured the cream of European nobility which included King Guy of Jerusalem, as well as the True Cross, after the Bishop of Acre was killed in the fighting. Prisoners were Guy, his brother Amalric II, Raynald, William V of Montferrat, Gerard de Ridefort, Humphrey IV of Toron, Hugh of Jabala, Plivain of Botron, Hugh of Gibelet, and many others, this was a major setback for the Crusader movement and of course following that was the Siege of Jerusalem (1187) which saw the near total collapse of the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem, and was the catalyst for the Third Crusade. So it was almost historically accurate (perhaps another reason the critics got all huffy).

It was a great historical epic and I thought Orlando Bloom was not too bad as the leading character and Liam Neeson was very good despite his short time on the screen.

So watch this movie, it will get you thinking of the past and the present and perhaps you will be more the wiser for it.

Ridely Scott is in a different league to the directors of Alexander and Troy, which were both trying to be Gladiator but failed miserably.

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