Kingdom of Heaven
dom and i went to see kingdom of heaven sat night with shayne and kendra. yet another AWESOME film from ridley scott! not only did i enjoy the movie but listening to dom and shayne's related historical conversations at dinner afterwards was quite educational.
the movie and those two guys gave me a better appreciation for playing a muslim faction in medieval total war. after seeing the movie, i started the game over and took a whole different approach to world domination.
one of the things i found most interesting about the film was how it takes an ordinary guy, thrusts him into the middle of war and politics which he knows little to nothing of, and grows him into an incredible leader of men whose honor and integrity are worth nearly any price. yes...the seemingly overnite growth from blacksmith to brilliant tactician was a bit of a stretch, but it is a movie, afterall, designed specifically to entertain -- not to be historically accurate (not a documentary) and not to be ridley scott's dissertation on anything political. it was a good story that was mostly believable and had fantastic costumes.
i have read many reviews by both muslims and christians who just blast this movie for every penny they spent on it -- ranting about "too political" or "historical inaccuracies" or other such things that really, imho, miss the entire point of it being a movie. the KoH website says it best in the "Epic >> Synopsis" section which states, "Using historical events as a backdrop for an intimate human drama, Scott, ..., puts flesh on the age-old mystique of the knight errant [Balian] and brings to vivid life the titanic struggle between Muslims and Christians over the Holy Land that took place a millennium ago, and echoes into the present." ...and that's all it is. anyone who reads anything more into it simply has a difficult time separating his/her personal beliefs from fabricated drama and should perhaps not venture to films or writings which fall so close to home.
it is just a movie made to entertain the public - nothing more. it really gets under my skin when people begin to presume they know the motivations behind someone else's artistic creation. be it poetry, art, films or whatever, neither you nor i nor anyone else knows what was in the creator's head unless he/she tells us. we should take art for what they mean to us and call it such, not call it as what the artist intended.
anyway, bottom line on kingdom of heaven: somewhat historically inaccurate which is ok since the history of it provides a great setting for an interesting drama that unfolds while entertaining with great battle scenes; beautiful forest, desert and french countryside landscapes; and a cast of intriguing characters based on actual people of the period. imho, a very entertaining film. if you like epics or history (and can get over the fact that it's not a documentary) should enjoy the film.
signing off...dro
the movie and those two guys gave me a better appreciation for playing a muslim faction in medieval total war. after seeing the movie, i started the game over and took a whole different approach to world domination.
one of the things i found most interesting about the film was how it takes an ordinary guy, thrusts him into the middle of war and politics which he knows little to nothing of, and grows him into an incredible leader of men whose honor and integrity are worth nearly any price. yes...the seemingly overnite growth from blacksmith to brilliant tactician was a bit of a stretch, but it is a movie, afterall, designed specifically to entertain -- not to be historically accurate (not a documentary) and not to be ridley scott's dissertation on anything political. it was a good story that was mostly believable and had fantastic costumes.
i have read many reviews by both muslims and christians who just blast this movie for every penny they spent on it -- ranting about "too political" or "historical inaccuracies" or other such things that really, imho, miss the entire point of it being a movie. the KoH website says it best in the "Epic >> Synopsis" section which states, "Using historical events as a backdrop for an intimate human drama, Scott, ..., puts flesh on the age-old mystique of the knight errant [Balian] and brings to vivid life the titanic struggle between Muslims and Christians over the Holy Land that took place a millennium ago, and echoes into the present." ...and that's all it is. anyone who reads anything more into it simply has a difficult time separating his/her personal beliefs from fabricated drama and should perhaps not venture to films or writings which fall so close to home.
it is just a movie made to entertain the public - nothing more. it really gets under my skin when people begin to presume they know the motivations behind someone else's artistic creation. be it poetry, art, films or whatever, neither you nor i nor anyone else knows what was in the creator's head unless he/she tells us. we should take art for what they mean to us and call it such, not call it as what the artist intended.
anyway, bottom line on kingdom of heaven: somewhat historically inaccurate which is ok since the history of it provides a great setting for an interesting drama that unfolds while entertaining with great battle scenes; beautiful forest, desert and french countryside landscapes; and a cast of intriguing characters based on actual people of the period. imho, a very entertaining film. if you like epics or history (and can get over the fact that it's not a documentary) should enjoy the film.
signing off...dro
posted by Drolar | 5/10/2005 09:29:00 PM
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