At long last,Ridley Scott’s crusade to bring his vision ofKingdom of Heavenis at its end. The director’s cut of the medieval epic is returning to theaters for one day only. The film will screen on May 14 and tickets are now available on Fandango.
First released in 2005,Kingdom of Heavenis a fictionalized version of the Third Crusade, and centers around a blacksmith-turned-knight (Orlando Bloom), who gets swept up in the battle for Jerusalem in the 12th century. The film ran into problems with test audiences, and 20th Century Fox ordered that 45 minutes be cut from the film. The resulting two-hour, 24-minute film was released to mixed reviews (it holds a 39% Rotten rating onRotten Tomatoes) and middling box office, grossing $218 million USD on a $130 million budget.
The director’s cut, which featured Scott’s intended vision for the film, runs for three hours and ten minutes, and restores much of the extended character development that was cut from the theatrical version. It was released on DVD to great acclaim in 2006: Collider’sMatt Goldbergconsiders this version of the film to beone of Scott’s greatest films, writing that the new cut “fundamentally changes our understanding of the main characters and the larger themes with which the film is grappling.” Tickets for the May 14 screenings of the film are now available to order onFandango.com.
What Happens in ‘Kingdom of Heaven’?
Bloom stars as Balian of Ibelin, a blacksmith who joins his father (Liam Neeson) and his knights as they ride on Jerusalem, where a fierce battle is being waged between European Crusaders and the forces of Saladin (Ghassan Massoud). It is a troubled time in the Holy Land: Jerusalem is ruled by King Baldwin (an uncreditedEdward Norton), who is dying of leprosy and hides his scarred features beneath a metal mask. Meanwhile, Balian and Baldwin’s sister (Eva Green) become lovers; her son is in line to become the next ruler of the city, but he has the same illness as his uncle, and the bloodthirsty Guy de Lusignan (Marton Csokas) is waiting in the wings. The film was written by William Monahan (The Departed), and features cinematography byJohn Mathieson, who won an Oscar for shooting Scott’sGladiator.
The ever-busy Scott shows no signs of slowing down. After helmingGladiator IIlast year, the British director is currently shooting the science fiction epicThe Dog Stars, and is slated to film a biopic of the disco hitmakersThe Bee Geeslater this year.
The director’s cut ofKingdom of Heavenwill come to theaters forone day only on May 14: tickets are available now. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.
Kingdom of Heaven
