The Middle Ages and Modern World: Kingdom of Heaven Film Analysis

This essay analyzes Ridley Scott's film 'Kingdom of Heaven,' focusing on its portrayal of the medieval world and its historical accuracy. The essay examines how the filmmaker presents the Middle Ages, considering both factual elements and fictional interpretations. It explores the character of Balian of Ibelin, the Crusades, and the religious conflicts depicted in the movie, including the relationship between Muslims and Christians. The analysis delves into the film's use of popular beliefs and stereotypes about the period, such as religious fanaticism and the 'Dark Ages,' while also considering whether the film attempts to offer a more nuanced or sympathetic view of the medieval world. The essay incorporates specific examples from the film, reviews, and historical context to support its arguments, providing a comprehensive understanding of the film's historical and cinematic significance.

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Title: The Middle Ages and the Modern World: Fact and Fiction
Assignment Name: Kingdom of heaven (2005)
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How does the filmmaker want viewers to feel about the medieval world portrayed in their
film? Use specific examples from the film to answer this question.
The filmmaker Ridley Scott in his film the Kingdom of Heavens introduced a historical
drama. This movie is considered as a Crusade epic. The film saw a lot of criticism and mockery
from historians and the critics. The filmmaker portrayed Crusaders in the 12th century and the
filming was done in Morocco. The film actually is a fictional version of the life of Balian of
Ibelin (ca. 1143-93). The aim of the filmmaker here is to highlight the Crusaders in that time
through the character of Balian. He was a blacksmith who travels to Jerusalem, where religious
wars were at peak (Scott, 2005). The movie depicts his transformation into a warrior who comes
forward to defend the people of Jerusalem. The movie portrays a common man’s adventure in
the wars. He became the warrior in a new land for new people. The place and the people, both
were strange for him. The movie further portrays the forbidden love of a common man with a
queen that later becomes a knight. There was a legend that Sibylla liken Baldwin of Ibelin and
this was the idea behind the romantic angle on Sibylla and a member of Ibelin family. He wanted
peace which was a far-fetched thing at the time and protected the people of Jerusalem.
The battle scenes and the landscapes in the movie take the viewers far back into
the 12th century itself. Mainly the film faced religious controversy based on the relationships of

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Islam and Christianity. The film was released after 9/11 and thus the conflicts among the
factions. However, the filmmaker tried to present a different perspective of the story. In his view,
the movie should not be seen as a conflict between two civilizations rather a leader who wants to
bring peace, but his efforts are overthrown by the radical factions as happening today in the
modern world. As seen in the movie, Balian of Ibelin is the main character becomes a warrior to
become the savior of the people in Jerusalem. He defended the country against a Muslim leader
named Saladin. Baron of Godfrey showed him the path to be a protector. In his last time, he
shared with Balian the vision he had in Jerusalem, where the Muslim and Christian people lived
together in peace. The morality of Balian is seen in the part where he refuses to marry the
woman he loves just because he did not want to murder Guy because of political agendas.
Further, he blows down siege of the enemies that is a good portrayal of his tactics. The end
shows where Balian and Sybilla get together and the peace is attained after years’ of war.
Source- www.nytimes.com

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The rotten tomatoes, a popular movie review website rated the movie as 39% based on
the statement that the movie lacks depth although it presents the storyline pretty well. However,
the audience gave it 72%. The movie is R rated which means it consists of violence and warfare.
The reviews are mixed, appraising and critical. The 2005 movie is liked for its portrayal of
historical events, but Cole Smithey chose to differ. He reviewed the movie as “Cinema’s least
potent leading man Orlando Bloom, stinks up the screen in Ridley Scott’s unsatisfying “epic”
about the Crusades….”(Smithey, 2005). Some criticized the plot while some others liked it. The
movie was also reviewed as empty, a plot full of holes, confused and boring, etc. Some other
reviews stated that the movie was relevant and depicted the hard times in a pretty good way,
extraordinary work of art, and more. It reviews can be because of the ages long prejudices and
stereotypes of the wars. The movie gained popularity both positive and negative.
Do you think the filmmaker's image of the Middle Ages is based on popular beliefs and
stereotypes about the period (i.e., that the period was a "Dark Age", or that it was
dominated by religious fanaticism, or something similar)? Or are they trying to present the
medieval world in a different (i.e., more realistic or sympathetic) way? Again, be as specific
as possible, using direct examples from the film to support your ideas.
According to me, Ridley Scott took both fact and fiction to spin a tale of history. The
Middle Ages were a dark period because religious wars were prevalent at that time. The movie
the Kingdom of Heaven depicts the war that was going on between the Muslims and Christians
in Jerusalem. The Muslim leader Saladin fought against Guy and Raynald (Christian leaders).
The main character, i.e. Balian fought for peace and to protect the innocent people of Jerusalem.

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He desired to end the war and have peace for the people and the place (Shatzmiller & Edbury,
1999). Definitely, religious fanaticism is a huge part of the movie plot. The dialogue of the priest
“convert to Islam today, and beg God’s forgiveness tomorrow” sheds enough light on the
existing situation (Scott, 2005). In fact, the whole story circles around the theme of religious
wars. The movie portrays the final scenes where Saladin arrests Guy and Raynald and Balain
breaks the siege. This whole war is based on the religious differences of the Muslims and
Christians. There is mostly fiction, but some parts of the movie are taken from the popular
legends and the wars of the 12th century. The cinematography of the Kingdom of Heavens helps
imagine the exact scenario of the war that took place and the instances that happened. The
Crusaders are a fact and they are introduced in the movie with a view to introducing history. The
theme, however, was the Muslim-Christian relationship of the time and the incidents that took
place because of that. The popular beliefs and stereotypes do appear in the movie, Muslims are
seen as oppressors, which during that time was a popular belief. So, some parts of the film are
totally fictional whereas the others bring out the history of the wars in Jerusalem.

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Source- www.pinterest.com

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References
Scott, R. (2005). Kingdom of Heaven [Film]. Morocco: 20th Century Fox.
Shatzmiller, M., & Edbury, P. (1999). John of Ibelin and the Kingdom of Jerusalem. The
American Historical Review, 104(3), 1040.
Smithey, C. (2005). Kingdom of Heaven (2005). Retrieved from
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/kingdom_of_heaven
Image References
The Kingdom of Heaven. (2005). Kingdom of Heaven [Image]. Retrieved from
https://in.pinterest.com/pin/380343131005993776/
Kingdom of Heaven (2005). (2005). Kingdom of Heaven (2005) [Image]. Retrieved from
https://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/06/movies/an-epic-bloodletting-empowered-by-
faith.html

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