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'Kingdom of Heaven'

"Be without fear in the face of your enemies. Speak the truth, always, even if it leads to your death. Safeguard the helpless and do no wrong. That is your oath …"

Crusade-era epic tackles the quest for true peace

By Marylynn G. Hewitt
Of The Michigan Catholic
Published May 6, 2005

While "Kingdom of Heaven" is a magnificent sweeping epic of the battle for control of Jerusalem, it is more importantly one man's struggle to be reconciled with God.

Godfrey of Ibelin (Liam Neeson)

Sibylla (Eva Green)

Director Ridley Scott, who earned his place as a master storyteller with "Gladiator" and "Black Hawk Down," bases this film, with exquisite photography and a lavish soundtrack, on historic accounts between the second and third crusades. The well-cast film, ripe with religious symbolism, likely will give Orlando Bloom his breakout role in much the same way "Gladiator" did for Russell Crowe.

Balian (Bloom) toils as a blacksmith in the French countryside in 1186. The bellows-fed flames that allow him to reshape metal are paltry compared to the blazing despair burning in his heart. He's lost his child to death, his wife to suicide, and the little bit of faith he seems to have is in his pocket in the form of a cross pendant that belonged to his wife.

Working in his shop, underneath a crossbeam inscribed: "What man is a man who does not make the world better," Balian is surprised by a group on their way to the Crusades. Godfrey of Ibelin (Liam Neeson), the father Balian never knew he had, invites him to join. It's not just the noble cause to which Godfrey encourages his newfound son. He's offering Balian a chance at being part of a family.

The dust on the road settles, but the words Godfrey spoke to Balian linger: "Some say Jerusalem is the center of the world for forgiveness."

Balian (Orlando Bloom) surveys the Holy Land.

The blacksmith wonders, "Is it true, in Jerusalem I can erase my sins and those of my wife?" Ernest for forgiveness, he mounts his horse and chases after them.

Ambushed on their journey, a dying Godfrey knights his kneeling son with the words, "Be without fear in the face of your enemies. Speak the truth, always, even if it leads to your death. Safeguard the helpless and do no wrong. That is your oath …"

Balian, empowered by the love of his father, finds Jerusalem a city sheltered by a very tenuous peace, but one that is still stronger than the fragile peace of his own heart.

Christian King Baldwin IV (Edward Norton) and the affable Muslim leader Saladin (Ghassan Massouod) have a conciliatory relationship and respect the right of leaving Jerusalem open to pilgrims of all faiths. (Massouod and the rest of the Muslim roles are cast with Muslim actors.)

Balian, now the Lord of Ibelin, is given the land his father oversaw where Christians, Muslims and Jews lived in a community of harmony. It's part of the ideal Baldwin, and his followers, worked toward as the king says peace would mean a "kingdom of conscience, a kingdom of heaven." 

But the young king, whose face is protected by a mask as he is in the final stages of leprosy, relies heavily on his military advisor, Tiberias (Jeremy Irons). They see the power play rising up in some of the Crusaders. One is Guy de Lusignan (Marton Csokas), married to the king's sister, Princess Sibylla (Eva Green). Sibylla, who is drawn to Balian, is embittered in her arranged marriage. Guy's co-cospirator is Reynald de Chatillon (Brendan Gleeson) and together they seek personal glory rather than peace. Vastly outnumbered by Saladin's 200,000-member force, they lead the small Army of Jerusalem to a riveting battle where the brilliant special effects get more play than the actual scenes of personal violence. (Though the blood-letting never reaches the volume spilled in "Passion of the Christ," the strains of "O Sacred Head" at a beheading is a bit over the top.)

The pending assault leaves a disheartened Tiberius to utter to Balian, "My whole life I thought we were fighting for God. Now we are fighting for greed and wealth."

For his part, Balian has learned the strength of support in being empowered and thus, empowers others. He's also discovered that sometimes there's true virtue in surrendering. And it's not about what you give in to, but what is saved in the process.

The film, with violent battle scenes, greed and a partial nude scene involving adultery, has not yet been rated by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R — restricted.

Points to ponder A few "advisors" also attended the screening and offered a few discussion starters on some of the film's messages. Special thanks to: Fr. JJ Mech, pastor of Our Lady of Loretto in Redford Township; and from St. Aloysius in Detroit, Fr. Mark Soehner, OFM, pastor, and Fr. Alex Kratz, OFM, and Bro. Mark Schmitz, OFM. The Crusaders and Muslims are driven by God's will. Who is God to them? Who is God to you? Water holds a special life-giving significance just as the baptismal water does for us. What difference does the gift of water mean in the movie? Forgiveness plays a powerful role in the film. What does that mean in your life? There's a peaceful coexistence in the land given to Balian. What can we do to encourage that where we live? How do we help the "Kingdom of Heaven" begin here on Earth?