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Kingdom of Heaven (2 Disc Special Edition) [DVD] [2005]
 
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Kingdom of Heaven (2 Disc Special Edition) [DVD] [2005]

DVD ~ Orlando Bloom
3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
RRP: £24.99
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Frequently Bought Together

Kingdom of Heaven (2 Disc Special Edition) [DVD] [2005] + King Arthur (Director's Cut) [DVD] [2004] + Alexander - Director's Cut [DVD] [2004]
Total RRP: £60.97
Price For All Three: £15.44

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Kingdom of Heaven (2 Disc Special Edition) [DVD] [2005]
41% buy the item featured on this page:
Kingdom of Heaven (2 Disc Special Edition) [DVD] [2005] 3.4 out of 5 stars (29)
£3.98
Kingdom Of Heaven - Definitive Edition [DVD] [2005]
30% buy
Kingdom Of Heaven - Definitive Edition [DVD] [2005] 3.8 out of 5 stars (26)
£9.98
Kingdom Of Heaven (4 Disc Special Extended Director's Cut) [DVD] [2005]
23% buy
Kingdom Of Heaven (4 Disc Special Extended Director's Cut) [DVD] [2005] 4.9 out of 5 stars (21)
£5.98
Kingdom of Heaven [DVD] [2005]
4% buy
Kingdom of Heaven [DVD] [2005] 3.4 out of 5 stars (81)
£3.88
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Product details

  • Actors: Orlando Bloom, Eva Green, Jeremy Irons, David Thewlis, Brendan Gleeson
  • Directors: Ridley Scott
  • Format: PAL
  • Language English
  • Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
  • Number of discs: 2
  • Classification: 15
  • Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
  • DVD Release Date: 3 Oct 2005
  • Run Time: 144 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B000A896L6
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 26,524 in DVD (See Bestsellers in DVD)

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Reviews

Amazon.com

It's hard to believe Ridley Scott's handsome epic won't become the cinematic touchstone of the Crusades for years to come. Kingdom of Heaven is greater than the sum of its parts, delivering a vital, mostly engrossing tale following Balian (Orlando Bloom), a lonely French blacksmith who discovers he's a noble heir and takes his father's (Liam Neeson) place in the center of the universe circa 1184: Jerusalem. Here, grand battles and backdoor politics are key as Scott and first-time screenwriter William Monahan fashion an excellent storyline to tackle the centuries-long conflict. Two forward-thinking kings, Baldwin (Edward Norton in an uncredited yet substantial role) and Saladin (Ghassan Massoud), hold an uneasy truce between Christians (who hold the city) and Muslims while factions champ at the bit for blood. There are good and evildoers on both sides, with the Knights Templar taking the brunt of the blame; Balian plans to find his soul while protecting Baldwin and the people.

The look of the film, as nearly everything is from Scott, is impressive: his CGI-infused battle scenes rival the LOTR series and, with cinematographer John Mathieson, create postcard beauty with snowy French forests and the vast desert (filmed in Morocco and Spain). An excellent supporting cast, including Jeremy Irons, Brendan Gleeson, and David Thewlis, also help make the head and heart of the film work. Many critics pointed out that Bloom doesn't have the gravitas of Russell Crowe in the lead (then again, who does?), but it's the underdeveloped character and not the actor that hurts the film and impacts its power. Balian isn't given much more to do than be sullen and give an occasional big speech, alongside his perplexing abilities for warfare tactics and his wandering moral compass (whose sole purpose seems to be to put a love scene in the movie). Note: all the major characters except Neeson's are based on fact, but many are heavily fictionalized. --Doug Thomas, Amazon.com



Synopsis

Director Ridley Scott confronts hundreds of years of religious conflict in KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. An epic film set in Europe and the Middle East, the story follows one man's struggle to better himself and the world around him. Orlando Bloom stars as Balian, a French blacksmith who is mourning the deaths of his wife and baby when his estranged nobleman father (Liam Neeson) arrives and asks him to join the Crusades in Jerusalem. Mindful that conducting the Lord's work will help him atone for his sins, Balian agrees, and embarks on the perilous journey. Along the way, he reveals his gifts of inherent goodness and fair treatment of all human beings. Upon reaching Jerusalem, a city where his meagre beginnings no longer matter, Balian earns respect and fealty, while the evil Guy de Lusignan (Marton Csokas) looks down his aristocratic nose at the former labourer. As he did in GLADIATOR, Scott explores the theme of a man who chooses his fate, instead of accepting the fate given to him at birth. Balian comes to life in Jerusalem, protecting the weak and defenceless as his father told him he must, and catching the eye of the beautiful Princess Sibylla (Eva Green), unhappily married to de Lusignan. Scott paints a stirring portrait of the struggle over Jerusalem among Christians, Jews, and Muslims. In doing so, he also shows the passionate fight for religious freedom. KINGDOM OF HEAVEN ably handles these delicate issues, effectively treating characters from all factions as individuals and not as stereotypes. By placing a virtuous man at the centre of this conflict, Scott creates a powerful, universal story.

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Customer Reviews

29 Reviews
5 star:
 (9)
4 star:
 (5)
3 star:
 (8)
2 star:
 (3)
1 star:
 (4)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.4 out of 5 stars (29 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Spectacle and Some Substance, 3 Jul 2007
By Mark Pearce "''Chinatown''" (UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
Lavishly mounted epic from Ridley Scott has a fast pace and vigourous performances but lapses in plot and character development mute it's overall impact.
A French provincial blacksmith Balian (a surprisingly effective Orlando Bloom)is persuaded by a knight(Liam Neeson) to join him in his quest to the Crusades.The knight reveals himself to be the blacksmith's father and it is in Jerusalem that the young man rises to be defender of the city from Saladin's muslim army while trying to broker peace between Muslims and Christians.
Apparently historically inaccurate,I was more bothered by some earnest but lumpy dialogue,character developments like Balian being a mean handler of a sword in like two seconds flat,him being the only survivor of a shipwreck(was Kevin McKidd's character meant to have drowned on said ship ? because he deserved better) and various other convenient jumps in narrative as well as major characters like Eva Green's excellent Queen going entirely awol for sections of the film.
That said it is stunning to look at ,the battle sequences and hand to hand combat fights are wonderfully done and you certainly get a "feel" for what the 12th century may have been like.
I look forward to the extended version which apparently makes alot of the story more meaningful.
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10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Perfect moviemaking, flawed storytelling, 18 Sep 2006
By Mr. Stephen Kennedy "skenn1701a" (Doha, Qatar) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)      
Critics were indeed a tad harsh on what is an incredibly shot and worthy tale of the crusades. As a moviemaking exercise, this is history writ large in the best tradition of epic moviemaking. Ridley Scott has carefully crafted something as close to authentic as we understand, and used almost entirely historical figures (only Balians father played by Liam Neeson and Hospitaler his fathers closest friend, are fictional), to create a version of the Crusades which has to now be the definitive version of that period of history.

Having said that, this is a movie, not a documentary, and has to tell a story we the audience can relate to. In this respect, the movie is not a failure, but definitely falls short of complete success. There are two problems here - one, the history and endless battle scenes (as fantastic as they are) swamp what becomes a trite personal story in comparison. Two, Orlando Bloom proves here that he is not a Russell Crowe style leading man. He lacks the projection and charisma to make you believe he can become the `Defender of Jerusalem'. This is balanced out by an impeccable supporting cast - Eve Green has a luminous quality that makes the effect she has on men believable, and Jeremy Irons, Brendan Gleeson and others all get their teeth into the roles with glee and conviction. Ghassan Massoud is a standout as Saladin, the leader of the Moslem army, succeeding in bringing humanity and presence to a role usually projected as a two dimensional cipher.

Music by Harry Gregson-Williams (protégé of Hans Zimmer of Gladiator fame, and it shows) is effective, complete with choir to make enough noise to compete with all that sword bashing and siege warfare, but with gentle moments (occasionally) too.

So all in all, despite a soupcon too much of political correctness (a little TOO much effort is made to show the Muslims as gentle honourable people who would not dream of massacring the population, and the Christians as evil debased men who would stoop to any level to get rich), this is great entertainment - all the better on DVD when you can pause to get up and make a cup of tea in the middle to keep you going. Well worth the purchase, unless you want to hold out for the also released director's cut, which is longer and fleshes out the more human aspects of the story.
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10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant, 16 April 2006
By T. Rowsell (England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Bought this film unsure about it , got home and watched it ...
WOW much better than i expected , the Battle scenes are amazing and the photography and cinematography are excellent , i liked it better than gladiator as it isn't so depressing .

Can only fault it on 2 things , firstly the film moves at quite a fast pace (most probably to keep you interested) and the 2nd fault is that Orlando bloom's facial expression doesn't change throughout the film .

Overall a brilliant film and well worth watching or buying
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Swords and spectacle
If you are wish to buy this film,I would advise not to buy this edition. The Directors Cut will help fill in the missing parts of the plot. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Biscuit

3.0 out of 5 stars ...?
Well, what can i say?! after watching this all me and my sisters could say was 'oh'. i find this film pretty pointless, but harmless to watch, to be honest i can't remember much... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Jasmine Morris

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a great film
Just purchased this from amazon. watched it today. all i can say is WOW. love the film. There are a few Hollywood style scenes in the film but look past it, great entertainment... Read more
Published 18 months ago by Mr. Mishal Chotai

1.0 out of 5 stars An embarassment for Ridley Scott
I bought this film despite Orlando Bloom, believing (wrongly) that a director of Ridly Scott's stature may be able to wring some tiny piece of acting ability from him..... Read more
Published 20 months ago by Bwana Kobe

5.0 out of 5 stars Better than expected
I liked the look of this film when it was first released, but didn't make it to the cinema and was then put off by a few reviews that didn't rate it too highly. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Annie

3.0 out of 5 stars Resonating?
The aesthetic widely employed by director Ridley Scott in Gladiator, is also in evidence here. There's probably some flash technical jargon for how he makes the camera do that... Read more
Published 23 months ago by S. Thomson

3.0 out of 5 stars Average
I found this film in a bargain bin at morrisons priced at a measley £3. I remembering it when was released and it garnished a pretty mixed reception of what I can remember... Read more
Published on 21 Oct 2007 by N. Rowland

2.0 out of 5 stars Kingdom of Heaven
This movie was good visually however I felt a little let down by the writing. The only time I felt gripped was during the battle scenes.
Published on 6 Oct 2007 by Chris L

1.0 out of 5 stars rubbish
About as historically accurate as 'Xena: Warrior Princess,' and with a very ideologically loaded script (relying on the historical inaccuracies) - this is rubbish in every sense.
Published on 19 Sep 2007 by dli

1.0 out of 5 stars very weak
I did not like this film at all. It was like a morality tale for kids with action sequences for adults. Read more
Published on 10 Jun 2007 by Michael Knight

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