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Kingdom Of Heaven Essay

Decent Essays

KINGDOM OF HEAVEN

Lucas Castelo Branco
HIST- 2023
10/18/2017

The Kingdom of Heaven is an epic film directed and produced by Ridley Scott, and written by William Monahan, filmed in Morocco. The story of the Kingdom of Heaven is set during the Crusades of the 12th century, and is basically about the life of Balian, a French blacksmith, who defends the Kingdom of Jerusalem against the Muslims and reclaims the city from the Christians. In this story, I could travel back in time to experience life during the era of the Crusades.
To better understand the Kingdom of Heaven, it is important to know what the Crusades were. The Crusades were a series of religious wars between Christians and Muslims which started primarily to …show more content…

Nevertheless, these expeditions influenced great transformations in the medieval world. They have weakened feudal aristocracy, strengthened royal power, and made possible the expansion of the market. Eastern civilization contributed much to European cultural enrichment, promoting intellectual development. Never again was Jerusalem dominated by Christians, but the movements on the way to the Holy Land expanded relationships with the known world at the time. The first hour of "Kingdom of Heaven" is decisive for the rest of the film. It is in these moments that we will meet Balian, a blacksmith who is devastated after he lost his wife who had committed suicide. It is important to say that suicide was considered to be an irredeemable sin, for example, the church believed suicide was a road to hell. Balian has no prospects in life when he receives a visit from Baron Godfrey of Ibelin. He introduces himself as Balian’s father and invites him to become a knight and defend Jerusalem, ruled by King Baldwin IV, who is a leper hidden behind a mask of iron. Godfrey knows the difficult moment that Balian is going through, so he introduces him to Jerusalem (presented in the film as the new world where love exists instead of hate, a multi-ethnic city, sacred to three religions, strategic gateway to the East and to the West) as a journey of redemption in which his son will redeem himself of his sins and he will save the soul of the suicidal wife. After speaking this, Balian cannot

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