Kingdom of Heaven (1954)
Kingdom of Heaven (1954) was the third film of an unofficial tetralogy made by the same director and producer and starring Robert Taylor. The others were Ivanhoe (1952), Knights of the Round Table (1953) and The Adventures of Quentin Durward (1955). All four were made at MGM's British Studios at Elstree, near London.
Of all four films Kingdom of Heaven did not only have the highest budget ($ 5,875,000) and with 142 minutes the longest running time, it also assembled the biggest cast of stars and is even acclaimed for its' decent and, for the 1950's historically quite accurate screenplay.
Cast:
Robert Taylor as Balian of Ibelin
Ava Gardner as Princess / Queen Sibylla
George Sanders as Raymond III of Tripoli
Francis de Wolff as Raynald of Châtillon
Robert Douglas as Guy of Lusignan
Mel Ferrer as King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem
George Cola as Saladin
Elisabeth Taylor as Asimat, Saladin's sister
Finlay Currie as Hugh of Ibelin, Balian's father
Felix Aylmer as Baldwin of Ibelin, Balian's uncle
Basil Sydney as William, Hugh's squire
Plot:
When a group of crusaders arrives in his village the young blacksmith Balian learns that he is in fact the illegitimate son of Hugh of Ibelin, who has, severely ill, send them to search for his only child. Having just recently buried his mother and foster father, Balian decides to accompany them to the Holy Land.
On the way to the port from which they are to sail the group is ambushed by a group of highwaymen and William, Hugh's squire, learns that Balian is familiar with the use of a sword. This is later explained by the fact that Balian was not merely a simple village blacksmith, but an expert armourer for a nearby castle as well.
After their arrival in the Holy Land Balian and his crusader entourage rescue a group of muslim travellers from what appear to be bandits, the leader of said group presents himself as Yussuf, a saracen merchant, accompanied by his beautiful niece Asimat. Balian falls in love with her at first sight, but is told by William that he can't possibly court her as a christian.
Arriving in Ibelin Balian for the first time in his life meets his, by now, terminally ill father who begs his son to forgive him for abondoning both him and his mother. In the presence of his old friend Raymond of Tripoli and his brother Baldwin Hugh knights his son and names him his sole heir. Hugh dies a couple of days later and after the burial Balian accompanies Raymond of Tripoli and his uncle to Jerusalem.
There he is presented to the leper King Baldwin IV as well as to the King's sister, Princess Sibylla and her husband Guy of Lusignan, who supports the anti-Muslim activities of brutal factions like the Knights Templar. After Baldwin's death, Guy intends to break the fragile truce with Saladin and make war on the Muslims.
He hopes that, having just recently arrived from Europe, Balian will support him against the moderates in court like Balian's uncle and Raymond of Tripoli. In an unobserved moment Princess Sibylla strongly advises Balian against siding with her husband when it comes to agression against Muslims, for that can only lead to disaster.
Guy and his ally Raynald of Châtillon attack a Saracen caravan and Saladin advances on Raynald's castle Kerak in retaliation. At the King's request Balian defends the villagers by charging Saladin's cavalry, despite being overwhelmingly outnumbered. Balian and his knights are captured, and he encounters the saracen he had saved from Raynald's men disguised as bandits shortly after arriving in the Holy Land, who he learns is actually Saladin's chancellor, who releases Balian and his knights in repayment of the earlier debt.
Saladin arrives with his army to besiege Kerak, and Baldwin IV meets it with his. They negotiate a Muslim retreat and Baldwin swears to punish Raynald, though the exertion of these events weakens Baldwin. The King later asks Balian to marry Sibylla and take control of the army, knowing she has an affection for him, but Balian refuses the offer not only because it would require Guy's execution but also since he secretly is still infatuated with Asimat.
After Baldwin IV dies, Sibylla succeeds her brother, and Guy becomes king. Guy releases Raynald, asking him to give him a war, which Raynald does by taking Saladin's sister hostage and murdering the emissaries Saladin sent to negotiate her release. Sending their heads back to him, Guy declares war on the Saracens. Raynald orders three of his men to assassinate Balian, the most strident voice against war, though Balian survives the attempt.
Despite Balian's advice to remain near water Guy and the Templars march Jerusalem's army deep into the desert, where Saladin's army annihilates the Crusaders in the Battle of Hattin and then marches on Jerusalem, which Saladin invests with his superior force. Under the command of Balian's uncle and Queen Sibylla Jerusalem is barely able to withstand the Saracen onslaught.
Balian learns that one of the reasons why Saladin is rejecting terms is that Raynald had told him before his execution that he had ordered Asimat to be killed in case of defeat and thus an infuriated Saladin believes his sister dead. But, as Balian discovers, said order has never reached Raynalds men so there is hope that she may still be alive as a hostage in Raynalds castle.
Balian and two of his most trusted knights sneak out of the besieged city and head for Kerak, where they can only just avert the rape and subsequent murder of Asimat. Returning her to Saladin Balian is able to negotiate a peaceful surrender of the city and a safe conduct for the city's christian population and defenders, thus quixotically forsaking his love for Asimat for the well being of the people of Jerusalem.
The only real sticking point I encountered was in casting Bob Morton for the ATL '70s version of Robocop; my original choice, Kurt Russell, was only in his early 20s in 1974, so he would have been too young for the part. The rest of the casting choices were a snap, especially Steve McQueen(physically and emotionally he's the guy who most closely mimics Peter Weller's acting style in the OTL Robocop) and Roddy McDowall(his voice had just the right amount of subtle menace for a '70s version of ED-209).