The crusades were a coin toss, a two-headed dragon of history fighting for the middle ground. The right verse right, and a clash of hopes against a dying sword. Bloodshed and murder replaced by power and weaponry once showed those who fought what lies in the blade. The movie Kingdom of heaven quite excitingly displays what very well could have happened in one of the many sub dramas spanning through the middle age crusades. Though no historical evidence was discovered in my search for the man named ?Balian?, his father Godfrey (Neeson) was indeed involved in the crusades some time after the Christians captured Jerusalem.
The movie portrays the wickedness of men, and how power is distorted and abused for wealth and honor. As Balian (Bloom) rises to knighthood, he is thrust into the struggle for control. Landing himself in a Christian controlled Jerusalem, the city is on the verge of war and conspiracy overload. The king is dying (of what I assume to be) leprosy, and the king to be is one who uses his power and military generals to raid Muslim territories ? in the name of god?.
? God wills it!!? these men shout, as they drive steel through skulls and slice arteries to rivers of blood. Such barbarism and ?courage? is shown in the movie as commonplace, and I think similar events took place during the crusades as war crimes. Whether by greed or defense of the weak, violence no doubt was major part of the crusades. Unlike modern warfare with bullets, the gore during war in the middle ages was horrific, with slurries of shattered bone and body parts flung like a sprinkler outward, as iron spikes would have crushed down into mans flesh.
Both sides were portrayed as fighting for god, or more particularly the holy land that god ordained for them( just them, eh?). Willing to sacrifice their lives and the protection of families back home, the men of both sides have rallied to fight their holy war. The movie does a good job of not being one sided. It covers the aspects of the tensions between Muslim and Christians around Jerusalem at the time accurately.
Who is good and who is bad in the movie? Both the majority of Muslim and Christians are on the ?good side?. Though they fight to kill each other, neither of them is in the wrong. The ?bad guys? are the people who are using the war as an excuse to kill people for their land and money, and justify horrific deeds ?by gods will?. There was no law able to be enforced upon the masses easily. The sword ruled the land with an iron fist of strength, and those not strong enough to stand against the evil would fall without check. You either fought back or got mowed over. And so both sides rose to meet each other in battle.
I am particularly happy with the way the movie portrayed Salah A-din. Salah A-din was a great man. Fighting for the defense and salvation of his people, he rose to conquer great boundaries both philosophical and militarily. His un-merciful hand backed by his scripture bound leadership and natural ability, led to defeats and triumph, and ultimately death for all who sought it.
From my class notes, it was touched upon that Salah A-din was a fair man, one who even took council with the enemy king in an attempt to understand and perhaps confide in a man of similar greatness. It was said any Christian captured would not be killed but disarmed and allowed to go in peace. (Though this was not the normal customs of wartime affairs). The movie portrays this accurately as Salah A-din releases Balian to defend the city of Jerusalem, as well as offering the Christians free passage on the terms of the surrender.
In the movie we see Salah A-din recapturing Jerusalem under pressure from his soldiers, but also in defense and rising protection of the Muslim people that were being cut down by tainted Christians. Maybe he did believe the land had always been his, and maybe it was a war cry to rally his men to battle.
Though the death of any person throughout the ages must speak of life worth and hope for investigations, the peace efforts offered by man may be fickle and backed by a false sense of security of a God who will show a kingdom the freedom of heaven.
The ultimate question is what is worth dying for. Avenge your brother or uphold your peace. Will you rise against the wicked that will slay you if you do not? Surely those men saw it so, and rose to death and triumph that will be adorned throughout the ages on both sides of the battle, as glory.
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these long agonizing months without you...have been long and agonizing..
"War Doesn't Decide Who's Right... It Only Decides Who's Left."
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