Ridley Scott is currently conquering the big screen with his battle epic Napoleon. At Disney+ you can see an even better historical adventure from the director.
Since the success of Gladiator, Ridley Scott has brought several blockbuster period films to the big screen. His latest work, Napoleon, has been in cinemas since last week and tells the story of the eponymous general. However, it’s far from Scott’s best trip down memory lane.
With Kingdom of Heaven, released in 2005, the director delivered his most impressive monumental film to date. You can currently stream the two and a half hour epic starring Orlando Bloom and Eva Green on Disney+. The story takes you to the 12th century.
Historical adventure on Disney+: Kingdom of Heaven tells of the Crusades and the battle for Jerusalem
With the blacksmith Balian (Bloom) we begin the journey to the kingdom of heaven. He grew up in medieval France. After his wife’s suicide, he joins the crusader Godfrey of Ibelin ( Liam Neeson ). In Jerusalem he hopes to find salvation , but then he gets caught up in a much larger conflict.
You can watch the trailer for Kingdom of Heaven here:
In the Holy Land, Balian makes the acquaintance of King Balduin (Edward Norton) and befriends Tiberius (Jeremy Irons), the governor of Jerusalem. Also on the scene: the warmongering Templar knight Rainald of Chatillon (Brendan Gleeson) and Princess Sybilla (Green), to whom Balian loses his heart.
Stream now: Here you can watch Kingdom of Heaven on Disney+
Scott tells Kingdom of Heaven as a mixture of battle painting and tragic love story in which religious and political issues collide. When Jerusalem is attacked by Sultan Saladin (Ghassan Massoud), Balian tries to find a peaceful solution to the devastating bloodshed.
That’s not all: there is also a much longer version of Ridley Scott’s Kingdom of Heaven
The version of Kingdom of Heaven on Disney+ corresponds to the version of the film that was shown in cinemas in 2005. There is also a second version, Ridley Scott’s director’s cut. This not only adds a few deleted scenes to the story, but also extends the film by a whole 45 minutes of new material.
Get it now: The Director’s Cut of Kingdom of Heaven at Amazon
If you want to delve even deeper into the world of Kingdom of Heaven, the Director’s Cut is definitely worth a look. Scott provides more context to the characters and the historical events and delves deeper into the central conflict of the story. This is where Scott’s approach to the complex subject matter really comes into its own.
