Kingdom of Heaven Revisited
Wow. So.
Sargon got me the special edition director's cut version of Kingdom of Heaven, and . . . wow. All my friends who have told me to see it were right.
You have to see it.
I thought the theatrical version was pretty, and in places it was affecting, but overall it was sort of . . . empty. Balian was an empty character portrayed by an empty Orlando Bloom. The story was straightforward enough, but it was too philosophical for the hollow performances, and not philosophical enough to succeed as an intellectual movie. It didn't have enough action (even though there was plenty) to redeem it as a violence-filled period action movie.
They had butchered it. Oh my god. The movie I saw was a 3-star acting movie with 5-star cinematography. This was . . . 4.5 or so for acting. A total change.
The director's version did what I thought would be impossible: it restored Orlando Bloom's acting. I've always thought he was beautiful, but I've never thought of him as an actor. Just scenery. I'd seen him act once, in Ned Kelly, where he had only a small part, but he nevertheless disappeared into it, so I knew it was possible. I just doubted I'd ever see him do it again, as he's been so busy overacting ever since, but. . . .
All of the character bits they put back in near the beginning, the extra development given to Balian's relationship with Sibylla, it rounded out the character, completed the performance. It's tiny things -- the most fleeting facial expressions, even. Little bits of dialogue. Brief interactions that lend so much depth. It was a subtle performance, and cutting it sucked away all of the subtlety and turned Balian into a well-meaning action figure who was only doing what he was doing because the script called for it. Putting it back turned him into a quiet, philosophical, deeply troubled man fighting a moving struggle to navigate through a difficult time by doing only what is right. And it wasn't Orlando Bloom. It was some other guy who kinda looked like him.
And they cut out an entire subplot with Sibylla's son, a storyline that defines her character arc and underscores the arc of the occupied city itself as a character. They cut it out. I never thought I would complain about a child being cut out of a movie, but by golly, here I am doing it. I think it killed Sibylla's character and made her later choices seem foolish, hasty, and . . . petty, even.
It went from being a pretty movie that I would only watch for the scenery and soundtrack to a movie that touched me deeply, a moral movie. Not moral in the sense of self-righteous, but moral in the sense of taking a moral stance and sticking to it. You don't get those much anymore, because it's so easy to overdo. This was not overdone.
If you thought the original cut had potential but was lacking in depth, please, please see the director's cut. It's a completely different movie.
If it had been released in this version, it still would not have done well. Most people no longer know how to respond to true moral quandaries, nor do they know how to relate to a truly honorable character. They certainly don't know how to process a subtle movie that is, in the end, all about character. We, as a society, cringe away from morality, honor, character, and subtlety. Movies like this aren't ever going to be received well in their time.
And, dear me, cutting out some of David Thewlis' appearances as the Hospitaler removed some incredible, elevating moments. Like the unicorn at the end of the restored Blade Runner. It just kind of . . . changes what you're looking at in retrospect.
Amazing.
Sargon got me the special edition director's cut version of Kingdom of Heaven, and . . . wow. All my friends who have told me to see it were right.
You have to see it.
I thought the theatrical version was pretty, and in places it was affecting, but overall it was sort of . . . empty. Balian was an empty character portrayed by an empty Orlando Bloom. The story was straightforward enough, but it was too philosophical for the hollow performances, and not philosophical enough to succeed as an intellectual movie. It didn't have enough action (even though there was plenty) to redeem it as a violence-filled period action movie.
They had butchered it. Oh my god. The movie I saw was a 3-star acting movie with 5-star cinematography. This was . . . 4.5 or so for acting. A total change.
The director's version did what I thought would be impossible: it restored Orlando Bloom's acting. I've always thought he was beautiful, but I've never thought of him as an actor. Just scenery. I'd seen him act once, in Ned Kelly, where he had only a small part, but he nevertheless disappeared into it, so I knew it was possible. I just doubted I'd ever see him do it again, as he's been so busy overacting ever since, but. . . .
All of the character bits they put back in near the beginning, the extra development given to Balian's relationship with Sibylla, it rounded out the character, completed the performance. It's tiny things -- the most fleeting facial expressions, even. Little bits of dialogue. Brief interactions that lend so much depth. It was a subtle performance, and cutting it sucked away all of the subtlety and turned Balian into a well-meaning action figure who was only doing what he was doing because the script called for it. Putting it back turned him into a quiet, philosophical, deeply troubled man fighting a moving struggle to navigate through a difficult time by doing only what is right. And it wasn't Orlando Bloom. It was some other guy who kinda looked like him.
And they cut out an entire subplot with Sibylla's son, a storyline that defines her character arc and underscores the arc of the occupied city itself as a character. They cut it out. I never thought I would complain about a child being cut out of a movie, but by golly, here I am doing it. I think it killed Sibylla's character and made her later choices seem foolish, hasty, and . . . petty, even.
It went from being a pretty movie that I would only watch for the scenery and soundtrack to a movie that touched me deeply, a moral movie. Not moral in the sense of self-righteous, but moral in the sense of taking a moral stance and sticking to it. You don't get those much anymore, because it's so easy to overdo. This was not overdone.
If you thought the original cut had potential but was lacking in depth, please, please see the director's cut. It's a completely different movie.
If it had been released in this version, it still would not have done well. Most people no longer know how to respond to true moral quandaries, nor do they know how to relate to a truly honorable character. They certainly don't know how to process a subtle movie that is, in the end, all about character. We, as a society, cringe away from morality, honor, character, and subtlety. Movies like this aren't ever going to be received well in their time.
And, dear me, cutting out some of David Thewlis' appearances as the Hospitaler removed some incredible, elevating moments. Like the unicorn at the end of the restored Blade Runner. It just kind of . . . changes what you're looking at in retrospect.
Amazing.