
A new scene shows Balian being verbally abused by his brother whilst sitting at the crossroads looking at his wife's grave. While Godfrey is away from the table, the elder brother and his son ( Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) conspire to kill Godfrey and take the mantle of Baron of Ibelin for themselves, which creates an additional reason for the forest ambush later in the film (in the theatrical cut, the ambush seems based purely upon an attempt to arrest Balian). After Godfrey ( Liam Neeson) and his men arrive, there is a new scene of them having dinner with Godfrey's elder brother ( Robert Pugh). These shots help to establish the local geography more clearly than in the theatrical version. There are several newly added shots of the French village as Balian walks away from the prison. The guard of the prison ('Tim Barlow' ) then comes in to Balian's cell and releases Balian. There is a new scene of Balian looking at the sapling planted by his wife ( Nathalie Cox), coupled with a flashback of her planting it. There is a new scene where the bishop of the town ( Bill Paterson) orders Balian's brother to release Balian from prison so the blacksmith can aid him in completing the construction of the new abbey. Also, newly added dialogue with the gravedigger ( Martin Hancock) reveals that the woman being buried was married to the Priest's brother, Balian the Blacksmith ( Orlando Bloom). In the opening scene, there is a shot of the Priest ( Michael Sheen) splitting open his apple only to find that it is rotten. The primary additional scenes in the Director's Cut are: Also, there is now more graphic violence in all the battle scenes, with newly added shots of spurting blood and new close-ups of wounds being inflicted. In all, 45 minutes of new scenes have been added, with the biggest addition, as Ridley Scott acknowledges in the introduction, being the subplot of Sibylla's son. The 194 minute Director's Cut is a roadshow format presentation with an Overture, Intermission and Entr'acte. Balian takes the sword and steps into history. As Godfrey passes his sword to his son, he also passes on that sacred oath: to protect the helpless, safeguard the peace, and work toward harmony between religions and cultures, so that a kingdom of heaven can flourish on earth. King Baldwin's vision of peace-a kingdom of heaven-is shared by a handful of knights, including Godfrey of Ibelin, who swear to uphold it with their lives and honor. But Baldwin's days are numbered, and strains of fanaticism, greed, and jealousy among the Crusaders threaten to shatter the truce. In Jerusalem at that moment-between the Second and Third Crusades-a fragile peace prevails, through the efforts of its enlightened Christian king, Baldwin IV, aided by his advisor Tiberias, and the military restraint of the legendary Muslim leader Saladin Ayubi. Revealing himself as Balian's father, Godfrey shows him the true meaning of knighthood and takes him on a journey across continents to the fabled Holy City. Destiny comes seeking Balian in the form of a great knight, Godfrey of Ibelin, a Crusader briefly home to France from fighting in the East. Amid the pageantry and intrigues of medieval Jerusalem, he falls in love, grows into a leader, and ultimately uses all his courage and skill to defend the city against staggering odds. The religious wars raging in the far-off Holy Land seem remote to him, yet he is pulled into that immense drama. A blacksmith named Balian has lost his family and nearly his faith.
Written by Sujit R.It is the time of the Crusades during the Middle Ages - the world-shaping 200-year collision between Europe and the East. In Jerusalem at that moment-between the Second and Third Crusades-a fragile peace prevails, through the efforts of its enlightened Christian king, Baldwin IV, aided by his advisor Tiberias, and the military. Amid the pageantry and intrigues of medieval Jerusalem he falls in love, grows into a leader, and ultimately uses all his courage and skill to defend the city against staggering odds.
It is the time of the Crusades during the Middle Ages - the world shaping 200-year collision between Europe and the East.