Controversy: Hollywood is happy to dig the hornet's nest
The ongoing war between Muslims and Westerners in Iraq and elsewhere provides a steady stream of talk for the evening news. A Hollywood blockbuster "Kingdom of Heaven" is about to unravel its mysteries, depicting the theme of a 12th-century crusade between Christianity and Muslims, making the latest epic look like it was born at the wrong time.
The blockbuster, released by 20th Century Fox with a budget of $130 million and directed by Oscar-nominated Ridley Scott, involved hundreds of people behind the scenes, horses and fancy costumes. The screenplay by William Monaghan is based on real-life characters from the historical Crusades, including the Crusader knight Barian, who defended Jerusalem in 1187, and Saladin, the Muslim leader who fought against him.
Despite the film's efforts to emphasize the film's romantic great love scenes and thrilling action scenes, some religious scholars and activists of other faiths have raised doubts, taking copies of the film's script and rightfully accusing: In the current world situation is so complex, Against such a violent background, what is the intention of Hollywood to make an epic film involving religious issues?
Reference: The Eastern Crusade on the Big Screen
In the 180 years from AD 1095 to 1275, there were eight wars between the East and the West on the issue of religion, which are called the Crusades in history. Hollywood has made many movies about the Crusades, from The Crusades, The Adventures of Robin Hood, King Charles and the Crusaders, The Chastity Belt to Robin and Marian, The Lion The King of Hearts, Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves, there is no movie that has won it all. In terms of the proportion of the content of the Crusades, "Kingdom of Heaven" is somewhat similar to "The Crusades" filmed by Cissy Demir in 1935, but Demir obviously pays more attention to the court intrigue. Description, for his dangerous attempt, critics are even more mixed.
Ridley Scott had tried the costume epic "Gladiator" earlier, and critics had a lot of criticism about the film's story. However, Ridley's sophistication and originality in the image, as well as the description of the personal hero's perspective, saved the film's decline. "Kingdom of Heaven" also has a bit of the shadow of "Gladiator", a reluctant Crusader warrior whose love and hatred in Jerusalem can only be explained by cold-blooded battles. Before the film was released, the subject matter had already caused controversy, and the religious positions of various opinions may not be clear after the film was released.
Commentary: Ridley's Epic
In 2000, Ridley Scott detonated a blockbuster at the box office, and he directed "Gladiator" which also won the Academy Award for Best Picture. Later, he took advantage of the victory to shoot the sequel "Hannibal" of "The Silence of the Lambs", which made a domestic box office of 170 million US dollars, breaking the rule that the film box office in February was not high. Next came the critic-loved "Black Hawk Down," which featured many of Hollywood's rising stars, including Orlando Bloom, who was not yet a big hit, but the film was nominated for an Oscar nomination. The film's nominations fell unexpectedly. While the film earned $108 million at the box office and a slew of technical Oscars, Ridley, who was nominated for best director, didn't win in the field.
Although "Stickman" fell sharply at the box office, it did not prevent Ridley Scott from hitting the billion-dollar box office blockbuster. The famous director who has filmed the classic films "Blade Runner" and "Alien", after raising $130 million in funds, came back with "Kingdom of Heaven". Well, this time it's epic again. Last year was called the Hollywood Epic Year, but none of the epic films ended the year perfectly: "Troy" barely made it through, "King Arthur" was overkill, and "Alexander the Great" was horrible. Many people broke a cold sweat for Ridley, but thinking about such a bad script of "Gladiator", after some fiddling with his old man, it can also make people watch it with relish, and can't help but feel a sense of comfort.
Over the past few decades, various crusade-related screenplays have long piqued Hollywood's interest, especially the plan that Arnold Schwarzenegger once proposed in the 1990s. Scott was invited to shoot the script, but he refused: "I want to shoot my own knight-themed works." Religious conflict at that time. "I try to make movies," Scott said. "I'm not a non-fiction writer. When you have 300 years of history to choose from, this one is definitely the most interesting conflict and one of the most neutral."
Whether the audience will publish Dissenting opinions are pending the release of the film. "I think it's going to spark a massive debate," said Laua, coordinator of the New York-based religious education group. "I guess that's exactly what Hollywood wants," he said, who has read the script. "It's so cynical. But I think they're happy to kick the hornet's nest." Of course, controversy isn't necessarily a bad thing for Hollywood. Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" was once criticized by Jewish groups for its portrayal of crucifixion as deeply anti-Semitic. But that didn't stop the film from grossing $609 million worldwide.
View more about Kingdom of Heaven reviews
