Kingdom Of Heaven: The Definitive Edition (4 Discs)

The cinema cut of this film was butchered. This is the 3hour 5 minute cut. This is how Ridley Scott visioned the movie.The luke warm response to the cinema version was justified. This directors cut restores the film on how is should have been shown, and is breathtakingly brilliant, and can be held up as being as good as the extended cut of Gladiator and the equaly excellent Directors Cut of Troy !
The story is allot deeper and the characters are fleshed out, what were camio characters in the cinema version now are key roles, and sub plots are fully restored. Also there are hours of bonus features on this 4 disc set. Ridley Scott brings us a fantastic film and a brilliant all round package. I can't urge you enough to buy this DVD, as it is suberb value for money. While your at it also buy the Extended Cut of Gladiator, and the Directors Cut of Troy ! Now Scotts vision can be seen to what a suberb movie it realy is, Buy Now !

On it's initial release 'Kingdom of Heaven' came in for a lot of flak, failing as it did to live up to the masterpiece that was Ridley Scott's 'Gladiator' And even in this extended format is is still a weaker film, but also a vast improvement. More time is spent on the characters and scenes which seemed slightly baffling before are suddenly made clearer with the addition of more character development. The film itself is, as is typical of Ridley Scott's back-catalogue, beautifully shot and this 4 disc DVD is packed full of superb behinds the scenes documentaries, commentaries and trivia tracks. And in this affordable re-released definitive edition, if you're a fan of historical epics then give it a go...

Like many people I originally passed on the cinema release of this film as one butchered by the film studio accountant in pursuit of the dollar.

Much later my young son suggested I give it a new viewing when this definitive edition was shown on Sky. WOW! What a transformation!

Where as the studio cut was an attempt to portray a banal story of good versus bad based around immense battles, this new portrayal is much more imaginatively ambiguous with no party being definitively evil and neither completely pure. Scott shows that sometimes good (godly) men commit terrible acts in order to achieve a greater good or outcome and that the things that bind together the Muslim and Christian faiths (and maybe all religions) are more numerous than those things which separate. The film explicitly shows that most people on both sides had mutual respect for the others faith and desired only to live in peace.

Scott also shows that amongst this great war being fought for the physical bricks and mortar of Jerusalem and all that this represents, each of the main characters must confront and overcome inner demons that are every bit as compelling as the physical war outside. Loss and bereavement are shadowed by new love and new hope. Loneliness and melancholy give way to a sliver of inspiration and then to a new purpose in life. The loss of faith that Balian experiences with the death of his wife and then his eventual re-embracing of belief and God is very well developed.

This definitive version of Kingdom Of Heaven is a marvellous film that should grace every film fan's collection.

Those who are new to Ridley Scott should note that he has directed some the greatest films of the last 40 years including Alien, Blade Runner, Gladiator.

this directors cut is so much better than the theatrical version which was still good, obviously films at the pictures can't run on to long. I think this is bigger than Gladiator in terms of scale. and I don't think this film is biased towards eitherside. the extra footage isn't just stuck in to pad things out, its essential and gives the film greater clarity and understanding. With the extra footage throughout the whole film not just in one place. One of my favourite films.

Another breathtaking epic by Ridley Scott. Kingdom of Heaven tells the story of Balian (Orlando Bloom), a blacksmith from a small village who journeys to Jerusalem with his estranged father (Liam Neeson) to rid himself of the many evils he has committed. However shortly after arriving his father dies and he is left to fend for himself, left only with his fathers good name. Amid the 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. While Kingdom of Heaven may not be as mainstream as Gladiator (also directed by Ridley Scott) it is a more complete film with a deep and enjoyable plot and an excellent cast. The Directors Cut is superior in every way to the version released in the cinema and adds an extra plot line to the film, in the form of Sibylla's (Eva Green) son, who briefly becomes King of Jerusalem.