KOH Director's Cut DVD Reviews Options

[Mel]

From The Digital Bits:

The Spin Sheet
DVD reviews by Bill Hunt, editor of The Digital Bits

Kingdom of Heaven
4-Disc Director's Cut - 2005 (2006) - Scott Free (20th Century Fox)

Film Rating: A
Disc Ratings (Video/Extras): A-/A
Disc Ratings (DD/DTS): B+/A-

If you've read my review of the original theatrical version of Kingdom of Heaven on DVD, you'll know that I've felt that that version of the film leaves quite a lot to be desired. Although visually stunning and as expertly crafted as you'd expect from director Ridley Scott, the theatrical cut has many problems story-wise, including a lack of character depth and motivation, a lack of subtle intrigue, a number of plot events that seem to unfold with unrealistic ease or speed, etc. However, I've also known that the original director's cut of Kingdom of Heaven presented to Fox was nearly an hour longer, and that the studio pressured Scott to trim the running time down to allow for more screenings per theater. As a savvy businessman and producer in addition to his role as director, Scott complied. Unfortunately, the result of all the cutting was a film that's beautiful to look at, but that's largely empty of greater intelligence and substance. Mixed critical reviews and lackluster box office followed, which led many viewers to dismiss the film entirely.

Thankfully though, Scott planned all along that his preferred cut would eventually see the light on DVD. Fox Home Entertainment agreed, and this exceptional 4-disc set is the result. THIS is the version of Kingdom of Heaven that Scott fans have been waiting for. And if you haven't seen the film yet, trust me, don't even bother with the theatrical cut.

The basic plot of the film is covered in our previous DVD review, but suffice it to say that the main thrust of the narrative follows Balian (Orlando Bloom), a 12th Century French blacksmith whose wife has just committed suicide after losing their child - an action that is considered a grave sin, and dooms her soul to Hell. Balian is given a chance to find redemption for his wife, however, when the father he never knew, Godfrey of Ibelin (played by Liam Neeson), passes through the village with his band of Crusaders and offers to take Balian to the Holy Land. As his epic journey unfolds, Balian eventually finds himself a loyal and trusted knight of the King of Jerusalem, serving in the midst of a brewing conflict between the Christian warriors who control the city and the Muslim armies of Saladian bent on retaking it, all of whom believe that God - and right - is on their side.

So what makes this 191-minute cut of the film better? Plenty, let me assure you. The restored footage fleshes out a number of characters and story points considerably. Finally, you understand more of what motivates Balian - you see more of his life and circumstances in France. You see his wife briefly in Balian's memory, and understand his grief better. You learn that he's fought in war previously, and was an experienced engineer, so his cleverness in defending Jerusalem later in the film makes more sense. You learn more of Godfrey's own connections to Balian's home and his village, and why he would not only return to find Balian, but also why the local lord's men would attack them later (it's another family connection). The animosity between Balian and his brother, a local priest, is shown in greater clarity. Once Balian arrives in the Holy Land, you learn that Sibylla (Eva Green)'s marriage to Guy de Lusignan (Marton Csokas) is really one of convenience only, which puts Sibylla and Balian's romantic relationship into better context. You learn that Sibylla has a son (who was completely cut out of the theatrical version), and that her love of her son motivates almost every action she takes (which in turn makes sense out of her bizarre behavior late in the film). You see more of Balian's interactions with King Baldwin (Edward Norton, in an uncredited performance by his own choice), and their developing respect for one another. And, at last, you not only understand why Guy hates Balian (it isn't just about Sibylla), but their animosity actually pays off in a final confrontation that, again, is completely missing from the theatrical cut. I can't stress enough how different this version of the film is, and how much better and more rewarding an experience it becomes, with the restoration of the trimmed minutes.

This improved cut of the film is presented here on DVD in full anamorphic widescreen as you'd expect. It's been split over two discs so as to maximize the video bitrate, and now includes both a musical overture and an intermission break (at the end of Disc One). The overall image quality is excellent, and is notably improved over the theatrical version in the areas of color saturation and compression artifacting. The image is clear and clean, even in the most chaotic scenes, with excellent contrast and shadow detail. Scott's painterly cinematography is well presented here. Audio-wise, these discs offer both Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 surround sound, as was the case on the theatrical DVD release. The Dolby Digital audio is good, with a wide front soundstage, tremendous low frequency reinforcement and lively use of the rear channels. The DTS improves upon this with a smoother, more unified soundfield and slightly more natural imaging. The DTS is my preference, but whichever track you choose, you'll enjoy an excellent surround experience.

As is the case on most of Ridley Scott's films on DVD, the production team at the Lauzirika Motion Picture Company has turned in an outstanding batch of special features for this set. The film itself features a brief video introduction by Scott, who admits that this is the version of Kingdom of Heaven he prefers. Discs One and Two offer a very good audio commentary track with Scott, joined by screenwriter William Monahan and star Orlando Bloom. It's packed with information and interesting little insights about the film's plot, development and historical background. There's a second, nuts-and-bolts commentary by executive producer Lisa Ellzey, effects supervisor Wesley Sewell and 1st AD Adam Somner, and a third track as well featuring editor Dody Dorn. The movie discs also include an optional text track, similar to the one that was on the Gladiator: Extended Edition, called The Engineer's Guide. It offers additional historical information, film production anecdotes and trivia, and even DVD production details.

Discs Three and Four together present a hefty, 6-part documentary on the film's production, entitled The Path to Redemption. The first three parts of this are on Disc Three, beginning with Part I: Good Intentions, which chronicles the development of the film. Included separately here are the early draft of Monahan's screenplay for the film, story notes, a gallery of location scout photos and a video overview of the original Tripoli film project out of which Kingdom of Heaven emerged. Part II: Faith and Courage looks more closely at the pre-production process. Also available in this section are cast rehearsal video, the Colors of the Crusade featurette on the film's costume design, a gallery of Ridleygrams (storyboards drawn by the director), the Production Design Primer featurette, a gallery of production design images and a costume design gallery. The final section of Disc Three focuses on the first part of the film's location filming in Spain. The documentary continues here with Part III: The Pilgrimage Begins. This section also includes the Creative Accuracy: The Scholars Speak featurette (on the historical accuracy of the film), additional galleries of storyboards from the film and a gallery of unit production photography images.

Disc Four offers the second half of The Path to Redemption, starting with Part IV: Into the Holy Land (which, as you might expect, chronicles the film's production as it continued in Morocco). There's a separate featurette here that focuses on the film's epic battle scenes, entitled Unholy War: Mounting the Siege. Also included here are more galleries of storyboards and additional unit production photography images. Moving on, Part V: The Burning Bush delves into the film's post-production process and addresses, among other things, the cuts that were made to the film. In this section, you'll also find 15 deleted and extended scenes (with optional commentary by Scott and Dorn) presented in anamorphic widescreen. Also available here is an interactive Sound Design Suite, which lets you view a scene from the film with a variety of different audio options (from different parts of the audio process), or view featurettes on the work involved at those same stages in the process. It's a great use of DVD's interactive capabilities that actually enhances your knowledge of the film - think of it as an extension of the Interactive Production Grid from the theatrical Kingdom of Heaven DVD. Rounding out this section is a set of four featurettes, covering different aspects of the visual effects process. These include The Burning Man: Fire Effects and Face Replacement, Building Jerusalem: Digital Matte Painting and 3D Modeling, Casualties of War: Artificial Intelligence and Virtual Warriors and Medieval Engines: The Physics and Firepower of Trebuchets, all of which are interesting viewing (personally, I particularly enjoyed the piece on the trebuchets constructed for the production). The final section of Disc Four examines the film's release and contains the remainder of the set's extras. The documentary concludes here with Part VI: Sins and Absolution. All of the film's trailers and TV spots are here too, along with video of the film's press junket and the premieres in London, New York and Tokyo, a gallery of "special shoot" photos, an extensive gallery of poster explorations for the film (including many that feature the title Crusade), and additional credits for the director's cut. Finally, there is the Paradise Found: Creating the Director's Cut featurette, in which Dorn and others address the work that went into creating the version of the film that's presented on this 4-disc set.

Need a nap yet? Trust me, you will after watching all of these extras - not because they'll put you to sleep, but simply for the sheer volume of material and the time it will take you to go through it all (you might want to pack a lunch before you start your viewing as well). These features are exceptionally well-constructed and thoughtful, offering real insights into the making of Kingdom of Heaven. Every bit of this material is worthy of your time and attention. I should note that all of the documentary features here are in anamorphic widescreen, from the featurettes to the galleries (only the TV spots are full frame, as you'd expect). I believe that this set is also meant to have a liner notes booklet, but one wasn't included in my review copy. It's my understanding that there's at least one Easter egg here too - when we find it, we'll update this review with the relevant details.

This, at long last, is Kingdom of Heaven as it was meant to be seen. It is finally a great film - the film Ridley Scott fans wanted and hoped it would be when they first saw it in theaters. It's worthy of inclusion among the director's best works (Blade Runner, Alien, Gladiator and Black Hawk Down) and it's well worth your time on DVD, even at 191 minutes (ESPECIALLY at 191 minutes). Forget the mixed reviews of critics - those all pertained to the other version, which you should just pretend doesn't exist. Kingdom of Heaven: The Director's Cut is a feast for your mind as well as your eyes and ears. Better still, for those of you who are fans of the process of filmmaking, Scott's work or just great DVD special features, the extras on this 4-disc set are a damn fine desert. Very highly recommended.

[mrsjack]

Why, why, WHY did they not just show this in its entirety in the theaters?! I just don't frickin' get it! It really makes me angry and I feel ripped off everytime they give into the studio's for the sake of...what? I don't know.

[Mel]

Apparently the cuts were to allow the theaters to get one more showing per day in, thus, in theory, increasing box office revenues. Obviously that was THE WRONG DECISION.

Ahem.

[mrsjack]

Okay, so it's all about money and not what the public really wants to see, right? So they make us spend our money on something that, once word got around on how chopped up this movie was and how much of it didn't make any sense because we didn't get the whole story to begin with, no one else wanted to see. I may not have a business mind at all, but even I can see that a great movie, even though it is a long one, is one that people will go and see. Then they will tell others how good it is and everyone will go and see it, making the studio's more money. I think Peter Jackson proved this more than once, but correct me if I'm wrong there.

I could go on and on with this rant, but it just makes me angrier as I go. I guess I'm just so sick of these people who think they know so much, stealing from us. Then they wonder why no one goes to the movies anymore.

[Sharon]

I could go on and on with this rant, but it just makes me angrier as I go. I guess I'm just so sick of these people who think they know so much, stealing from us. Then they wonder why no one goes to the movies anymore.

No kidding. They put their bottom line first, and then don't understand when the audience walks away. They seem utterly oblivious to the fact that we're not here to fill their pockets, we come to their product to be entertained, enlightened, or otherwise find enjoyment in it.

- Sharon

This post has been edited by Sharon: May 14 2006, 03:05 AM

[Mel]

I echo your rant, Liz and Sharon. Clearly the decision to cut the film was flawed and the studio and the movie paid the price. But what's done is done. I think the fact that the Director's Cut is getting such glowing reviews is the best revenge.

[Sharon]

I echo your rant, Liz and Sharon. Clearly the decision to cut the film was flawed and the studio and the movie paid the price. But what's done is done. I think the fact that the Director's Cut is getting such glowing reviews is the best revenge.

True, true. It's frustrating to see studios so short-sighted, dollar-fixated and grasping that they can't see the value of putting out a better quality product that more people will want to see, and see more than once, and spread the good word of mouth.

But the glowing reviews are sweet indeed, and will hopefully sell a lot of DVDs.

The review didn't answer my burning question though -- do we see more Sid?????



- Sharon

This post has been edited by Sharon: May 14 2006, 02:57 AM

[Mel]

The review didn't answer my burning question though -- do we see more Sid?????

I know! Annoying, isn't it? From what Sid has said, almost everything he filmed with Ghassan Massoud (Saladin) made it into the theatrical version, but only about half of what he filmed with Orlando (Balian) made it. The reviews are all focusing on the extra scenes with Balian, Sibylla and Guy, but my guess is that within those extra Balian scenes, we get extra Nasir. I do know that Sid went back into the studio last summer to do some ADR (Additional Dialogue Recording) for some of those cut scenes, including a snippet in which he introduces himself to Balian as "Nasir". If you'll recall, his name is never mentioned in the theatrical cut.

» Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... «

However, I should be able to report back in more detail later this week as Fox is sending me an advance copy.

[Sharon]

I do know that Sid went back into the studio last summer to do some ADR (Additional Dialogue Recording) for some of those cut scenes, including a snippet in which he introduces himself to Balian as "Nasir". If you'll recall, his name is never mentioned in the theatrical cut.

» Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... «

However, I should be able to report back in more detail later this week as Fox is sending me an advance copy.

Sweeeeeeeet!!!! Put me in line as soon as it hits the stores!



- Sharon

[mrsjack]

Sweeeeeeeet!!!! Put me in line as soon as it hits the stores!



- Sharon

Or, you could click on the button above and try to win it, Sharon!

[Mel]

From DVDTalk:

Kingdom of Heaven: The Director's Cut
Fox // R // $34.98 // May 23, 2006

Review by Preston Jones | posted May 12, 2006 | E-mail the Author | Start a Discussion

The Movie

Ridley Scott dreams big – no stranger to larger-than-life films, his resume boasts one outsized work after another: Legend, 1492: Conquest of Paradise, Gladiator, Black Hawk Down - hell, even Hannibal feels operatic and infused with a sense of grandeur. It stood to reason that his 2005 offering, Kingdom of Heaven, elbowing for room in a year crowded with historical tentpole pictures (here's lookin' at you, Alexander and Troy), would deliver trademark Scott style, somehow standing out from the crowd. But it was not to be – Troy led the year off and flopped, while Alexander fared even worse, so it was with trepidation, rather than anticipation, that the world awaited Kingdom of Heaven.

The theatrical cut of Kingdom of Heaven is a technically impressive epic, devoid of soul and a cohesive narrative – sweeping battle scenes give way to strangely choppy exposition, rendering William Monahan's clearly well-researched historical drama an inchoate mess. Had 20th Century Fox not panicked in light of the two other high-profile misfires and drastically altering the flow of Scott's film (as has been hypothesized on several Internet sites), who's to say what impact Kingdom of Heaven would've had? While technically accomplished, it's also a breakout role for Orlando Bloom, who as Balian, sheds the nagging notion that he's merely a Tolkien pretty boy, unable to shoulder the load of headlining a massive period epic.

I'll skip summarizing the theatrical cut's plot (for that, check out my colleague Randy Miller III's review of Kingdom of Heaven) and will instead address the changes, revisions and additions to the film. It's estimated that between 40 and 60 minutes were snipped by Fox upon the eve of Kingdom of Heaven's release – the running time here is a healthy 191 minutes (the theatrical cut runs around 144 minutes, which suggests roughly 45 minutes were reinstated), offered in a roadshow format – which includes a 60 second video introduction from Scott, a 90 second overture that plays prior to the studio titles and a 140 second entr'acte beginning the second disc. The film is split neatly between the first and second discs, with one hour, 39 minutes on the first disc and one hour, 34 minutes on the second. According to several sources, this extended cut was released theatrically (briefly) at the Laemmle Fairfax Theatre in Los Angeles in December 2005 and was critically hailed, even ending up on a few year-end best-of lists.

Some spoilers may follow for those who have yet to view the film. The most significant alteration to Kingdom of Heaven is that Sibylla (Eva Green) now has a son by Guy de Lusignan (Marton Csokas), Baldwin V, who suffers from leprosy and meets an untimely fate at the hands of his mother. This subplot fleshes out precisely why Sibylla descends into madness in the film's final third and not only provides a handful of superb moments for Green, but makes her characterization that much richer. The village priest (Michael Sheen) seen burying Balian's wife at the beginning of the film is revealed to be his half-brother, which accounts for the tension between them. In addition, King Baldwin IV (Edward Norton, in his uncredited role) is seen refusing final communion and Balian crosses swords with Guy near the film's climax.

While all of these changes to the film indeed draw out its running time, in no way does Kingdom of Heaven feel overlong or laborious – with the narrative restored and characters given full, detailed arcs, screenwriter William Monahan and Scott fashion a palpably real world, one that draws you in and keeps you absorbed for the duration. The cast is exceptional throughout and the technical aspects are stunning. Put simply, Kingdom of Heaven is a masterpiece of filmmaking that has been restored to its proper glory. Ridley Scott's big dream is no longer a nightmare.

The DVD
The Video:

As with the theatrical cut, Kingdom of Heaven is presented with a sterling 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer that doesn't suffer from a trace of damage – vivid, crisp and a glittering showcase for John Mathieson's stunning cinematography, the Crusades come to powerful life and will serve as near-reference quality material for many – Kingdom of Heaven looks truly glorious here.

The Audio:
Dropping the Spanish and French Dolby 2.0 stereo tracks from the theatrical DVD release, the director's cut features only Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 tracks – having sampled both during the course of the film, DTS has a slight edge in terms of spatial clarity and warmth, although the Dolby Digital track is no slouch. Screams, clanging swords and immersive surround activity makes this one of the more kinetic home theater experiences I've encountered in quite some time. Simply put, this is pure aural enjoyment that will delight audiophiles no end. English, French and Spanish subtitles are also on board, as is closed captioning.

The Extras:
The $64,000 question lingers: hold on to the two-disc theatrical release or pitch it on eBay? While the two-disc will likely be shoved aside in favor of this lavish four-disc set, those die-hard Kingdom of Heaven fans should keep it, as "The Pilgrim's Guide" text commentary, interactive production grid, the A&E and History Channel documentaries and behind-the-scenes featurettes aren't ported over – if you want the complete picture, I'd argue for a six-disc set, incorporating both the admittedly flawed theatrical cut as well as these extras.

But enough championing of the previous release – anyone annoyed at a perceived lack of supplemental material on the first DVD release will be quieted by this stunning, dense set. Fox has given the director's cut of Kingdom of Heaven a stylish presentation, placing the four discs in separate trays inside a fold-out slipcase which fits snugly within the slipcover. Very handsome. Spread over the first two discs is a trio of commentaries – Scott, Bloom and Monahan sat separately for the first commentary, which mainly details how each man came to the project and in the case of Scott and Monahan, how Tripoli gave way to this project, as Bloom fills in his take on the film and its subject. The second commentary features executive producer Lisa Ellzey, visual effects supervisor Wes Sewell and first assistant director Adam Somner (all three recorded separately), which focuses on the more technical aspects of this mammoth production. The third and final commentary features editor Dody Dorn flying solo and detailing not only changes to the film, but her thoughts on Kingdom of Heaven. Supplanting "The Pilgrim's Guide" from the initial release is the "Enginer's Guide," newly created for this cut and outlining production notes and film trivia.

Discs three and four are where producer Charles de Lauzirika really earns his paycheck: on a par with the exceptional multi-disc re-releases of both Black Hawk Down and Gladiator, the six-part behind-the-scenes documentary "The Path To Redemption" is fat-free, compelling and essential for anyone with even a passing interest in Ridley Scott's film.

Disc three includes the first three sections of "The Path To Redemption," presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic and Dolby 2.0 stereo. Easily navigable and helpfully split in manageable chunks, I'll outline the contents of the various sections below (it should be noted that while these are listed separately, the option for playing them as one long documentary exists):

Part I: Good Intentions (featurette detailing the genesis of Kingdom of Heaven), 36 minutes and 26 seconds
"Tripoli" Overview and Gallery (text and images)
First draft by William Monahan (text)
Story notes (text and images)
Location scout gallery (text and images)

Part II: Faith and Courage (featurette detailing the pre-production process) 19 minutes and 53 seconds
Cast rehearsals featuring Bloom, Liam Neeson, David Thewlis, Csokas and Green (video) 13 minutes and 22 seconds
Ridleygrams (images)
Costume and weapon design featurette (video) 32 minutes and 14 seconds
Production design (video) six minutes and 52 seconds
Costume design galleries (text and images)

Part III: The Pilgrimage Begins (featurette detailing the production in Spain) 19 minutes and 31 seconds
"Creative Accuracy: The Scholars Speak" (Video) 26 minutes and 37 seconds
Storyboard galleries (viewable separately or together): "Balian's Village," "Forest Ambush" and "Pilgrim's Road" (multi-angle video and images)
Photo galleries (text and images)


Disc four includes the final three sections of "The Path To Redemption," presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic and Dolby 2.0 stereo. Easily navigable and helpfully split in manageable chunks, I'll outline the contents of the various sections below (it should be noted that while these are listed separately, the option for playing them as one long documentary exists):

Part IV: Into The Promised Land (featurette detailing the production in Morocco) 31 minutes and 14 seconds
"Unholy War: Mounting The Siege" (video) 17 minutes and 5 seconds
Storyboard galleries (viewable separately or together): "Kerak," "Battle Preparations" and "The Siege" (multi-angle video and images)
Photo galleries (text and images)

Part V: The Burning Bush (featurette detailing the post-production process) 37 minutes and 26 seconds
15 deleted/alternate scenes, presented in anamorphic widescreen, playable separately or together for an aggregate of 30 minutes with optional Scott/Dorn commentary (video)
Sound design suite – sample tracks of dialogue editing, ADR, Foley, sound FX editing and final mix (video and audio)
Visual effects breakdowns (viewable separately or together for an aggregate of 20 minutes, 35 seconds with optional Wes Sewell commentary) – "The Burning Man" (fire effects and face replacement), three minutes, 12 seconds; "Building Jerusalem" (digital matte painting and 3-D modeling), five minutes, 59 seconds; "Casualties of War" (artificial intelligence and virtual warriors), seven minutes, 38 seconds and "Medieval Engines" (the physics/firepower of Trebuchets), four minutes, 44 seconds.

Part VI: Sins and Absolution (featurette detailing the release of the theatrical and director's cut) 18 minutes and 20 seconds
Four trailers (presented in anamorphic widescreen with optional Scott commentary and viewable separately or together for an aggregate of six minutes, 43 seconds) and 50 TV spots (viewable separately or together)
The ShoWest presentation (video)
The press junket walkthrough at the Ritz Carlton in Pasadena (video) six minutes and 17 seconds
Footage from the New York, Japan and London premieres (video) three minutes and 40 seconds
Domestic and international poster gallery (images)
Special shoot gallery (images)
"Paradise Found: Creating The Director's Cut" (video) six minutes and 27 seconds
Director's cut credits (text)

Final Thoughts:
If you've made it this far and still can't figure out why picking up this deluxe edition of Ridley Scott's intended vision for Kingdom of Heaven is a no-brainer, then there may be no hope for you – a masterful film that ranks among Scott's best, a thorough, utterly compelling selection of extras and top-notch audio/visual presentation makes this four-disc set a cinch for DVD Talk Collectors Series status. This is how DVD is done – Kingdom of Heaven in its director's cut incarnation, will be on many, many year-end lists.

[Sharon]

Or, you could click on the button above and try to win it, Sharon!

Sunuvagun, I can do that!

- Sharon