The Crusades (1935)

53% of users liked it
(173 ratings)

The Holy Wars are given the usual overblown Cecil B. DeMille treatment in The Crusades. It all begins in the 12th-century AD, when Jerusalem falls into the hands of the Saracens, and the Christians are slaughtered or sold into slavery. A holy man known as The Hermit (C. Aubrey Smith) rallies the… More The Holy Wars are given the usual overblown Cecil B. DeMille treatment in The Crusades. It all begins in the 12th-century AD, when Jerusalem falls into the hands of the Saracens, and the Christians are slaughtered or sold into slavery. A holy man known as The Hermit (C. Aubrey Smith) rallies the rulers of England and Europe to launch a Crusade to reclaim Jerusalem in the name of Christianity. Among those embarking upon this massive undertaking is England's King Richard the Lion-Hearted (played as a swaggering roughneck by Henry Wilcoxon), who finances his knights by marrying wealthy French princess Berengaria (Loretta Young) sight unseen. Saladin (Ian Keith), the elegant and well-spoken ruler of the Saracens, attempts to stave off the crusaders by kidnapping Berengaria and holding her hostage. Sensing that he can never win against so formidable a collection of foes, Saladin eventually opens the gates of Jerusalem to all but Richard the Lion-Hearted, with whom he has a personal score to settle. In the film's most memorable scene, the fundamental difference between the boorish Richard and the cultured Saladin is demonstrated when the Saracen ruler delicately cleaves Berengaria's silk scarf in twain with his gleaming sword. It took a great deal of nerve to depict the film's hero as a thuggish brute and the nominal villain as the most sympathetic character in the story, but DeMille gets away with it in The Crusades, and still has time left over to deliver his usual quota of thrills, pageantry, convoluted history and campy dialogue. And yes, that is Ann Sheridan as a Christian captive in the opening scenes. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 2 hr. 3 min.
Directed By: Cecil B. DeMille
Written By: Harold Lamb, Waldemar Young, Dudley Nichols
Genres: Drama, Action & Adventure, Classics

In Theaters: Oct 25, 1935 Wide
On DVD: May 23, 2006

Critic Reviews

Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Blowzy inaccurate medieval era epic on the Holy Crusades is pure Hollywood balderdash, nevertheless it's an immensely fun spectacle.

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Cast

            Loretta Young as Berengaria

            Henry Wilcoxon as Richard I the Lionheart

            Ian Keith as Saladin

            C. Aubrey Smith as The Hermit

            Katherine De Mille as Alice of France

            Joseph Schildkraut as Conrad of Montferrat

            Alan Hale as Blondel

            George Barbier as Sancho King of Navarre

            Montagu Love as The Blacksmith

            Lumsden Hare as Earl Robert of Leicester

            William Farnum as Hugo Duke of Burgundy

            Hobart Bosworth as Frederick Duke of the Germans

            Pedro de Cordoba as Karakush

            Robert A'Dair as English Chamberlain

            Stanley Andrews as Amir

            Mischa Auer as Monk

            Maurice Black as Amir

            Sven Hugo Borg as Sverre the Norse-King

            Georgia Caine as Nun

            Albert Conti as Leopold Duke of Austria

            Harry Cording as Amir

            William B. Davidson as Amir

            Edgar Dearing as Cart Man

            Anna Demetrio as Duenna

            Emma Dunn as Mother of Alan

            Alphonse Ethier as Priest

            Jean Fenwick as Christian Girl

            Sam Flint as Capt. of Hospitalers

            Kenneth Gibson as Capt. of English Men-at-Arms

            C. Henry Gordon as Philip of France

            Gordon Griffith as Templar

            Winter Hall as Archbishop

            Ramsay Hill as John Prince of England

            Boyd Irwin as Templar

            George MacQuarrie as Capt. of Templars

            Fred Malatesta as William King of Sicily

            Edwin Maxwell as Ship's Master

            Pat Moore as Leicester's Squire

            J. Carrol Naish as Arab Slave Seller

            Gilda Oliva
            
            Jason Robards Sr. as Amir

            Addison Richards as Sentry

            Oscar Rudolph as Philip's Squire

            Jack Rutherford as Knight

            Paul Satoff as Michael Prince of Russia

            Ann Sheridan as Christian Girl

            Josef Swickard as Buyer

            Colin Tapley as Stranger/Messenger

            Guy Usher as Grey Beard

            Hans Heinrich von Twardowski as Nicholas Count of Hungary

            Maurice Murphy as Alan Richard's Squire

            Vallejo Gantner as French Marshal

            Harold Goodwin as Wounded Man

            Katherine DeMille
            
See full cast

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