The Crusades (1935)
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52% of users liked it
(174 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
- Directed By
- Cecil B. DeMille
- Written By
- Harold Lamb, Waldemar Young, Dudley Nichols
- Genres
- Drama, Action & Adventure, Classics
Unrated,
- In Theaters
- Oct 25, 1935 Wide
Critic Reviews
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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
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Loretta Young
as Berengaria
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Henry Wilcoxon
as Richard I the Lionheart
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Ian Keith
as Saladin
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C. Aubrey Smith
as The Hermit
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Katherine De Mille
as Alice of France
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Joseph Schildkraut
as Conrad of Montferrat
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Alan Hale
as Blondel
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George Barbier
as Sancho King of Navarre
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Montagu Love
as The Blacksmith
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Lumsden Hare
as Earl Robert of Leicester
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William Farnum
as Hugo Duke of Burgundy
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Hobart Bosworth
as Frederick Duke of the Germans
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Pedro de Cordoba
as Karakush
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Robert A'Dair
as English Chamberlain
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Stanley Andrews
as Amir
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Mischa Auer
as Monk
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Maurice Black
as Amir
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Sven Hugo Borg
as Sverre the Norse-King
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Georgia Caine
as Nun
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Albert Conti
as Leopold Duke of Austria
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Harry Cording
as Amir
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William B. Davidson
as Amir
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Edgar Dearing
as Cart Man
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Anna Demetrio
as Duenna
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Emma Dunn
as Mother of Alan
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Alphonse Ethier
as Priest
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Jean Fenwick
as Christian Girl
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Sam Flint
as Capt. of Hospitalers
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Kenneth Gibson
as Capt. of English Men-at-Arms
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C. Henry Gordon
as Philip of France
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Gordon Griffith
as Templar
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Winter Hall
as Archbishop
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Ramsay Hill
as John Prince of England
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Boyd Irwin
as Templar
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George MacQuarrie
as Capt. of Templars
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Fred Malatesta
as William King of Sicily
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Edwin Maxwell
as Ship's Master
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Pat Moore
as Leicester's Squire
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J. Carrol Naish
as Arab Slave Seller
- Gilda Oliva
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Jason Robards Sr.
as Amir
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Addison Richards
as Sentry
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Oscar Rudolph
as Philip's Squire
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Jack Rutherford
as Knight
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Paul Satoff
as Michael Prince of Russia
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Ann Sheridan
as Christian Girl
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Josef Swickard
as Buyer
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Colin Tapley
as Stranger/Messenger
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Guy Usher
as Grey Beard
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Hans Heinrich von Twardowski
as Nicholas Count of Hungary
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Maurice Murphy
as Alan Richard's Squire
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Vallejo Gantner
as French Marshal
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Harold Goodwin
as Wounded Man
- Katherine DeMille
