"The Crusades" was Cecil B. DeMille's attempt to depict the crusades of the late 12th century. The first three quarters of the film kind of drag along before the battle scenes emerge in the final quarter.
The story opens with a Moses type Hermit (C. Aubrey Smith) vowing that he will raise an army of Christians to re-capture the holy city of Jerusalem from the Sarasins led by Saladin, Sultan of Islam (Ian Keith). King Philip of France (C. Henry Gordon) agrees to join the crusade. Since his daughter Alice (Katherine DeMille) was promised to the English King Richard the Lion Heart (Henry Wilcoxen) by Richard's father, Philip journeys to England to convince Richard to join the crusade and to marry his daughter. Richard relents but discovers an out when he learns that those joining the crusades cannot marry during that time.
Along the way with his men in need of food, he meets with King Sancho, King of Navarre (George Barbier) who offers his comely young daughter Berengaria (Loretta Young) in marriage in exchange for the much needed supplies. Richard doesn't take the marriage seriously and sends his minstrel Blondel (Alan Hale) as his proxy. Of course Richard ultimately discovers his new bride and falls in love with her.
Then the Christian armies attack the gates of Jerusalem with tragic results. DeMille, as only he could, stages realistic battle scenes for the siege utilizing authentic looking siege towers, catapults and other weaponry. It is the highlight of an otherwise over long film. The film apparently didn't do well at the box office and DeMille did not return to the biblical epics again until 1949 with "Samson and Delilah".
Others in Demille's "cast of thousands" are Joseph Schildkraut as Conrad, Marquis of Navarre and Ramsay Hill as Prince John who scheme to take power during their respective leaders absences, Montague Love as the Blacksmith (watch for his touching death scene), and William Farnum, Misha Auer, John Carradine, J. Carroll Naish and Ann Sheridan in smaller roles.
Richard needn't have worried about Prince John taking over his throne as Errol Flynn as Robin Hood had every thing under control back home.
The story opens with a Moses type Hermit (C. Aubrey Smith) vowing that he will raise an army of Christians to re-capture the holy city of Jerusalem from the Sarasins led by Saladin, Sultan of Islam (Ian Keith). King Philip of France (C. Henry Gordon) agrees to join the crusade. Since his daughter Alice (Katherine DeMille) was promised to the English King Richard the Lion Heart (Henry Wilcoxen) by Richard's father, Philip journeys to England to convince Richard to join the crusade and to marry his daughter. Richard relents but discovers an out when he learns that those joining the crusades cannot marry during that time.
Along the way with his men in need of food, he meets with King Sancho, King of Navarre (George Barbier) who offers his comely young daughter Berengaria (Loretta Young) in marriage in exchange for the much needed supplies. Richard doesn't take the marriage seriously and sends his minstrel Blondel (Alan Hale) as his proxy. Of course Richard ultimately discovers his new bride and falls in love with her.
Then the Christian armies attack the gates of Jerusalem with tragic results. DeMille, as only he could, stages realistic battle scenes for the siege utilizing authentic looking siege towers, catapults and other weaponry. It is the highlight of an otherwise over long film. The film apparently didn't do well at the box office and DeMille did not return to the biblical epics again until 1949 with "Samson and Delilah".
Others in Demille's "cast of thousands" are Joseph Schildkraut as Conrad, Marquis of Navarre and Ramsay Hill as Prince John who scheme to take power during their respective leaders absences, Montague Love as the Blacksmith (watch for his touching death scene), and William Farnum, Misha Auer, John Carradine, J. Carroll Naish and Ann Sheridan in smaller roles.
Richard needn't have worried about Prince John taking over his throne as Errol Flynn as Robin Hood had every thing under control back home.