Joseph T. Cool

Lots More "Kingdom" On DVD
Posted: Friday April 8th, 2005 12:04am
Source: Dark Horizons
Author: Garth Franklin

The upcoming Ridley Scott Crusades epic "Kingdom of Heaven" clocks in at around 135 minutes, but be prepared for a multi-disc set some time next year which will add another full hour of footage.

The assorted actors and Scott himself confirmed today that the original cut of the film clocked in at a little over three hours (around 195 mins). Actress Eva Green revealed that the longer cut focuses more on the characters, and less on the crusades themselves.

Amongst the stuff edited out is more of the love story between Green and Bloom's character, and a subplot involving her son. Green says her Lady Macbeth style tragic character is more complex in the longer version - a journey of self discovery.

Why then did they bother with a shorter theatrical cut? Scott says "The DVD world is a different experience. A theatrical audience goes out to see the movie, and I think to a degree there's a tolerance...do you think operas tend to be a bit long? do you think theatre tends to be a bit long? You think 'oh my god' there's going to be another act...The extended version, you can tell why we had certain scenes in the extended version. The one that went out was the best version, no question about it in my opinion."