Ridley Scott crusades with an Arab guard

[legin]

THE film director Sir Ridley Scott has been offered a bodyguard of 1,000 Arab soldiers as he shoots a bloody tale from the crusades that could inflame Islamic sensibilities.

King Mohammed VI of Morocco, which was regarded as a safe haven for western film-makers until Al-Qaeda bombs killed 45 people in Casablanca last May, has pledged sizeable units of his army to help Scott film his £100m epic, starting in January.

As well as the men who will protect Scott’s cast and crew, a large unit will take the part of Saracen soldiers clashing with the army of King Richard the Lion Heart during the third crusade in the 12th century.

Islamic scholars have warned the 65-year-old director that he may be stepping into a “lions’ den” by recreating a crusade in a Muslim country at such a sensitive time.

(more...)

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/printFriendly/0,,2-524-859756,00.html

[kalian]

1. It appears....

that some westerners are really looking to piss off the Muslims...
First you have this nutcase general...and now this.
Then they ask..."why do they hate us...?" Gee... :eyes: ...I wonder.

[Classical_Liberal]

3. I certainly am not with the pro-empire camp

but unless this movie is pro-crusade it could actually be quite a rhetorical coup against the Bushies. I am not sure I understand the hostility to the idea.

[Il_Coniglietto]

5. Probably against the Crusades

If I recall correctly, this movie is about a Crusader who switches sides. I read a basic summary of it somewhere, let me see if I can find it.

Here it is:

"Scribe William Monahan (Tripoli, Jurassic Park IV) has penned the script, which tells the story of a blacksmith who becomes a knight and travels to the Holy Land on Crusade where he ends up switching sides and helping to defend Jerusalem from the marauding Christians. There's also a love story involving a princess, which we're guessing will get pretty short shrift."

[Bridget Burke]

7. Yes: Hero defends Jerusalem from Crusaders

I know this because my fangirlish persona follows Orlando Bloom's career. He was mentioned to play the hero role--a blacksmith who fights AGAINST the Crusaders.

It looks as though somebody else may have that part (I did NOT register to read the linked article)--anyway, he's already played a blacksmith (who becomes a pirate).

Anyway, the movie's story sounded interesting.

[DuctapeFatwa]

2. So Ridley is going to work for Reuters?

He should be able to bring this film in well under budget.

No need for extras, just slip some medieval garb into a few Halliburton supply troops and poof!

[bpilgrim]

4. hollywood always does that one...

too bad they don't do the Children's CRUSADE... that would be closer to the TRUTH since it is our young who are mostly doing the dying on our side anyways.

more...
http://libtext.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/HistCrusades/HistCrusades-idx?type=browse

peace

[Classical_Liberal]

6. Do you ever wonder whether Osama and Shrubster are personal friends?

? Osama is kind of like a muslim neocon.

[roguevalley]

8. This could be good. Saladin was a very tremendously

interesting man. I would love to see a real
movie about this time, showing the Arabs in
a real light, rather than as cannon fodder
for Christians. I really don't much care for
Richard. His brother John was worse.