Arn – The Kingdom at Road's End
| Arn – The Kingdom at Road's End | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster. |
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| Directed by | Peter Flinth |
| Produced by | Waldemar Bergendahl |
| Written by | Jan Guillou (novels) Hans Gunnarsson (screenplay) |
| Starring | Joakim Nätterqvist Sofia Helin Stellan Skarsgård Milind Soman |
| Music by | Tuomas Kantelinen |
| Distributed by | AB Svensk Filmindustri |
| Release date(s) | August 22, 2008 |
| Language | Swedish Norwegian English Danish Arabic |
| Budget | SEK210,000,000 (ca. US$30,000,000) (total budget of both films) |
Arn – The Kingdom at Road's End (Swedish: Arn – Riket vid vägens slut) is a 2008 epic film based on Jan Guillou's trilogy about the fictional Swedish Knights Templar Arn Magnusson. It is the sequel to Arn – The Knight Templar.
Filmed in Glasgow and Morocco.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
The plot of the film loosely follows the book of the same name – the third volume of the Crusades trilogy, spanning the period of about 1187 to 1205.
Arn is the commander of a Templar garrison in Gaza. He is commanded to join a Templar force intercepting the army of Saladin. Due to the arrogance of the new Templar Grandmaster Gerard de Ridefort, the Crusaders are destroyed in the ensuing Battle of Hattin. Arn is wounded but Saladin recognizes him on the battlefield, and saves Arn from execution. Arn wakes in Damascus, his wounds treated; Saladin sends him home with his friendship as he prepares to take Jerusalem.
Cecilia is finally allowed to leave the monastery where she has done penance for twenty years, meeting her son Magnus for the first time. She soon hears of the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Templars and believing Arn dead decides to become a nun for the rest of her life, being offered the post of Abbess by the Folkung clan. Arn meets her as she is just about to enter the convent, and they marry at last, building an estate, Forsvik, where Arn has gathered craftsmen from all over the Europe and the Holy Land. After a little time they have a daughter together named Alde, and Forsvik grows rapidly. Arn takes young men and boys to become knights-in-training.
Six years later King Canute I of Sweden dies, leaving children as heirs. King Sverker II retakes the crown with Danish help and attempts to murder the sons of Canute, prevented by the intercession of a Folkung loyalist placed by Arn in King Sverker's court. Forced to war, Arn leads the Folkungs against the Sverker-Danish force at the Battle of Älgarås. Arn charges forward on horseback to attack King Sverker, and is intercepted by Ebbe Suneson, the leader of the Danes; in the ensuing duel Arn kills him,taking a fatal wound in the exchange. The Folkung emerge victorious, but Arn dies of his wound upon his return to Forsvik. The film concludes by hinting at the completion of the consolidation of Sweden into a unified kingdom a generation later through Birger Jarl, identified as Arn's grandson.
[edit] Cast and characters
- Joakim Nätterqvist as Arn Magnusson
- Sofia Helin as Cecilia Algotsdotter
- Morgan Alling as Eskil Magnusson
- Stellan Skarsgård as Birger Brosa
- Gustaf Skarsgård as king Knut Eriksson
- Milind Soman - Saladin
- Nicholas Boulton as Gerard de Ridefort
- Azher Adil - Brosoa
[edit] Music
Music composed by Tuomas Kantelinen. Closing song by Marie Fredriksson, formerly the lead singer for Roxette.
