artist depiction of the crusade have be present through song and painting and story and and other form of popular medium for century and one way this act be do today be through film . one particularly accessible film about the crusade be cicel b. demille 1935 epic adventure the crusade . demille be know for some of the most epic film in the golden age of hollywood and many of his film often deal with religion . the ten commandment ( 1959 ) and sampson and delilah ( 1949 ) and the sign of the cross ( 1934 ) and and the king of king ( 1927 ) be perfect example of demille religiously tone epic film if you need a guy to make you a religious epic in the 1930s and demille be the guy to do it . the film center on the english king and richard the lionhearted and and his journey to the holy land to fight in the third crusade . but rather than tell a historically base story of richard time in the levant and the film tell a very fictionalized and water down account of the crusade to seemingly heighten the entertainment factor of it action or adventure or romance story . the crusade see richard meeting and marrying princess berengaria on the route to the holy land to fight in the third crusade and then have to rescue her when she be capture by muslim leader saladin and who have fall in love with her . anyone who know anything about the crusade be laugh out loud right now ( or be at least giggle a little bit inside ) . by change the story into almost a robin hood story ( where maid marion be kidnap by the sheriff of nottingham ) and demille create a more average crowd pleasing hollywood story rather than an intelligent cinematic recreation of the third crusade . king richard have be describe at the time of the crusade a a brilliant military mind a strong and imposing and and dare man in his early 30 . also and richard be know to have have great religious zeal and vow to take up the cross after hearing of the aftermath of the battle of hattin and even use his own rich to finance the crusade . the crusade and through actor henry wilcoxon boring performance and do portray richard a a young and strong swashbuckler of a king but the film glance over any sort of military know how that richard may have have . richard be the film hero and conquers many saracen foe and but there be little rhyme or reason to his attack . also and richard be not the religious man that history describes and a the film try to add depth to the character by have him struggle with his religion . in fact and the main reason richard even take up the cross in the movie be so that he can get out of marry king philip sister ( a he hear a holy man say that all earthly oath will be erase once a person take up the cross ) and he be only motivate to attack acre and jerusalem when his wife be take by saladin . king richard come off a more of a joke errol flynn imposter than a lion king . other character do not get historically sound representation either . the film portrayal of king philip ii augustus of france through c. henry gordon be the complete opposite to how history describe philip and saladin also receive a romanticized and westernized portrayal . ever since the time of the third crusade and saladin have often be paint a a chivalric opponent by westerner and ian keith performance of saladin in the crusade certainly fall in line with the chivalrous hero of the west style portrayal of saladin . rather than portray saladin a the ruthless yet often merciful muslim military mind and keith and the film portray saladin very similarly to a european crusader . the way he stand and the way he talk and and the way he interact with the european crusader be not very different than how the film european hero walk and talk and and interact . if he do not talk about allah so much throughout the film and one would confuse him for a european ruler . the crusade definitely paint a positive picture of the crusade and crusading and sometimes in very extreme way . while the quite historically inaccurate and freaking weird love triangle between king richard and berengaria and and saladin be the main focus of the film and christianity be also clearly a primary element . the crusades paint the european crusader a have great zeal for their religion and thinking of nothing else when decide whether or not to take up the cross and fight muslim in the holy land . one scene be especially interesting in how the film present christianity and the crusader represent after the battle for acre and a soldier who be weak and die in king richard arm say and be in a blissful state and that he be die but he touch the true cross . a richard take the soldier back to see the true cross again and the film display a small crowd of soldier and religious men strike stiff with awe a they be shower in the thick white light of the true cross and crawling towards it like a grasshopper crawl to an outdoor streetlight . truly get a powerfully religious experience and these crusader be find what they be look for on this crusade represent not blood or rich and but a religious experience . like most film and the primary focus of demille 1935 film the crusade be to entertain the viewer and which it ultimately do and do not at the same time . the film be well shot ( earn a best cinematography oscar nomination ) and have some good action scene ( for the 1930s anyway come one and when be it not fun to watch soldier pour burn tar on an invading army . ) . however and the crusade include a heavy amount of dated cheesy humor and butcher history with it character . the fact that this film be not historically accurate do not make the film bad but the way that the film destroy history make the film ridiculous .