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The Crusades

Director: Cecil B. DeMille (Dir) Release Date: 25 Oct 1935 Premiere Information: World premiere, New York, and London opening: 21 Aug 1935 Production Date: Feb--Apr 1935 Duration (in mins): 120 or 124-125 Duration (in reels): 13			Print this page Display Movie Summary

Cast:	Loretta Young	(Berengaria, Princess of Navarre)
	Henry Wilcoxon	(Richard, King of England)
	Ian Keith	(Saladin, Sultan of Islam)
	C. Aubrey Smith	(The Hermit)
	Katherine DeMille	(Alice, Princess of France)
	Joseph Schildkraut	(Conrad, Marquis of Montferrat)
	Alan Hale	(Blondel)
	C. Henry Gordon	(Philip the Second, King of France)
	George Barbier	(Sancho, King of Navarre)
	Montagu Love	(The blacksmith [Hercules])
	Ramsay Hill	(John, Prince of England)
	Lumsden Hare	(Robert, Earl of Leicester)
	Maurice Murphy	(Alan, Richard's squire)
	William Farnum	(Hugo, Duke of Burgundy)
	Hobart Bosworth	(Frederick, Duke of the Germans)
	Pedro de Cordoba	(Karakush)
	Mischa Auer	(Monk)
	Albert Conti	(Leopold, Duke of Austria)
	Sven-Hugo Borg	(Sverre, The Norse King)
	Paul Sotoff	(Michael, Prince of Russia)
	Fred Malatesta	(William, King of Sicily)
	Hans von Twardowski	(Nicholas, Count of Hungary)
	Anna Demetrio	(Duenna [Tina])
	Perry Askam	(Soldier)
	Vallejo Gantner	(Marshal of France)
	Edwin Maxwell	(Ship's master)
	Winter Hall	(Archbishop)
	Emma Dunn	(Mother of Alan)
	Jason Robards	(Amir/Slave in Saladin's garden)
	Georgia Caine	(Nun)
	J. Carroll Naish	(Arab slave-seller)
	Robert Adair	(English chamberlain)
	Oscar Rudolph	(Philip's squire)
	Pat Moore	(Leicester's squire)
	Ann Sheridan	(Christian girl)
	Jean Fenwick	(Christian girl)
	Joseph Swickard	(Buyer)
	Edgar Dearing	(Cart man)
	Alphonz Ethier	(Priest)
	Gilda Oliva	(First lady-in-waiting to Alice)
	Mildred Van Buren	(Second lady-in-waiting to Alice)
	John Rutherford	(Knight)
	Colin Tapley	(Stranger, messenger)
	Harry Cording	(Amir)
	Stanley Andrews	(Amir)
	Maurice Black	(Amir)
	William B. Davidson	(Amir)
	Addison Richards	(Sentry)
	Guy Usher	(Grey Beard/Templar)
	Boyd Irwin	(Templar)
	Gordon Griffith	(Templar)
	Kenneth Gibson	(Captain of English men-at-arms)
	George MacQuarrie	(Captain of templars)
	Sam Flint	(Captain of hospitalers)
	Harold Goodwin	(Wounded man)

Summary:

When the Saracens take Jerusalem in 1187 A.D. and kill or enslave the Christian population, a holy hermit journeys to all the Christian kingdoms to preach a crusade to retake Jerusalem. King Richard of England, lusty and godless, joins the crusade only to avoid marriage to the disagreeable Alice, sister of King Philip of France. While Richard's brother John and France's Marquis of Montferrat conspire to control England and Palestine, Richard is forced to marry Berengaria, Princess of Navarre, to obtain food from her father to feed his starving army. Richard's rough manner and his use of a proxy in the wedding ceremony alienate Berengaria, but when Richard finally sees his bride, he forces her to accompany him to Palestine. During the long battle to take the city of Acre, John seizes Richard's throne, and Philip of France threatens to support John and leave the crusade unless Richard casts Berengaria aside and marries Alice. Richard's refusal to give Berengaria up overcomes her resistance to him, but the two agree not to consummate their marriage until Jerusalem is taken. Realizing that she is the obstacle to a unified war effort, Berengaria tries to commit suicide by exposing herself to enemy fire, but she is only wounded before Saladin, leader of the Islam forces, takes her away and nurses her to health. Spurred on by Berengaria's capture and the martyrdom of the holy hermit, the Christian armies take Acre and ride on to Jerusalem, where their forces are depleted in heavy fighting. Berengaria agrees to give herself to Saladin if he will save Richard from the treachery of Montferrat, and she plans to keep this promise even after Richard negotiates a peace with Saladin that frees the Christian captives in Jerusalem and opens the city to Christians. Saladin, however, realizes that Berengaria will always love Richard, who has finally come to God, and she is released to join her husband.

Production Company:	Paramount Productions, Inc.
Production Text:	A Cecil B. DeMille Production
Distribution Company:	Paramount Productions, Inc.
Director:	Cecil B. DeMille	(Dir)
	George Hippard	(Asst dir)
	David MacDonald	(Asst dir)
Producer:	Adolph Zukor	(Pres)
	Henry Herzbrun	(Exec prod)
Writer:	Harold Lamb	(Scr)
	Waldemar Young	(Scr)
	Dudley Nichols	(Scr)
	Howard Higgin	(Contr to trmt)
	Jeanie Macpherson	(Contr to trmt)
	Charles Brackett	(Contr to trmt)
Photography:	Victor Milner	(Photog)
	William Mellor	(Cam op)
	Guy Roe	(Cam op)
	Russ Harlan	(Asst cam)
	Lloyd Ahern	(Asst cam)
	Gordon Jennings	(Tech eff)
Art Direction:	Roland Anderson	(Art dir)
Film Editor:	Ann Bauchens	(Film ed)
Set Decoration:	George Scully	(Set dresser)
	Ray Cossar	(Stage eng)
Costumes:	Edna Shotwell	(Women's ward)
	Joe Kaplan	(Men's ward)
	Travis Banton	(Cost of Miss Young and Miss DeMille des by)
Music:	Irving Talbot	(Orch dir)
Sound:	Joseph Aiken	(Sd rec)
	Harry Lindgren	(Mixer)
	Buck Walters	(Boom man)
	"Curley" Nelson	(Sd crew)
Make Up:	Nelly Manley	(Hair)
	Mont Westmore	(Makeup)
Production Misc:	Emily Barrye	(Scr clerk)
	Bernice Hook	(Scr clerk)
	Kenny De Land	(Grip)
	Jack Lefferman	(Grip)
	Ted Powell	(Mike grip)
	Daniel Ulrich	(Props)
	Robert McCrillis	(Props)
	Jack Cooper	(Publicity)
	Roy Burns	(Business manager)
	Fred Geiger	(Set lighting foreman)
	Lorne Netten	(Set lighting asst)
	Russ Brown	(Prop shopman)
	Holly Morse	(Casting)
	William Walling Jr.	(Still photog)
Country:	United States

Songs:	"Song of the Crusades," music by Richard A. Whiting, Leo Robin and Rudolph Kopp, lyrics by Harold Lamb, with special choral lyrics by Jeanie MacPherson.
Composer:	Rudolph Kopp
	Harold Lamb
	Jeanie Macpherson
	Leo Robin
	Richard A. Whiting

Copyright Claimant	Copyright Date	Copyright Number
Paramount Productions, Inc.	17/10/1935 dd/mm/yyyy	LP5869

PCA NO:	859
Physical Properties:	b&w:
	Sd:	Western Electric Noiseless Recording


Genre:	Drama
	Drama
Sub-Genre:	Religious
	Historical

Subjects (Major):	Christianity
	Crusades
	English in foreign countries
	Jerusalem--History
	Palestine
	Religious persecution
	Royalty
	War
	Zionism

Subjects (Minor):	Abduction
	Attempted suicide
	Blacksmiths
	Celibacy
	Combat
	Conversion (Religious)
	Crucifixes
	France
	Great Britain--History
	Hermits
	Islam
	John I, King of England, 1167-1216
	Marriage--Arranged
	Marriage--Forced
	Marriage by proxy
	Marseilles (France)
	Martyrs
	Ministers
	Paganism
	Peace conferences
	Philip II, King of France, 1165-1223
	Richard I, King of England, 1157-1199
	Rivalry
	Saracens
	Self-sacrifice
	Slavery
	Soldiers
	Starvation
	Swords
	Templars
	War injuries
	Weddings

Note:	Rudolph Kopp and Harold Lamb were the only songwriters listed on the film. Katherine DeMille's name is spelled "De Mille" in the end credits, but is spelled "DeMille" twice in the opening credits. An early DV news item about this production quotes Cecil B. DeMille as saying that "an epic of the early days of the church militant is particularly timely, now that religious factions are unusually active in matters affecting the whole entertainment world." A DV news item from 20 Feb 1935 stated that DeMille would be hiring extras from the Riding Actors Association, an organization of veteran screen horsemen, to act as knights mounted on horses in the film. The "knights" were to wear ninety pounds of armor and heavy helmets that would restrict their vision to small slits. A news item in HR from 12 Apr 1935 stated that Paramount property worker Daniel Ulrich had his right leg crushed by the 35-ton siege tower used by DeMille for the Battle of Acre in the film. Electricity in the forty-foot stopped instantly upon contact with Ulrich's leg, thus sparing him his life. The NYT review remarked on the novel use of the split screen in this film, while MPH devoted a whole page to praise the film's music. The MPH review credits Guy Usher separately as both "Grey Beard" and "Templar." Several members of the cast, including Hobart Bosworth, also appeared in silent DeMille films. In his autobiography, DeMille credits Cullen Tate along with David MacDonald as assistant director on the film, and states that writer Jeanie MacPherson, uncredited on the film, contributed "to most of my pictures from then on, whether or not she took screen credit for her work." DeMille reports that during production, he was confined to a Los Angeles hospital with a minor illness and convinced nurses to model costumes for him. Although in DeMille's opinion, The Crusades is "one of the best pictures I have ever made," it failed to be a great financial success in its initial release, although the 1936-37 MPA lists it as a box-office "champion" of 1935. DeMille also writes that the character of the Hermit was meant to suggest Peter the Hermit, Bernard of Clairvaux, "and all the zealous preachers who stirred Europe to arise and take the Cross." It was DeMille's intent to convey a time in history when "Christian men, kings, knights, and commoners, with motives ranging from the purest faith to the blackest treachery and greed, left their homes by the thousands and sought to wrest the Holy Land from its Moslem possessors, who were not, as the propaganda of the time would have it, infidel dogs, but highly civilized and chivalrous foemen." MPA reports that The Crusades is "that kind of valuable screen merchandise that requires one to work his head off to make the public believe the truth." For his work on the film, cinematographer Victor Milner was nominated for an Academy Award. This film was the last produced under DeMille's existing contract at Paramount, and when that studio did not pursue new negotiations with the director, Samuel Goldwyn invited DeMille Productions to move as a unit to United Artists. The move would have necessitated a $1,400,000 investment, however, which DeMille Productions did not have. For a time in 1935, DeMille considered retiring from motion pictures, after having directed sixty films, but Paramount's eventual cooperation aided him in his decision to continue. DeMille's new contract gave him his own production unit, with Paramount retaining only approval of story and budget. As reported in DV , on 25 Sep 1936, DeMille awarded $500 scholarships to three high school graduates who won an essay contest on "The Crusades." According to modern sources, John Carradine was in the film.

Bibliographic Sources:	Date	Page
Daily Variety	13 Jul 34	p. 2.
Daily Variety	18 Jul 34	p. 3.
Daily Variety	20 Feb 35	p. 5.
Daily Variety	26 Sep 36	p. 4.
Film Daily	5 Aug 35	p. 16.
Hollywood Reporter	29 Jan 35	p. 7.
Hollywood Reporter	4 Feb 35	p. 8.
Hollywood Reporter	12 Apr 35	p. 5.
Hollywood Reporter	1 Aug 35	p. 3.
Motion Picture Daily	2 Aug 35	p. 16.
Motion Picture Herald	30 Mar 35	pp. 50-51.
Motion Picture Herald	10 Aug 35	p. 47.
Motion Picture Herald	31 Aug 35	p. 33.
MPSI	1 Apr 35	p. 15.
MPSI	1 May 35	p. 26.
MPSI	1 Jun 35	p. 6.
New York Times	22 Aug 35	p. 21.
Variety	28 Aug 35	p. 12.

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The American Film Institute is grateful to Sir Paul Getty KBE and the Sir Paul Getty KBE Estate for their dedication to the art of the moving image and their support for the AFI Catalog of Feature Films and without whose support AFI would not have been able to achieve this historical landmark in this epic scholarly endeavor.



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