The Swedish film, Arn: Tempelriddaren, known in English as, Arn: The Knight Templar, is a condensed version of three novels written by Jan Guilou which chronicles the tales of the Swedish folk hero, Arn Magnusson. It takes place in the late twelfth century in modern day Sweden, Israel, and Syria. The film’s dialogue is split between five languages: Swedish, English, French, Latin, and Arabic.
The story follows Arn Magnusson, the son of a low ranking lord of House Folkung in the Kingdom of Sweden. As a child, Arn is raised in a monastery where he is taught how to fight. After returning to his home, he falls in love with Cecilia, the daughter of a wealthy landowner. Cecilia becomes pregnant and is sent away to a convent while Arn is given the choice of excommunication or paying penance by serving in the Crusades. While in the Holy Land, Arn makes a name for himself as a skilled warrior. He rescues what he thinks is a group of Kurdish merchants from bandits. It turns out, they are not a group of merchants but instead it is Saladin, Sultan of Egypt and Syria, and his escorts. Through their conversations, Arn and Saladin develop a sense of mutual respect. Upon his return to Jerusalem, Arn tells the Knights Templar the direction in which Saladin is moving. From this information, the Crusaders are able to form a plan of attack. Arn leads the forces to trap Saladin’s army within the narrow mountain range where they are forced to retreat. The Battle of Montgisard is a victory for the Crusaders. Years later, Arn is given an honorable discharge by the Lord Commander of the Knights Templar. However, the Lord Commander dies and his replacement, Gerard de Ridefort, refuses to honor this request. Ridefort then sends a large swath of the Crusaders to retake Gaza. It is there, at the Battle of Hattin, that most of the Crusaders are killed or taken captive. Saladin spares Arn’s life and allows him to return home. Upon his return, Arn is reunited with Cecilia, and he meets his son, Magnus for the first time. As they begin to build a life together in Sweden, the Swedish Civil War breaks out. Both Arn and Magnus join the fight. Arn contracts as a General to fight against the forces of Sverker Karlsson and his Danish supporters. After a series of victories and repelling the Danish from Sweden, Arn is wounded on the battlefield. He is taken back to his hometown where he dies in the arms of his one true love, Cecilia.
This film does a wonderful job portraying medieval life, culture, faith, and warfare. It is the most expensive film in Scandinavian history and this is due, in part, to the great detail the directors and producers imbue within the picture. Everything from clothing, to the languages, to the locations are well executed. Great effort is put in place to ensure that all the details are period accurate. The fact that when in Sweden that characters speak Swedish, the majority of the Knights Templar speak French, and Saladin and his men speak Arabic is for me, one of the most impactful and interesting aspects of the film. Even the strategies they use in battle are historically accurate. The hauberks and lances look like they could be models for the Bayeux Tapestry we have studied in class. The overall feel of the film set by the religious devotion of the characters creates an atmosphere that is reminiscent of the faith-based lifestyle of the Middle Ages that we discuss in class. Most of Cecilia’s arc is spent working in the monastery and the film paints a clear picture of what life was like for some people during this time. Arn and the crusaders are on a mission from God and this is evident throughout the film.
While the picture does a great job telling about life in the Middle Ages, there are several historical inaccuracies. First, Arn Magnusson was most likely not a real person. His character originated as a Swedish folk hero who is still well known throughout the Scandinavian countries. It is believed that Arn is responsible for the defeat of Sverker Karlsson and it is widely accepted that he is the founding father of modern Sweden. However, accounts vary on his feats, as well as, his actual existence. One thing is for certain though, if he was a real person, he most likely did not participate in the Crusades, and he certainly did not play as big a role as he does in the film. The Battle of Montgisard is lead by Baldwin IV, the king of Jerusalem, not by Arn Magnysson. We also know that Saladin mets with a crusader named Al Gouti while on his travels. The film directly states that Arn is called Al Gouti by the Arabs. However, we know that in the historical accounts of the actual meeting, the real Al Gouti is not released to go home but instead is decapitated. Another way the film is misrepresentative is in the portrayal of the Knights Templar. This group is a monastic order, not a standing army. Once someone joins the order, unlike in the film, there is no discharge. This oath is taken for life.
Overall, Arn: The Knight Templar is a fantastic historical fiction film. The characters are likeable, the production is authentic, the writing is well done, and in the end, the stakes feel genuine. In spite of some historical inaccuracies, the film does a wonderful job representing the Crusades and faith in the Middle Ages. This movie could easily be used within a classroom setting to enhance the learning experience.
Works Cited
Benham, Jenny. “Welcome to the Institute of Historical Research.” Institute of Historical
Research, 1 Oct. 1970, http://www.history.ac.uk/.
Bennett, Judith M. Medieval Europe: A Short History, Eleventh Edition. 11th ed., New York: McGraw Hill, 2011. Print.
Flinth, Peter, director. Arn: The Knight Templar. Eagle, 2010,
The movie sounds fascinating. The production of this film must of taken a long time due to the work involved in making a film as historically accurate as possible.
ReplyDeleteYou did a great job in reviewing this movie. I reviewed Kingdom of Heaven and Saladin was the main protagonist in that as well. That guy got around.
ReplyDeleteObviously they could not have fit all 3 sequels into the one movie they did, so what major parts are missing from the condensed version?
ReplyDeleteI have never heard of this movie before, and now I'm sort of grumpy about that. It sounds like it's one that would be right up my ally. Thank you so much for including a link, I'll have to add this one to my watch list.
ReplyDelete