This movie poster I have made is based on the cancelled film project called CRUSADE.
The idea of drawing that poster came to me when I was reading the original script (available on internet).
The storytelling was so intense and graphic that I could easily imagine what the movie would have been.
So, after several research, I could find many articles about this movie : the casting, the budget, the settings...
All of this, helped me to make my illustration.
CAST and CREW :
Arnold Schwarzenegger as HAGEN
Jennifer Connelly as Leila, the muslim princess
John Turturro as Ari, the hero's sidekick
Robert Duvall as Adhemar of Le Puy, historical character from the first Crusade
Christopher McDonald as Count Emmich, the bad guy...for sure
In the mid 90s, director Paul Verhoeven was engaged to make this film.
Following the success of his previous movies (Robocop, Total Recall and Basic Instinct), Verhoeven has full access to another big production.
Crusade's budget was estimated for over 100 million $, which was huge at the time.
The screenplay was written by Walon Green, well-known for scripts such as The Wild Bunch, Sorcerer a bit of Robocop 2.
Unfortunately, the production was cancelled following the box-office flop of Cutthroat Island in 1995.
The production company Carolco (an independant organization), was not able to finance the whole movie and had to shut down.
Brief look at the story :
The story takes place during the beginning of the first Crusade, in France.
Hagen, a thief, stole every relics that was once his family's property.
He is taken prisonner by his half-brother, the Count Emmich.
In order to escape his death sentence, he will take the opportunity of the arrival of th pope Urban II.
This last one recruits men for his Christian army.
Hagen pretend to be a martyr.
In his journey, he will encounter Ari, a vagrant jew ; Leila, a muslim princess for which he will fall in love ; Adhemar of Le Puy, a historical leader of the first Crusade.
And he will fight Emmich in Jerusalem.
Hagen will use a scythe during of his fight against the muslims and also his last fight against Emmich.
You can see the Holy Cross, the main relic that the Christians seek.
In order to fight the muslim army, pope Urban II travel around the country to engage fellow Christians for his first Crusade.
Count Emmich is one of the meanest character I have read.
Violent, rapist, a bit cannibal...His scar is the result of one of his fight against Hagen.
Walon Green describe him as a "satyre".
One of the most iconic moment of the story :
Hagen is taken prisonner by muslims into a rotten donkey corpse in the desert.
As hyenas approach to eat him, Hagen manage to set him free, naked...with a vengeance !
In the left corner, you can see an arab boat which belong to slave owners.
Hagen will serve, for a moment, as a slave.
In the foreground, Leila and her odalisque Sheba.
Sheba will make love to Hagen under the orders of Leila (don't forget that it's Verhoeven directing).
Djarvat and his army.
A muslim fundamentalist who wants to marry Leila.
Later, he will kidnap her in order to have her father under his control.
One of the first scene of the story :
Hagen infiltrates an abbey, and witnesses an sort of...bacchanal.
An abbot who has young boys as sexual slaves...
Jerusalem, the last battle.
Lead by Emmich.
Influences on other scripts :
As far as I can remember, some ideas of the script were found in others movies such as Stephen Sommer's The Mummy, released in 1999.
One of the character is clearly based upon Ari.
Like John Turturro's character, he will be able to free himself from danger by using different languages (arabic, jewish...).
But we can find most of Crusade's script in Ridley Scott's Kingdom of Heaven (2005).
Like the ending, where Orlando Bloom and Eva Green prefer to run away from epic battles in order to live a simple life.
Interesting links :
