Arn - tempelriddaren

Arn: the Knight Templar / Arn - temppeliritari. SE / DK / FI / DE / GB (c) 2007. P: Waldemar Bergendahl. D: Peter Flinth. SC: Hans Gunnarsson - based on the novel Vägen till Jerusalem / Tie Jerusalemiin (1998) by Jan Guillou. DP: Eric Kress - shot on 35mm - digital intermediate - film print 35mm 1:2,35. Starring Joakim Nätterqvist (Arn Magnusson), Sofia Helin (Cecilia Algotsdotter), Bibi Andersson (Mother Rikissa). Mainly in Swedish, but also in Arabic, English, French, and Latin. 141 min. Released by FS Film with Finnish subtitles. Viewed at Tennispalatsi 3, 23 Feb 2008. Reportedly the most expensive film ever produced in the Nordic countries (but how does one compare the four-part Karl XII?). No Seventh Seal, it does not even begin to approach the profundity of Ingmar Bergman's knight templar saga. But it is an interesting epic film that covers both the bloody power struggles in Sweden and the Crusades in the Holy Land. Arn gets even to meet and conquer Saladin, although it is clear that the bigger victory will be the Muslims'. The characters are not compelling, they feel like modern people in costume. The visual quality of the Swedish nature scenes suffers from the lossy digital intermediate.