Arn – The Knight Templar
Encyclopedia
Epic film
An epic is a genre of film that emphasizes human drama on a grand scale. Epics are more ambitious in scope than other film genres, and their ambitious nature helps to differentiate them from similar genres such as the period piece or adventure film...
based on Jan Guillou
Jan Guillou
Jan Oskar Sverre Lucien Henri Guillou is a Swedish author and journalist. Among his books are a series of spy fiction novels about a spy named Carl Hamilton, and a trilogy of historical fiction novels about a Knight Templar, Arn Magnusson...
's trilogy
The Knight Templar (Crusades trilogy)
The Knight Templar is a series of books about the fictional character of Arn Magnusson. The series is written by Swedish author and journalist Jan Guillou....
about the fictional Swedish Knight Templar
Knights Templar
The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon , commonly known as the Knights Templar, the Order of the Temple or simply as Templars, were among the most famous of the Western Christian military orders...
Arn Magnusson. The film was released in December 2007 and the sequel, Arn – The Kingdom at Road's End
Arn – The Kingdom at Road's End
Arn – The Kingdom at Road's End is a 2008 epic film based on Jan Guillou's trilogy about the fictional Swedish Knights Templar Arn Magnusson...
(Arn – Riket vid vägens slut), was released August 22, 2008. While the film is mostly in Swedish and most of the production was made in Sweden, the film is a joint production between Sweden, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. With a total budget of around SEK
Swedish krona
The krona has been the currency of Sweden since 1873. Both the ISO code "SEK" and currency sign "kr" are in common use; the former precedes or follows the value, the latter usually follows it, but especially in the past, it sometimes preceded the value...
210 million (ca. USD
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
30 million) for both films, it is the most expensive production in Swedish cinema
Cinema of Sweden
Swedish cinema is known as producing many critically acclaimed movies, and during the 20th century was the most prominent of Scandinavia. This is largely due to the popularity and prominence of the directors Ingmar Bergman, Victor Sjöström, and more recently Lasse Hallström and Lukas...
.
Summary
The plot of the movie loosely follows the first two volumes of the trilogyThe Knight Templar (Crusades trilogy)
The Knight Templar is a series of books about the fictional character of Arn Magnusson. The series is written by Swedish author and journalist Jan Guillou....
.
Arn Magnusson is part of the powerful Folkung dynasty
House of Bjelbo
The House of Bjelbo , also known as the House of Folkung , was an Ostrogothian Swedish family that provided for several medieval Swedish bishops, jarls and kings.- Name and origin :...
in the mid 12th century. He grows up in a monastery belonging to the Cistercians. He is trained in archery, swordsmanship and horsemanship by a former Knight Templar who resides in the monastery. When Arn leaves the monastery and returns to his family, he is soon pulled into the struggle between the powerful families, all fighting for the crown of the young nation that is to become the Kingdom of Sweden
Consolidation of Sweden
The consolidation of Sweden was a long process during which the loosely organized social system consolidated under the power of the king. The actual age of the Swedish kingdom is unknown...
. He helps his friend Knut Eriksson
Canute I of Sweden
Canute I, Swedish: Knut Eriksson , was king over all of Sweden from 1173 to 1195...
to kill the old king Karl Sverkersson
Charles VII of Sweden
Charles "VII" also Carl , or Karl Sverkersson in Swedish , was ruler of Gothenland, and then King of Sweden from circa 1161 to 1167, when he was assassinated....
. This leads to war between the two factions. However Arn and his fiancée Cecilia Algotsdotter have pre-marital relations and for political reasons they are excommunicated and are forced to undertake twenty years of penance, Cecilia in a convent and Arn as a Knight Templar in the Holy Land to fight against the Saracen
Saracen
Saracen was a term used by the ancient Romans to refer to a people who lived in desert areas in and around the Roman province of Arabia, and who were distinguished from Arabs. In Europe during the Middle Ages the term was expanded to include Arabs, and then all who professed the religion of Islam...
s.
While pursuing a band of thieves, Arn comes across the very enemy of all Christendom, Saladin
Saladin
Ṣalāḥ ad-Dīn Yūsuf ibn Ayyūb , better known in the Western world as Saladin, was an Arabized Kurdish Muslim, who became the first Sultan of Egypt and Syria, and founded the Ayyubid dynasty. He led Muslim and Arab opposition to the Franks and other European Crusaders in the Levant...
, and saves his life. Saladin thanks Arn by warning him to Jerusalem, because he is leading a vast army towards the city. As Saladin marches upon Jerusalem, Arn is given the order to march with all his knights, and they successfully ambush Saladin's army in a mountain pass (the ambush taking the place of the historical Battle of Montgisard
Battle of Montgisard
The Battle of Montgisard was fought between the Ayyubids and the Kingdom of Jerusalem on November 25, 1177. The 16 year old King Baldwin IV, seriously afflicted by leprosy, led an out-numbered Christian force against the army of Saladin...
figuring in the novel). Arn gains the right to return to his home country, but is forbidden by one of the crusades masters to do so. He finds himself engaged in a new campaign with the crusaders (Battle of Hattin
Battle of Hattin
The Battle of Hattin took place on Saturday, July 4, 1187, between the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem and the forces of the Ayyubid dynasty....
). They are violently defeated by Saladin and his men, where Arn is injured but survives. At Saladin's request, he is brought to Damascus where he is healed by Saladin's people. He leaves Damascus for his home country where he meets Cecilia and his son Magnuss; together they start a new life. The movie ends on Arn's death after he returns from a campaign where he led the Bjelbo royal house to victory against Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. He dies in Cecilia's arms holding a Christian cross in his left hand.
Production
The film production was headed by Svensk FilmindustriAB Svensk Filmindustri
AB Svensk Filmindustri or Svensk Filmindustri is a Swedish film production company, distributor and movie theatre chain, currently owned by the Bonnier Group. It was established on December 27, 1919....
in conjunction with Film i Väst
Film i Väst
Film i Väst is a film company located in Trollhättan, Sweden, founded in 1992. Lars von Trier used its facilities in his movies, such as Dogville and Manderlay.-Walk of Fame:...
, TV4 (Sweden), Danmarks Radio
Danmarks Radio
DR – officially rendered into English as the Danish Broadcasting Corporation – is Denmark's national broadcasting corporation. Founded in 1925 as a public-service organization, it is today Denmark's oldest and largest electronic media enterprise...
(Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
), YLE (Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
), TV 2
TV 2 (Norway)
TV 2 is the largest commercial television station in Norway. Over 30% of the time Norwegians spend watching TV is spent watching TV 2. The station has 65% of the market for TV commercials in Norway....
(Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
) and Telepool (Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
). With a total budget of around US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
30,000,000 for the whole production, it's the most expensive production in Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
n film history. SVT
Sveriges Television
Sveriges Television AB , Sweden's Television, is a national television broadcaster based in Sweden, funded by a compulsory fee to be paid by all television owners...
originally was one of the biggest sponsors of the project, but they pulled out and their role as a major sponsor was taken over by TV4.
Filming locations
The Swedish parts of the film are filmed mostly in the province of VästergötlandVästergötland
', English exonym: West Gothland, is one of the 25 traditional non-administrative provinces of Sweden , situated in the southwest of Sweden. In older English literature one may also encounter the Latinized version Westrogothia....
, while the foreign scenes are filmed in Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
and Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
Language
The film is mainly in SwedishSwedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
, but to create a realistic feel it features the languages that would have been spoken in different countries and by different people. The monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
s Arn grows up around speak Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
, English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, Swedish and French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, while the scenes in the Holy Land feature English and Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
, including quotations from the Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
.
Cast and characters
- Joakim NätterqvistJoakim NätterqvistDag Joakim Tedson Nätterqvist is a Swedish actor.Nätterqvist was born in Gamla Uppsala. He graduated from the Swedish National Academy of Mime and Acting in Stockholm in 2001....
as Arn Magnusson - Sofia HelinSofia HelinSofia Margareta Götschenhjelm Helin is a Swedish actress best known for the Guldbagge nomination she got for her role in Dalecarlians ....
as Cecilia Algotsdotter - Stellan SkarsgårdStellan SkarsgårdStellan John Skarsgård is a Swedish actor, known internationally for his film roles in Angels & Demons, Breaking the Waves, The Hunt for Red October, Ronin, Good Will Hunting, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist,...
as Birger BrosaBirger BrosaBirger Brosa , jarl of Sweden 1174-1202, d. 9 January 1202 on Visingsö, was a son of Bengt Snivil and a member of the powerful House of Bjälbo... - Vincent PérezVincent PérezVincent Pérez is a Swiss-born French speaking actor and director. He is best known internationally for playing the title character Ashe Corven in The Crow: City of Angels, and for starring in Queen of the Damned, playing Marius de Romanus...
as Brother Guilbert - Simon CallowSimon CallowSimon Phillip Hugh Callow, CBE is an English actor, writer and theatre director. He is also currently a judge on Popstar to Operastar.-Early years:...
as Father Henry - Steven WaddingtonSteven WaddingtonSteven Waddington is an English actor who is probably best known for his supporting role in Michael Mann's The Last of the Mohicans. He trained at East 15 Acting School in Loughton Essex. His first film role was as the eponymous king in Derek Jarman's Edward II...
as Torroja - Gustaf SkarsgårdGustaf SkarsgårdGustaf Skarsgård is a Swedish actor, son of My Skarsgård and Stellan Skarsgård and brother of Eija, Valter, Sam, Bill and Alexander Skarsgård...
as King Canute I of SwedenCanute I of SwedenCanute I, Swedish: Knut Eriksson , was king over all of Sweden from 1173 to 1195...
(Knut Eriksson) - Michael NyqvistMichael NyqvistRolf Åke Michael Nyqvist is a Swedish actor. Educated at the School of Drama in Malmö, he became well known from his role as police officer Banck in the first series of Beck movies made in 1997. He is recently most recognized for his role in the internationally acclaimed Millennium series as...
as Magnus Folkesson. - Bibi AnderssonBibi AnderssonBibi Andersson is a Swedish actress.-Early life:Bibi Andersson was born as Berit Elisabeth Andersson in Kungsholmen, Stockholm, the daughter of Karin , a social worker, and Josef Andersson, a businessman...
as Mother Rikissa. - Milind SomanMilind SomanMilind Soman is a Scottish-born Indian model and actor. He was born in Scotland and lived in England for seven years before his family moved back to India.-Professional life:...
as SaladinSaladinṢalāḥ ad-Dīn Yūsuf ibn Ayyūb , better known in the Western world as Saladin, was an Arabized Kurdish Muslim, who became the first Sultan of Egypt and Syria, and founded the Ayyubid dynasty. He led Muslim and Arab opposition to the Franks and other European Crusaders in the Levant... - Alex WyndhamAlex WyndhamAlex Wyndham is an English actor, best known for his role as Gaius Cilnius Maecenas in the HBO television series Rome .-Biography:...
as Armand de Gascogne - Nicholas Boulton as Gerard de RidefortGerard de RidefortGerard of Ridefort was Grand Master of the Knights Templar from the end of 1184 until his death in 1189.Gerard of Ridefort is thought probably to have been of Flemish origin, although some nineteenth-century writers suggested an Anglo-Norman background, apparently through misreading his...
- Thomas W. GabrielssonThomas W. GabrielssonThomas W. Gabrielsson is a Swedish actor, active in Sweden and Denmark.-Stage career:In 1998 Gabrielsson performed solo in the 70 minute monologue dramatization of Ondskan at the Theater La Balance in Vanløse....
as Emund Ulvbane - Jakob Cedergren as Ebbe Sunesson
- Julia Dufvenius as Helena Sverkersson
- Lina EnglundLina EnglundLina Maria Englund is a Swedish actress and musician.Englund went to the Adolf Fredrik School of Music in Stockholm for middle and high school....
as Katarina, Cecilia's sister - Magnus Stenius as Knight
- Morgan AllingMorgan AllingSven Robert Morgan Alling is a Swedish actor, scriptwriter and director.Alling finished Malmö Theatre Academy 1990. He become famous in when he was a host for a children's show for television....
as Eskil Magnusson - Fanny Risberg as Cecilia BlankaCecilia Johansdotter of SwedenCecilia Johansdotter of Sweden, , is the traditional name of the Queen Consort of King Canute I of Sweden and mother of King Eric X of Sweden.- Biography :...
- Anders Baasmo ChristiansenAnders Baasmo ChristiansenAnders Baasmo Christiansen, born 29 January 1976 is a Norwegian actor from Hamar, Norway.He earned his breakthrough in 2003 when he received the Amanda-price for his performance in the Norwegian picture Buddy....
as Harald - Driss Roukhe as Fakhir
- Mirja Turestedt as Sigrid
- Joy Andersson as Canoness
- Frank Sieckel as Sigfried de Turenne
- Zakaria Atifi as Ibrahim
- Donald Högberg as Algot Pålson
- Mikael Bohlin as Young Eskil
Soundtrack
The music for the movie was composed by Tuomas KantelinenTuomas Kantelinen
Tuomas Kantelinen is a Finnish composer. He studied composition at the Sibelius Academy with Eero Hämeenniemi. He is best known for his scores for films such as Rukajärven tie, Äideistä parhain, Mindhunters and Mongol...
. Laleh
Laleh
Laleh Pourkarim is an Iranian born Swedish singer-songwriter and former actress. She uses her given name Laleh as a stage name. She left Iran when she was a one year old and came to Sweden as a teenager, attending school in the multicultural district of Hammarkullen, Angered of Gothenburg. Before...
also recorded the theme song for the film, entitled "Snö
Snö
"Snö" is a song by Iranian-Swedish singer-songwriter Laleh recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra for the film Arn - The Knight Templar. It was released on December 19, 2007 as her ninth single and was later placed on her third studio album, Me and Simon...
,". The track was released as a single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
in 2007 and was later placed as a track on her 2009 album Me and Simon
Me and Simon
Me and Simon is the third studio album by Iranian-Swedish singer-songwriter Laleh, released on January 21, 2009 on Warner Music Sweden records. The album peaked at number two on the Swedish Singles Chart....
. "Snö
Snö
"Snö" is a song by Iranian-Swedish singer-songwriter Laleh recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra for the film Arn - The Knight Templar. It was released on December 19, 2007 as her ninth single and was later placed on her third studio album, Me and Simon...
" peaked at #14 on the Swedish Singles Chart.
Track listing
- "SnöSnö"Snö" is a song by Iranian-Swedish singer-songwriter Laleh recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra for the film Arn - The Knight Templar. It was released on December 19, 2007 as her ninth single and was later placed on her third studio album, Me and Simon...
" by LalehLalehLaleh Pourkarim is an Iranian born Swedish singer-songwriter and former actress. She uses her given name Laleh as a stage name. She left Iran when she was a one year old and came to Sweden as a teenager, attending school in the multicultural district of Hammarkullen, Angered of Gothenburg. Before...
- 4:30 - "Prologe" - 1:07
- "Desert Hunt" - 2:49
- "The Templar's Theme" - 0:59
- "To Varnhems Abbey" - 1:48
- "Longing" - 3:34
- "Avresan" - 1:04
- "Gratias" - 3:26
- "Arn & Cecilia" - 3:20
- "Adiago" 2:17
- "Nightmare" - 1:06
- "The Sword" 1:45
- "The Abbey" - 2:03
- "Axevalla tvekamp" - 2:31
- "The Templar's triumf" - 1:28
- "Saladin's camp" - 0:37
- "The land of home" - 1:48
- "The Arrival" - 1:09
- "Nuns" - 0:58
- "West Götaland" - 2:35
- "Reward" - 1:27
- "The End" - 2:36
- "SnöSnö"Snö" is a song by Iranian-Swedish singer-songwriter Laleh recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra for the film Arn - The Knight Templar. It was released on December 19, 2007 as her ninth single and was later placed on her third studio album, Me and Simon...
" by LalehLalehLaleh Pourkarim is an Iranian born Swedish singer-songwriter and former actress. She uses her given name Laleh as a stage name. She left Iran when she was a one year old and came to Sweden as a teenager, attending school in the multicultural district of Hammarkullen, Angered of Gothenburg. Before...
- 4:30