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1. Arn is based on three books by swedish author Jan Guillou, what "kingdom of heaven" is based on - I have no idea, haven't seen it. Of course Arn attempts being to be pseudo-historical - I doubt few stories based on the crusades would be fundamentally different on the main topics.

2. It was originally two flicks re-edited into 1 to suit Amercan tastes (less dialogue and drama, more action). If you think the US release was slow paced you shoullda seen those two, film 1 mainly focused on the love story between Arn and Cecilia and not much else, only in flick 2 did he travel to Jerusalem.
(I got some input on this as the post production/pregrade company re-editing Arn for foreign releases was one of my clients at the time.)

3. Swedish film industry is kinda meh more than not, mind you the budgets are 5% of what Hollywood flicks are based on, and Hollywood tends to suck up alot of talent from all over the world, where else can you make shitoads of cash if you do make it? There are problems here for sure, mass marketed flicks are tricky beasts.

In conclusion: Conformist and dumbed down Hollywood can suck it, and so can the swedish film industry.
It's a catch 22 to get the plebs to go out of their confort zones and ask for stimulation and something new, whether it be script, cinematography, editing, actors, any effects, length, you name it.

 

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I think we will send another Green Lantern movie to show our displeasure.

 

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Colin Nutley needs to be sealed inside a oil drum filled with shit and launched into the sun!

 

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I found Arn on Netflix and looked it up on IMDB to see if it was worth watching. Found people talking about how two Arn movies had been edited down into one so I went looking for the full versions (which are not available in the US) and watched them instead. I'm pretty sure he hits up Jerusalem before the end of the first movie. The last 30 minutes or so are set there. Easily the weakest part of the ... duology? The sets looked great though, and it's obvious they did all they could with what they had, but... there are better Swedish actors out there than whoever they got to play Arn. They got Stellan Skarsgard in there, why not bring his kid from True Blood?

Interesting note: these movies were directed by a Dane.

 

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I'm sure, I don't recall all details!

I give the flicks about 3/5 just cause they are Swedish, but honestly I don't think they came together all that well and nothing I would watch again anytime soon, unless for social reasons. (chicks seem to dig it more; I guess the troubled knight character is "sexy"

Maybe next time I'll do it the other way around and watch the single film international edit to save me some time.

Or hell I'll read the books instead, taking up reading again in some capacity and seem to enjoy it more now than flicks.

 

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