Product Details

• Actors: Emily Watson, Michael Culkin, Joe Flynn, Stephanie Leonidas
• Directors: Ben Sombogaart
• Format: Color, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Subtitles: Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Allumination
• DVD Release Date: August 26, 2008
• Run Time: 100 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B001AUKUV8
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #47,232 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

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  Movies & TV > Art House & International > European Cinema > Netherlands

Editorial Reviews

Review

DOVE SEAL OF APPROVAL! From the popular novel by Theo Beckman. The novel Crusade has been published in more than twenty countries. International box office hit! --Various

Product Description

Young soccer player Dolf fails to score in the European junior championships, causing his team to be eliminated. Returning home, he visits his mother's lab as she tests a revolutionary time-travel machine. Dolf decides to travel back 12 hours to replay the match, but accidently ends up in the year 1212. Saved from bandits by the beautiful Jenne, his first attempt to transport home fails. Dolf joins Jenne and thousands of children on a pilgrimage known as the childrens crusade, led by a young religous visionary, Nicolas. Finding his modern perspectives both a help and a hidrance to his thirteenth century counterparts, Dolf is alternaely viewed as a miracle worker and the Devils disciple. Back in the present his mother frantically studies historical documents to arrange a rendezvous to bring Dolf home. While the journey is fraught with hardships, battles, treachary, and sacrifice, it is also a place where friendships are forged and a romance is born. His last chance to return home, Dolf rushes to make the rendezvous with Jenne in hand. Will Dolf return home safely with Jenne by his side?

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Don't buy US version!!, September 26, 2008

By	anndelise (WA) - See all my reviews

From http://celsiusentertainment.wordpress.com/current-projects/crusade-march-through-time/
"About the new U.S. Release Version:
The film is currently 30 minutes shorter than the previous Dutch version and the story has been streamlined and sharpened bringing the characters and the conflict into greater relief. This new version has a new ending, some new scoring and a couple of new original songs written for the film."

Let me tell you, they really chopped up that ending.
Imagine taking 30 minutes worth of awesome storyline wrap up and squeezing it into 2 minutes. All that information and character wrap up and explanations for why these new characters are in the story and why they are doing what they are doing....gone. Replaced by some haphazard BS. Almost like it had been written by someone completely new who'd never written more than a junior high story for mediated english class.

Aside from the ending, the rest of the story line is totally awesome. Great character development, actions of the characters made sense and fit with the story line and character motivations. Had me, my bf, and my daughter laughing, in tears, tense, and relief. Led up to the climax smoothly, had us wondering if the main character was going to succeed, etc....and then fell flat, worse than flat, with the chopped up ending that made no sense and didn't fit in.

The dutch version seems to have gotten awards, but I don't see how the USA version can even be considered for one with that ending.

I would have given the movie 5 stars, except for that ending (can you tell I hated it??). I give it 2 stars because the movie was actually awesome, but in the end..the USA ending ruined it all.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A 'Whole Family' Movie, December 21, 2008

By	Artist & Author (Near Mt. Baker, WA) - See all my reviews

Right at the outset it needs to be said that there are three versions of this movie. The Netherlands [Kruistocht in spijkerbroek] version is 138 minutes long; the German version is 125 minutes, and the North American is stripped down to 100 minutes.

That said, this is a wonderful movie for traditional values, especially religious, families. In a sense, it is a clever comparison between the lack of Christian faith in the modern boy, Dolf, with the simple, trusting faith of the bulk of the people on the Children's Crusade. I think the movie was quite fair in its treatment of both sides. Of course, they had to show the monk-leader to be anything but Christian, which is a negative. But, he clearly is the exception, not the rule, among the believers. In one of the climactic scenes the behavior of the monk and Dolf was compared, in that the monk talked a good talk, but it was Dolf who acted over and over again to help the people. We don't know Dolf's inner spiritual life, but he clearly did to 'the least of these' in the way that Jesus spoke of in the Gospels.

Of course, there is lots of great adventure that will keep the whole family glued to the screen. There is quite a bit of violence, but nothing particularly gory. Also, this was a very hard time in which to live, so they are faced with illness and even the death of some of the children. One of Dolf's most faithful admirers dies when he is kidnapped. Some of the children are sold into slavery for passage through a certain area, but Dolf springs into action and leads a group to rescue the kids.

If you need one movie to entertain the whole family, I think this would be a great choice. Parents may need to explain things to the younger children, but I am sure that even to a kindergartner will be able to tell who is good and who is not. Finally, there is virtually no questionable language. There is a bit from the modern people, but the overwhelming majority of the film takes place with the simple Christian children trying to serve God in the best way they could.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great fun!, January 18, 2010

By	Skookum (AK United States) - See all my reviews

While this movie is clearly not an epic, and does not appear to have been made on a large budget, it is good, fresh fun.

It appears to be rated PG mainly for the adventure violence and peril - there is only one instance of a mild swear word that I noticed. There is an obvious teen romance, but only one mild kiss results.

The acting is all good, with some higher areas of positive greatness (and lower areas of "OKness" in some lesser characters).

The clashes between Dolf's modern knowledge and technology and the superstitions of the medieval people is interesting and entertaining.

Dolf demonstrates loyalty, ingenuity, and bravery throughout the film, as do several other characters.

My only real problem with the movie is that the two leaders of the Crusade were portrayed in a decidedly negative light. The older priest was shown as a self-centered, conniving man bent on making his fortune by selling the children into slavery. Nicholas, the young instigator of the whole Crusade, is fanatical, slightly foolish, and blind to the suffering and dangers his followers are going through (until Dolf points it out). I must admit that I do not know how true this is to the real characters, but it seems a little bit overdone.
However, the faith and fortitude of the common children is very well shown.

Oh, and I did find myself wishing for that extra half hour not available on the American DVDs! The ending did seem a bit precipitate as it was.

Though this is definitely not the most historically correct movie I've ever seen, it did spark conversations with my younger, less historically inclined siblings about the real facts of the Children's Crusade. It's unusual for anything to arouse the slightest curiousity in them about history, so I was quite pleased. A nice bonus!