Master filmmaker Cecil B. DeMille (The Sign of the Cross, Cleopatra, The Ten Commandments) combines religious fervor and a stirring love story in one of his greatest screen spectacles, The Crusades. Christians in Medieval Europe are planning war against the Saracens, who have taken over the Holy City of Jerusalem. In order to obtain supplies for his soldiers, England’s king, Richard the Lion-Hearted (Henry Wilcoxon, Unconquered), is forced to marry a princess (Loretta Young, The Stranger) he has never met. The two are soon involved in a treacherous battle for survival of the Holy City—and of their love. This powerful epic unfolds in true DeMille fashion, bringing the past to glorious life as a cast of thousands creates “the kind of excitement that pulls an audience irresistibly to the edge of its seat” (The New York Times).

For thoughts on The Crusades, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/ryBLRvEkLeE?t=526]

Video Quality

The Crusades makes its Blu-Ray debut thanks to Kino Classics with a brand new 1080p transfer from what appears to be an older master that is in good shape. For a film that is nearly 90 years old, this presentation is quite strong despite some lingering issues with the master. There is a minor sheen of faint nicks and scratches, but it is obvious that the source has been well preserved over the years. The black-and-white photography shot by Victor Milner shimmers in high definition with natural grain intact.

The new transfer shows off a substantial amount of depth and enhanced detail within the film’s composition. There is a grand amount of texture on the clothing and within the period production design. Black levels are pretty deep with no blatant occurrence of black crush or compression artifacts. The contrast is well defined, and the track only experiences occasional instances of flicker and density fluctuation in the print. Kino Classics has given this one an agreeable presentation.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray comes with a fair DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that serves this movie pretty well. This track presents with a minuscule amount of age related wear and tear and some faint hissing. Dialogue and background noises are balanced with all competing elements. At worst, the experience sounds a bit thin when it comes to the score, which likely dates back to the age and condition of the source elements. The music never overshadows the dialogue or other important information. Kino Classics has maintained a good stability with this one. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles included for the feature film.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Filmmaker Allan Arkush and Film Historian/Filmmaker Daniel Kremer deliver a really informative commentary track in which they talk about the output and style of Cecil B. DeMille, the careers of the performers, some of the historical background as it relates to the story, the costumes featured in the film and more. These two are not afraid to point out many of the film’s shortcomings.

Trailers: There is a two-minute trailer provided for The Crusades. There are also trailers provided for The Sign of the Cross, Four Frightened People, The Plainsman, Union Pacific, Reap The Wild Wind, Unconquered, China, The Stranger, The Farmer’s Daughter, The Accused and Because of You.

Final Thoughts

The Crusades is a bit of a dud for the professional showman Cecil B. DeMille. It is clear that he has an eye for the grandiose, but the narrative is lacking and overly focused on boiling down this historic conflict to a matter of the heart. Loretta Young does her best to elevate the material given to her narrowly defined character, but Henry Wilcoxon is a charisma vacuum. Kino Classics has delivered a Blu-Ray release that sports a solid A/V presentation and an honest commentary track. If you are a completist for historical epics, approach with caution, but there are far better examples from the genre.

The Crusades is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Kino Classics has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.