Film 2017: Saladin

If you came here hoping to find a 2017 gem, do not despair. You have better options. Here is a quick guide to the best Saladin films available today:

Avoid: The “Saladin 2017” fan edit. It is poorly edited, mislabeled, and disrespectful to the original actors’ work.

Saladin premiered in Istanbul’s Atatürk Cultural Center on November 17, 2017. The red carpet was a parade of AK Party politicians and religious leaders. President Erdoğan sent a congratulatory message: “Our youth will learn honor from this film.” saladin film 2017

The film itself ran 2 hours and 40 minutes. It opened with a breathtaking aerial shot of a Bedouin caravan crossing the desert, then cut to a siege engine crashing against the walls of Kerak. The score, a thunderous mix of Anatolian drums and a full orchestra, never let up.

Critics were divided. The Hürriyet Daily News praised its cinematography but called it “predictable as a sermon.” The audience, however, wept and cheered. In the final act, Saladin enters Jerusalem not with slaughter but with a bowl of rosewater, washing the steps of the Dome of the Rock. A captured Crusader asks, “Why show mercy?” Saladin (Güneş) replies, “Because a kingdom built on fear is a kingdom of sand.” If you came here hoping to find a 2017 gem, do not despair

A detailed analysis of the 2017 film must address the characterization of Batu Khan. In historical chronicles, Batu Khan is often recorded as a ruthless conqueror. However, cinema has a tradition of romanticizing adversaries to elevate the hero's victory.

In Ridley Scott’s 2005 film Kingdom of Heaven, Saladin is depicted as merciful, strategic, and morally superior to many of the Crusaders. This created a cinematic template for the "Eastern Leader." Avoid: The “Saladin 2017” fan edit

The Legend of Kolovrat applies this template to Batu Khan: