''Gates to Paradise'' is a 1968 film by Polish director

Andrzej Wajda Andrzej Witold Wajda (; 6 March 1926 – 9 October 2016) was a Polish film and theatre director. Recipient of an Honorary Oscar, the Palme d'Or, as well as Honorary Golden Lion and Honorary Golden Bear Awards, he was a prominent member of the ...

. The film is set in

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

France and is based on a novel by Polish writer

Jerzy Andrzejewski Jerzy Andrzejewski (; 19 August 1909 – 19 April 1983) was a prolific Polish writer. His works confront controversial moral issues such as betrayal, the Jews and Auschwitz in the wartime. His novels, ''Ashes and Diamonds'' (about the immediate ...

(1960) that seeks to expose the motives behind youthful religious zeal. It was entered into the

18th Berlin International Film Festival The 18th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 21 June to 2 July 1968. The Golden Bear was awarded to the Swedish film '' Ole dole doff'' directed by Jan Troell. Jury The following people were announced as being on the jury fo ...

Synopsis

In 1212, a Children's Crusade is launched after Jakob ( John Fordyce) claims to have had a vision in which it is said that the innocence of children would be able to liberate Jerusalem. A monk (

Lionel Stander Lionel Jay Stander (January 11, 1908 – November 30, 1994) was an American actor in films, radio, theater and television. He is best remembered for his role as majordomo Max on the 1980s mystery television series '' Hart to Hart''. Early ...

), returning from Jerusalem, joins the crusade and hears the children's confessions, gradually realizing that most of them are taking part not for religious, but for more worldly reasons, like rejected love. Both Alexander (

Mathieu Carrière Mathieu Carrière (; born 2 August 1950) is a German actor. Life Carrière grew up in Berlin and Lübeck; he attended the Jesuit boarding school in Vannes, France, a school which had previously been attended by the director of Carrière's fir ...

) and Bianca ( Pauline Challoner) are in love with Jakob. Alexander, who has learned that his adoptive father (and his lover), Count Ludwig (

Ferdy Mayne Ferdy Mayne (or Ferdie Mayne) (born Ferdinand Philip Mayer-Horckel; 11 March 1916 – 30 January 1998) was a German-British stage and screen actor. Born in Mainz, he emigrated to the United Kingdom in the early 1930s to escape the Nazi regi ...

), also a crusader, had killed Alexander's Greek parents, is gleeful that Jakob is in love with the count, whom he had met after the count and Alexander had split after an argument. This allows Alexander to take revenge for the count's infidelity by telling his beloved Jakob about the count's recent demise by drowning in a river, watched by an unmoved Alexander. Finally, it is revealed in Jakob's confession that Jakob received the inspiration for the crusade not from God but from the Count, which means that the crusade must fail because it is not by the will of God. However, the monk is unable to stop the children's progression and is left behind.

Cast

– Monk *

– Count Ludovic de Vendôme *

– Alexis Melissen * Pauline Challoner – Blanche * John Fordyce – Jacques de Cloyes *

Jenny Agutter Jennifer Ann Agutter (born 20 December 1952) is a British actress. She began her career as a child actress in 1964, appearing in '' East of Sudan'', ''Star!'', and two adaptations of '' The Railway Children''—the BBC's 1968 television seria ...

– Maud de Cloyes *

Dragomir Felba Dragomir Felba ( sr-cyr, Драгомир Фелба; 7 July 1921 – 13 July 2006) was a Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, s ...

– Crusader 1 * Denis Gilmore – Robert (as Dennis Gilmore) * Gojko Kovačević – Crusader 2 * Ljabomir Radavic – Crusader 3 *

Kynaston Reeves Philip Arthur Reeves (29 May 18935 December 1971), known professionally as Kynaston Reeves, was an English character actor who appeared in numerous films and many television plays and series. Early life Reeves was born in London on 29 May 1893 ...

– Superior * Janez Vrhovec – François

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gates To Paradise (Film) 1968 drama films 1968 LGBT-related films 1968 films British drama films British LGBT-related films English-language Polish films English-language Yugoslav films Films directed by Andrzej Wajda Polish drama films Polish LGBT-related films Yugoslav LGBT-related films Films set in the 13th century Crusades films Media about the Children's Crusade Films based on Polish novels 1960s English-language films 1960s British films

Synopsis

Cast

See also

References

External links