Crusades: Crescent & the Cross (2005)
Lion Television

Description

The Crusades: Crescent & the Cross presents the epic battle between two Middle Age superpowers: the Christian Crusaders and the Muslims. Fought over two centuries, the conflict decided the fate of the Holy Land of the Middle East. Only a tiny strip of land, just a few hundred miles long, it contained the ultimate prize, the city of Jerusalem. The documentary is driven by the key personalities of the First, Second and Third Crusades, the popes, kings, sultans and knights who, in the name of God, ruthlessly fought for land and power. Experience the murder, treachery, and bloodshed of this legendary chapter of history throuth the eyes of key historical figures such as Richard the Lionheart and Saladin, King Louis VII and Nur al-Din.

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Crusades

Collected reviews and ratings

9.0 DVD Verdict | Aaron Bossig

Crescent and the Cross does a superb job of taking the conflict out of its religious context and showing the political and economic motivations for each battle and decision. By showing how kings, sultans, and generals could profit from each battle, we gain more insight into the people that create war.
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8.0 DVD Talk | John Sinnott

This documentary presents a hundred years of history in a very accessible and entertaining fashion. The history from what I could tell was accurate, and though some events were covered more than others, it was complete.
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8.0 Amazon user reviews

From a military history standpoint this is an excellent introduction to "The Crusades". As a Religious history "no one" Jewish, Muslim or Christian is going to agree, there is just to much tradition, interpretation and dogma over the centuries separating all.
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5.0 PopMatters.com | Michael Buening

This limited focus on “the crescent” and “the cross” seems almost coy. The documentary takes pains to be even-handed and correct some misconceptions, pointing out differences between a jihad and a crusade and not skirting the brutalities of both sides.
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