The Sultan and the Saint

The Sultan and the Saint (2016) was written and directed by Alexander Kronemer.

It's a historical documentary about a real event--the meeting between Egyptian Sultan Al-Kamil (Zack Beyer) and St. Francis of Assisi (Alexander McPherson.) Jeremy Irons narrates the film.

The basic historical fact--that the two men met in 1219--is not contested. Of course, the movie fills in most of the other information about the Sultan and St. Francis. Also, there's background information about the crusades, with historical re-enactments of battles and the pillage that followed.

This is an amazing story, but it's told in a somewhat plodding way. Given the amazing fact that this meeting actually took place, I think a better director could have given more life to the events.

The Sultan and the Saint has an anemic IMDb rating of 6.7. I thought that it wasn't great, but it was better than that, and rated it 8.

Pure propaganda. Questionable history. A great deal of speculation. The beach is real, and beautiful,; it was filmed on Assateague Island, in Maryland.

A delicate theme. The voice of Jeremy Irons. A story for present, proposing a not easy message to contemporary society. So, the controversies are not surprising. From the stat of manifesto, for a part of public, to the historical accuracy and eulogy of Islam or Catholic Church. In fact, it is just a start point. For see, in new way, the near reality. Sure, it can be perceived as a fairy tale or as propaganda, or as polite work. But it represents a real start point. And it is enough.

At last a truthful version of the terrible wrongs committed by all sides during the Crusades. In between this chaos some people came to the fore and history became slightly changed for the better.

The feud was and is not between Christians and Muslims, but between good and wrong from any perspective. It is not religion that is a problem, but fanaticism. This viewpoint is still the real evil in this world.

Used to the good, religion can be a powerful draw card to make this Earth a haven of peace through cooperation with each other, with all living in prosperity.

From the Films on Religion category comes 'The Sultan and the Saint'. I was surprised to see this strong of an entry in a festival with such humble beginnings as the Calcutta International Cult Film Festival. A film that has obviously made its mark as a top quality production internationally, especially with the auspicious narration from Jeremy Irons. And then I thought, what perfect timing it was to circulate something positive and hopeful about the dynamics between Muslims and Christians….for a change.

This historical drama about a meeting between St. Francis of Assisi and Sultan Al-Kamil during one of the many tedious and violent Crusades, is informative if not inspiring. The value of this production lies not only in the cinematography, design and location, but in the many experts who collaborated on the project. Historians, art historians, religious thinkers and social scientists collaborated, to share their areas of expertise to tell this story.

This is a hard review to write for me, being one who is empathetic toward the human condition. I'm an American and my country has been involved in much geopolitical posturing in the Middle East for decades. The War on Terror has thrust many a good person into a state of "nationalist" paranoia and this cannot stand if we are to continue on as a nation and as a species. Even though we all come from our own environmental "nurturing", we sometimes lose track of the historical causes for unrest when we're being hit hard by the effects of history today.

Written and Directed by Alex Kronemer, and featuring Alexander McPherson and Zack Beyer, this documentary is an example of what I like to call "good" propaganda. Art, as free as it pretends to be, can always be recruited for the agendas of church and state. The visual art of independent filmmaking demands a departure from the censorship of either. It was refreshing to see how opposites can attract no matter how polarized the status quo has become to form a unifying message.

Like all great art, timely, though provoking and acutely relevant.

E.J. Wickes/Cult Critic/CICFF