Introduction

Arn: The Knight Templar is a 2010 epic tv series (released on Netflix as 6 episodes) originally released as Arn: The Knight Templar (Swedish: Arn: Tempelriddaren) an epic film based on Jan Guillou’s trilogy about the fictional Swedish Knight Templar Arn Magnusson.

The film was released to cinemas in Sweden on 17 December 2007 and the sequel, Arn – The Kingdom at Road’s End (Arn – Riket vid vägens slut), was released 22 August 2008, but both films were combined into a single cut for the English release on DVD in 2010.

Outline (First Film)

Arn Magnusson is a son of the powerful Folkung dynasty in the mid-12th century. He grows up in a monastery belonging to the Cistercians and is trained there in archery, swordsmanship and horsemanship by a former Knight Templar, the brother Guilbert. Arn is also discovered to be ambidextrous. One day, while wandering the woods, he encounters three men trying to force a young girl into marriage. When the girl begs Arn for help, two of the men attack him and he kills them in self-defence. Although the monks tell Arn he did nothing wrong, they question Guilbert training him in being a warrior. Guilbert replies that Arn is not meant to be a monk but is destined to be a soldier of God.

When Arn leaves the monastery and returns to his family, he is soon pulled into the struggle between powerful families fighting for the crown of Västra Götaland. He helps his friend Knut Eriksson to kill the old king Karl Sverkersson. This leads to war between the two factions. Arn and his fiancée Cecilia Algotsdotter are excommunicated for premarital relations and falsely accused of having relations with Cecilia’s sister (in reality a plot to hurt Knut) and forced to undertake twenty years of penance, Cecilia in a convent and Arn as a Knight Templar in the Holy Land to fight against the Saracens. Cecilia gives birth to Arn’s son but the son is taken away from her and she only hears of his survival, and name of Magnus, through another woman who is also named Cecilia, the future queen of Sweden, Cecilia Blanka.

While pursuing a band of thieves, Arn comes across the enemy of all Christendom, Saladin, and saves his life. Saladin thanks Arn by warning him away from Jerusalem because he is leading a vast army towards the city. As Saladin marches upon Jerusalem, Arn is given the order to intercept the Saracens before they reach the city, and he and his men successfully ambush Saladin’s army in a mountain pass (the ambush taking the place of the historical Battle of Montgisard figuring in the novel). The movie ends with Arn gaining a letter discharging him from his service in the Holy Land from the Templar Grandmaster Arnold of Torroja and Cecilia giving praise to God on hearing news of Arn’s survival.

Outline (Second Film)

The plot of the film loosely follows the book of the same name – the third volume of the Crusades trilogy, spanning the period of about 1187 to 1210.

Arn is the commander of a Templar garrison in Gaza. He is commanded to join a Templar force intercepting the army of Saladin. Due to the arrogance of the new Templar Grandmaster Gerard de Ridefort, the Crusaders are destroyed in the ensuing Battle of Hattin. Arn is wounded but Saladin recognises him and saves Arn from execution. Arn wakes in Damascus, his wounds treated; Saladin sends him home with his friendship as he prepares to take Jerusalem.

Cecilia is finally allowed to leave the monastery where she has done penance for twenty years, meeting her son Magnus for the first time. She soon hears of the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Templars and believing Arn dead decides to become a nun for the rest of her life, being offered the post of Abbess by the Folkung clan. Arn meets her as she is just about to enter the convent, and they marry at last, building an estate, Forsvik, where Arn has gathered craftsmen from all over Europe and the Holy Land. Arn is introduced to his son Magnus, born in his absence; after a little time a daughter named Alde is born, and Forsvik grows rapidly. Arn takes young men and boys to become knights-in-training.

Six years later King Canute I of Sweden dies, leaving children as heirs. King Sverker II retakes the crown with Danish help and attempts to murder the sons of Canute, prevented by the intercession of a Folkung who has tricked Sverker into thinking he was a double agent. Forced to war, the first of what is to be a nearly 600-year-long conflict between Sweden and Denmark, Arn leads the Folkung against the Sverker-Danish force at the Battle of Lena, aided by Arabic craftsmen and the Norwegian Templar, Harald Øysteinsson. Arn destroys the Danish cavalry tricking them to charge into a rain of arrows. Arn charges forward on horseback to attack King Sverker, and is intercepted by Ebbe Sunesson, the leader of the Danes; in the ensuing duel Arn kills him, taking a fatal wound in the exchange. The Folkung emerge victorious, but Arn dies of his wound upon his return to Forsvik. The film concludes with an epilogue foreshadowing the completion of the consolidation of Sweden into a unified kingdom a generation later through Birger Jarl, identified as Arn’s grandson.

Cast

• First Film:
  • Joakim Nätterqvist as Arn Magnusson.
  • Sofia Helin as Cecilia Algotsdotter.
  • Stellan Skarsgård as Birger Brosa, uncle of Arn.
  • Vincent Pérez as Brother Guilbert.
  • Simon Callow as Father Henry.
  • Steven Waddington as Torroja.
  • Jørgen Langhelle as King Eric IX of Sweden (Erik Jedvardsson).
  • Gustaf Skarsgård as King Canute I of Sweden (Knut Eriksson).
  • Michael Nyqvist as Magnus Folkesson, Arn’s father.
  • Bibi Andersson as Mother Rikissa.
  • Milind Soman as Saladin.
  • Alex Wyndham as Armand de Gascogne.
  • Nicolas Boulton as Gerard de Ridefort.
  • Thomas W. Gabrielsson as Emund Ulvbane.
  • Jakob Cedergren as Ebbe Sunesson.
  • Julia Dufvenius as Helena Sverkersson.
  • Lina Englund as Katarina, Cecilia’s sister.
  • Morgan Alling as Eskil Magnusson, Arn’s brother.
  • Fanny Risberg as Cecilia Blanka.
  • Anders Baasmo Christiansen as the Norwegian templar Harald Øysteinsson.
  • Driss Roukhe as Fakhir.
  • Mirja Turestedt as Sigrid.
  • Joel Kinnaman as Sverker Karlsson.

• Second Film:
  • Joakim Nätterqvist as Arn Magnusson.
  • Sofia Helin as Cecilia Algotsdotter.
  • Anders Baasmo Christiansen as Harald Øysteinsson, Arn’s trusted friend.
  • Morgan Alling as Eskil Magnusson, brother of Arn.
  • Stellan Skarsgård as Birger Brosa, uncle of Arn.
  • Joel Kinnaman as king Sverker Karlsson.
  • Gustaf Skarsgård as king Knut Eriksson, Arn’s best friend.
  • Bill Skarsgård as Erik Knutsson, son of Knut.
  • Milind Soman as Saladin.
  • Nicholas Boulton as Gerard de Ridefort, Grandmaster of Templars.
  • Nijas Ørnbak-Fjeldmose as Sune Folkesson.
  • Martin Wallström as Magnus Månsköld, son of Arn.
  • Jakob Cedergren as Ebbe Sunesson.
  • Driss Roukhe as Fakhr.
  • Fanny Risberg as queen Cecilia Blanka, wife of Knut.
  • Zakaria Atifi as Ibrahim.
  • Valter Skarsgård as Jon Knutsson.
  • Azher Adil as Brosoa.
  • Mohamed Tsouli as Village Elder.
  • Göran Ragnerstam as Bishop Erland.
  • Callum Mitchell as Viking.
  • Barnaby Kay as Riddare.

Production

Development

The film production was headed by Svensk Filmindustri in conjunction with Film i Väst, TV4 (Sweden), Danmarks Radio (Denmark), YLE (Finland), TV 2 (Norway) and Telepool (Germany). With a total budget of around US $30,000,000 for the whole production, it is the most expensive production in Scandinavian film history. SVT originally was one of the biggest sponsors of the project, but they pulled out and their role as a major sponsor was taken over by TV4.

Filming

Most of the Swedish scenes were filmed in the province of Västergötland. Other scenes were filmed in Scotland and Morocco. Most of the actors in the film speak Swedish, while others speak Latin, English, and French. The scenes in the Holy Land use English (although historically it would have been Medieval Latin and Old French) and Arabic, including quotations from the Qur’an.

The second film was filmed in Scotland, Sweden, Damascus, Syria and Morocco.

Language

In addition to Swedish as the film’s primary language, several other languages were used in the dialogue to heighten the cultural differences: Norwegian, Danish, English, and Arabic.

English was used to represent Latin and French speakers.

The part of the dialogue that is not in Swedish was subtitled in Swedish.

Music

Music composed by Tuomas Kantelinen. Closing song by Marie Fredriksson, the lead singer for Roxette.

Release

Awards

The second Arn movie won the viewer’s award at the 44th Guldbagge Awards.

Trivia

• The loom briefly seen at the end was an authentic loom from medieval times.
  • It cost the production 300,000 Swedish crowns to transport from Germany to Sweden for use in the film.

Arn: The Knight Templar Series

• Episode 01: The Beginning.
• Episode 02: Arn and Cecilia.
• Episode 03: Worlds Apart.
• Episode 04: Arn of Gothia, the Devil with the Red Cross.
• Episode 05: Love, War and Religion.
• Episode 06: The Kingdom at Road’s End.

Production & Filming Details

• Narrator(s):
  • Sven-Bertil Taube (not in the TV version).
• Director(s):
  • Peter Flinth.
• Producer(s):
  • Hege Astrup … co-producer: SF Norge AS.
  • Peter Bengtsson … post production producer.
  • Waldemar Bergendahl … producer.
  • Anna Carlsten … line producer: Morocco.
  • Ditte Christiansen … co-producer: Danmarks Radio.
  • Tomas Eskilsson … co-producer: Film 1 Väst.
  • Mark Foligno … co-producer: Molinare.
  • Ingolf Gabold … co-producer: Danmarks Radio.
  • Jarkko Hentula … co-producer: Juonifilmi Oy.
  • Laura Julian … line producer: Morocco.
  • Karoline Leth … co-producer: SF Film Production.
  • Nina Lyng … co-producer: SF Film Production.
  • Hans Lönnerheden … producer: Morocco.
  • Alistair MacLean-Clark … co-producer: Sheba Productions.
  • Johan Mardell … executive producer.
  • Jan Marnell … producer: Morocco.
  • Steve Milne … co-producer: Molinari.
  • Leif Mohlin … producer: Sweden.
  • Julia Muentefering … co-producer: Telepool GmbH (as Julia Münterfering).
  • Maritha Norstedt … line producer: Scotland.
  • Anthony Nutley … co-producer: Sheba Productions.
  • Colin Nutley … co-producer: Sheba Productions.
  • Gábor Pasztor … co-producer: Europa Sound.
  • Bo Persson … co-producer: Europa Sound.
  • Helena Sandmaek-Onsum … co-producer: Dafsljus Film Equipment AB.
  • Åsa Sjöberg … co-producer: TV4 AB.
  • Thomas Weymar … co-producer: Telepool GmbH (as Dr. Tomas Weymar).
• Writer(s):
  • Jan Guillou (novels).
  • Hans Gunnarsson (screenplay).
• Music:
  • Tuomas Kantelinen.
• Cinematography:
  • Eric Kress.
• Editor(s):
  • Søren B. Ebbe.
  • Morten Højbjerg.
  • Anders Villadsen.
• Production:
  • AMC Pictures.
  • Arion Communications Ltd. (co-production).
  • Dagsljus Filmequipment (co-production).
  • Danmarks Radio (DR) (co-production).
  • Det Danske Filminstitut (support).
  • Eurimages (support).
  • Europa Film Sound Production (co-production).
  • Film i Väst (co-production).
  • Juonifilmi (co-production).
  • MEDIA Programme of the European Union (support).
  • Molinare Studio.
  • SF Norge A/S (co-production).
  • Sandline Production (producer: Morocco).
  • Sheba Films (co-production).
  • Soundchef Studios (post-production facility).
  • Suomen Elokuvasäätiö (support).
  • Svensk Filmindustri (SF).
  • Svenska Filminstitutet (SFI) (support).
  • TV2 Norge (co-production).
  • TV4 (co-production).
  • Telepool (co-production).
  • Tju-Bang Film (co-production).
  • Yleisradio (YLE) (co-production).
• Distributor(s):
  • FS Film (2008) (Finland) (theatrical).
  • SF Norge A/S (2007) (Norway) (theatrical).
  • Svensk Filmindustri (SF) (2007) (Sweden) (theatrical).
  • Cinemax (2008) (Russia) (all media) (CIS).
  • Dimension Pictures (2018) (India) (all media) (India SAARC Countries English & Dubbed Languages).
  • Dutch FilmWorks (DFW) (2011) (Netherlands) (DVD) (rental).
  • Dutch FilmWorks (DFW) (2012) (Netherlands) (DVD).
  • Entertainment One (2010) (USA) (DVD).
  • Front Row Filmed Entertainment (2008) (United Arab Emirates) (all media) (Middle East).
  • Great Movies Distribution (2014) (Brazil) (video).
  • Great Movies Distribution (2019) (Brazil) (video) (SVOD).
  • Mares Filmes (2009) (Brazil) (all media).
  • RTL Entertainment (2016) (Netherlands) (TV) (RTL7).
  • SF Norge A/S (2008) (Norway) (Blu-ray) (DVD).
  • SF Video (2008) (Sweden) (Blu-ray) (DVD).
  • Sunfilm Entertainment (2009) (Germany) (DVD) (release through).
  • Svensk Filmindustri (SF) (2008) (Sweden) (DVD).
  • Tiberius Film (2009) (Germany) (DVD) (and Blu-ray).
  • Netflix.
• Release Date:
  • First Film: 17 December 2007 (Sweden).
  • Second Film: 22 August 2008 (Sweden).
  • TV Series: 2010 (on Netflix).
• Rating: 12.
• Running Time:
  • First Film: 139 minutes.
  • Second Film: 128 minutes.
• Country: Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Germany.
• Language: Swedish, English, Latin, Arabic, and French.

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