Sir Ridley Scott disowned the theatrical cut. He claims that the Director's Cut is the definitive version.
Edward Norton was briefly considered for the role of Guy, but upon reading the script he lobbied for the role of King Baldwin. Because the King appears behind a mask, he requested not to be credited. However, his name was put back in the video releases of the film.
In real life, Balian of Ibelin was a legitimate nobleman born in the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
Despite what is shown in the film, Balian of Ibelin was actually at the battle of Hattin. Hattin is the battle not shown in the film, only its aftermath of slaughtered crusaders. Historically, the crusader army was gathered on the coast at Acre, then marched inland to a small town called Zipori, which was about 25 km from Hattin and had plenty of water. Guy was counseled not to move the army further because of the lack of water in the desert. When they moved anyway, Balian was given command of the critically important rear guard of Knights Templar and Knights Hospitaler warrior monks. After a terrible march through the desert in the heat without water, the men were almost dead on their feet from exhaustion and thirst; Balian persuaded King Guy to stop and make camp near the foot of the hill known as the Horns of Hattin. Their situation that night was especially torturous because they were within sight of the freshwater Sea of Galilee, and the Saracen army (which by then had them almost surrounded) had plenty of water and were ostentatiously wasting it in front of the thirsty Europeans. The following day Saladin's army virtually annihilated the crusader army. Captured lay nobles were ransomed for great sums of money; the Templars and Hospitalers, considered to be fanatics, were all executed out of hand. All other captured soldiers were sold into slavery, which caused such a glut in the slave trade at the time that they were sold for next to nothing. One man was reportedly sold in exchange for a pair of sandals.
Balian himself survived and escaped the battle. Saladin gave him safe passage to Jerusalem to collect his family, provided he vowed not to take up arms again. However, in Jerusalem the people begged him to stay and organise the defence. He asked Saladin to release him from his vow, and Saladin not only allowed him to take over the defence of the city, but also arranged safe passage for Balian's family before the siege began.
The scene after the battle where Saladin offered a drink (with real snow from the mountains) to King Guy is factual, as is his comment that he did not give the cup to Reynauld of Chatillon. In the moral code of the time hospitality implied clemency; yet Saladin had sworn to kill Reynauld with his own hands for all the trouble he had caused. Saladin was proven many times to be a man of honour, so he could not in good conscience offer a man a drink and then kill him.
Balian himself survived and escaped the battle. Saladin gave him safe passage to Jerusalem to collect his family, provided he vowed not to take up arms again. However, in Jerusalem the people begged him to stay and organise the defence. He asked Saladin to release him from his vow, and Saladin not only allowed him to take over the defence of the city, but also arranged safe passage for Balian's family before the siege began.
The scene after the battle where Saladin offered a drink (with real snow from the mountains) to King Guy is factual, as is his comment that he did not give the cup to Reynauld of Chatillon. In the moral code of the time hospitality implied clemency; yet Saladin had sworn to kill Reynauld with his own hands for all the trouble he had caused. Saladin was proven many times to be a man of honour, so he could not in good conscience offer a man a drink and then kill him.
The flag budget for the film was $250,000. In total, 1,200 flags, comprising 650 separate designs, were made in Spain, England, Morocco, and India.