Alexander (movie)

Alexander is a 2004 drama/war film, directed by Oliver Stone about the life of Alexander the Great. According to Stone, the movie is as true to history as possible. It is based primarily on the 1986 biography, Alexander the Great (ISBN 0140088784), written by Robin Lane Fox.

It is heavily a character driven film. The continuity is non-linear.

Plot overview

The movie, beginning with Alexander's early life, shows his parents' ambition to get their child on the throne, and how Alexander ascends to power. Alexander's empire then begins to grow, starting with the defeat of the Persian Empire and the later expansion eastwards and westwards, going as far as India.

The empire, despite its vastness and success, begins to slowly decline, culminating its downfall, with Alexander dying alone, at only 33 years of age.

The focus is primarily on the eight years of fighting, as well as Alexander's relationship with his childhood friend and lover, Hephaestion, his mother, Olympias, his father, Philip II and his Companions.

Tagline: Fortune favors the bold.

Historical accuracy

The movie is noted for going to great lengths, far more so than most Hollywood movies, to stay true to history. Most of the equipment and sets were researched by a dedicated staff lead by historian Robin Lane Fox, an Oxford professor and author of the biography Alexander the Great. There are several exceptions to this however, such as the anachronistic wounding of Alexander at the battle of the Hydaspes River, and what amounts to an educated guess for the depiction of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

This same dedication to history may have lost Alexander box office success however, as many critics and popular opinion deride the movie for its barrage of names and dates. The critic Roger Ebert said in his review "...but there are so many names, places and dates that finally we want to ask, please, sir, will this be on the final?"

Controversy

Even prior to its release, there was controversy about the film's depiction of Alexander as a bisexual. A group of 25 Greek lawyers threatened to sue both Stone and the Warner Bros. film studio for what they claim is an inaccurate portrayal of history. "We are not saying that we are against gays but we are saying that the production company should make it clear to the audience that this film is pure fiction and not a true depiction of the life of Alexander," said one of the lawyers, Yannis Varnakos.

At the UK premiere of the film, Stone blamed "raging fundamentalism in morality" for the film's US box office failure. He argued that American critics and audiences had blown the issue of sexuality out of proportion.

Cast

• Colin Farrell – Alexander
• Jared Leto – Hephaestion
• Elliot Cowan – Ptolemy
• Robert Earley – Young Ptolemy
• Anthony Hopkins – Old Ptolemy
• David Bedella – Scribe
• Angelina Jolie – Olympias
• Val Kilmer – Philip
• Rosario Dawson – Roxane
• Jonathan Rhys-Meyers – Cassander
• Fiona O'Shaughnessy – Nurse
• Connor Paolo – Young Alexander
• Brian Blessed – Wrestling Trainer
• Christopher Plummer – Aristotle
• Gary Stretch – Cleitus
• John Kavanagh – Parmenion
• Nick Dunning – Attalus
• Mick Lally – Horse Seller

References

• Alexander breaks from action flick stereotypes (November 23, 2004) Daily Nebraskan.
• Roger Ebert's Review of Alexander (November 24, 2004). Roger Ebert.com
• Stone blames 'moral fundamentalism' for US box office flop (Jan 6, 2005). Guardian Unlimited.
• Director Stone Turns on Critics of 'Gay' Alexander (Jan 5, 2005). Reuters.

External links

• Official site
• Alexander at the Internet Movie Database
• "Alexander the Great" (Entertainment Zone) – another new movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Nicole Kidman and directed by Baz Luhrmann.