Alexander Back to Index

Imdb Rating: 5.4
Genre: Action
Directed: Oliver Stone (written by) and, Christopher Kyle (written by)
Country: France
Year: 2004
Duration: 175 min

Media: Hot stuff

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Actors: Anthony Hopkins (as Old Ptolemy), David Bedella (as Scribe), Jessie Kamm (as Child Alexander), Angelina Jolie (as Olympias), Val Kilmer (as Philip), Fiona O'Shaughnessy (as Nurse), Connor Paolo (as Young Alexander), Patrick Carroll (as Young Hephaistion), Brian Blessed (as Wrestling Trainer), Peter Williamson (as Young Nearchus), Morgan Christopher Ferris (as Young Cassander), Robert Earley (as Young Ptolemy), Aleczander Gordon (as Young Perdiccas), Christopher Plummer (as Aristotle), Gary Stretch (as Cleitus)

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Description: "Fortune favors the bold"

Alexander, the King of Macedonia and one of the greatest military leaders in the history of warfare, conquers much of the known world.

Comment: This film presents an intense psychological investigation of the character of Alexander of Macedon. It is thoroughly immersed in the moral, political and philosophical climate of Grecian antiquity, In many ways it bears somewhat of a resemblance to Fellini's "Satyricon" of thirty-five years earlier. There is the similar re-appearance of the Cyclops-like characters, the shrew-like "luna" characters with their sensual but corresponding dark sides, a "token" love garden, the tinted filter/lens effect on specific scenes and the stunning "pagan" beauty evident in the set design. It also features male leads who share a code of honour and love between them. A love which in its "highest" spiritual form was representative as a means of transcendent personal growth and valor; ideas passed down from Plato to Aristotle. Chronological occurrences of Alexander's campaigns and political successes take a back seat as a result, disappointing many more intent on an all-inclusive rendering from this perspective. The variety of spoken accents form a type of "primordial soup" much like Fellini used in "Satyricon" as well; a curiosity thought by some to be symbolic of Jung and his theories of a "collective unconscious" wherein all language is simply an outward babbling to personify the universally shared life experience of all people. There were some cosmetic concerns, most notably Alexander's badly tinted hair and eyebrows. The excessive black eyeliner worn by Hephaestion is a look that does appear periodically on vases and frescoes. However, underneath all of the controversy lies the character of a deeply passionate man with his seemingly many strengths and weaknesses, attempting to grow and to love without limitation in accordance with his own perspective and level of understanding. Kudos to Colin for possessing the maturity and depth to present Alexander's complex personality and feelings with so much intensity and dignity.

IMDB TRIVIA FOR ALEXANDER (2004):
- In December 2003, a group of homeless people in Stockholm, Sweden, started queuing for tickets to "Alexander", scheduled to premiere in November 2004. They intended to live in tents outside a movie theater in the city center for a year. This silent protest, intended to draw attention to the homeless in the Swedish capitol, was inspired by a local politician who said it is both legal and fully acceptable for fans to camp out for weeks in central Stockholm to get tickets to a movie premiere. At the time, the movie in question was The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003).
- Some scenes from the film were supposed to be shot in India but the Indian elephants weren't well trained so they had to shoot it in Thailand instead.
- Colin Farrell broke his ankle and arm during filming when he fell down a stairway.
- Val Kilmer gained over 50 pounds and stopped working out for the plump role of Philip.
- The biography of Alexander by Oxford University professor Robin Lane Fox was an original inspiration and source of information for director Oliver Stone. As an historical advisor, Professor Fox didn't get an on screen credit; his price for giving his advice was to be allowed to take a place at the head of what is one of the largest cavalry charges ever filmed. Professor Fox was used to riding around the English countryside, but gladly dressed up as a Macedonean cavalry officer to live his dream of charging for Alexander.
- Brad Pitt was considered for the role of Hephaestion, but turned down the role due to personal concerns with the character.
- Oliver Stone previously tried to mount the project with Tom Cruise in the title role.
- Sean Connery was originally considered for the role that was eventually offered to Val Kilmer.
- The movie was originally scheduled for release on 5 November 2004 in the USA, but was moved to 24 November 2004. Studio executives stated that the move was to put it in a more competitive position for Oscar consideration.
- Oliver Stone and Val Kilmer originally discussed Alexander while filming The Doors (1991).
- During the battle of Gaugamela, the command "Back and to the left! Back and to the left!" is shouted, which is the same as a famous line in an earlier Oliver Stone movie, JFK (1991).
- Val Kilmer had to undergo over an hour of daily makeup to look older and don the scar tissue that covers the eye that Philip lost in battle.
- Early posters and trailers did not credit Christopher Kyle as a writer; Oliver Stone and Laeta Kalogridis were credited for the story and Oliver Stone for the screenplay.
- Heath Ledger was originally considered for the role of Alexander before Colin Farrell was cast.
- Alexander is commonly depicted in statues with eyes raised upwards towards the sun, and hence the many visual references of Alexander always looking towards the sun.
- Angelina Jolie plays Colin Farrell's mother even though she is less than a year older than he is.
- The film almost never made it to the theatres in Greece. A group of Greek lawyers decided to try to ban the film on the grounds that Oliver Stone was denigrating the figure of Alexander the Great by making reference to his bisexuality. The film was ultimately given a theatrical release in Greece and premiered at #1.
- The Irish accents you hear from the Macedonian soldiers were not there to accommodate 'Colin Farrell' as some have asserted. The Macedonians speak with a variety of accents including Scottish, Welsh and Celtic. The reason is that the Macedonians were mostly from more remote hill tribes and were coarser and less civilized than the Greeks, so in the movie, the Macedonians speak in these highlands accents while the more refined Greeks, such as Aristotle played by Christopher Plummer, speak in a more upper class English accent. Many critics and audience members failed to understand this.
- Was nominated for six Razzies, but did not "win" any.
- Val Kilmer noted that the most challenging parts of the production were actually gaining the weight needed for the role, and the loss of depth perception secondary to mono-vision from the scar tissue makeup covering one eye.
- Oliver Stone's first choice for the role of King Philip was Liam Neeson, who turned it down.
- The final scenes of the film had originally been shot in Bangkok, but the dailies revealed that all the film they had used was damaged, forcing Oliver Stone to re-shoot the end of the film.

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