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Alexander (2004 film)

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Alexander
File:Alexander 2004.jpg
Promotional poster for Alexander
Directed byOliver Stone
Written byOliver Stone
Christopher Kyle
Laeta Kalogridis (screenplay)
Produced byMoritz Borman
Thomas Schühly
Jon Kilik
Iain Smith
StarringColin Farrell
Angelina Jolie
Val Kilmer
Christopher Plummer
Jared Leto
Rosario Dawson
Anthony Hopkins
Jonathan Rhys-Meyers
Brian Blessed
Tim Pigott-Smith
Francisco Bosch
CinematographyRodrigo Prieto
Edited byThomas J. Nordberg
Yann Hervé
Alex Márquez
Music byVangelis
Distributed byWarner Bros.
Release dates
November 24, 2004
Running time
175 min (theatrical) / 167 min  (director's cut)
LanguageEnglish
Budget$155 million USD

Alexander is a 2004 epic motion picture film, based on the life of Alexander the Great. The film was directed by Oliver Stone. According to Stone, the theatrical release is based on facts and historical events.

Alexander was controversial and critically-derided on its release. It failed at the American box office, with only $34 million of total revenue, although it grossed around $139 million outside the United States, and has been ranked as the number one grossing film in 39 countries.[citation needed]

Plot summary

The film is based on the biography of "Alexander the Great of Macedonia". It gives a glimpse into some of the key moments of Alexander's youth, and his victories over the Mighty Persian Empire, until his tragic death. It also outlined his life experience during his youth, including his difficult relationship with his father Philip II of Macedonia, the conquest against the Greek city-states, the Persian Empire in 331 BC as well as the foundation of Babylon and a route to India.

The storyline begins in 356 B.C. with Ptolemy I Soter, who narrated the story throughout the film. In lavish sets and images Oliver Stone shows the daily life in court of his father Philip and portraying the crippling relationship between his parents.

Alexander grows up together with his mother Olympias and his tutor Aristotle where he finds interest in love, honour, music, poetry and military combat. He also witness how his relationship with his Father is destroyed and objects strenuously to his father's new marriage of Attlus' niece, Cleopatra the Macedonian.

Thereafter Philip is assassinated and Alexander becomes king of Greece and Macedonia, and after a brief mentioning of his punitive razing of Thebes and burning of Persepolis, Ptolemy gives an overview of Alexander's west Persian campaign, including his declaration to be the son of Zeus by the Oracle of Amun at Siwa Oasis. and his great battles against the Persian Emperor Darius III in Gaugamela and his eight year campaign in Hydaspes, India.

The plot also illustrates Alexander's private relationship with his childhood friend and lover Hephaistion, and later his wife Roxana and until his death in Babylon.

Director's cut

The difference of the "director's cut" version to the theatrical version are:

  • Dates in the flashbacks and flashforwards use normal historical figures such as 323 B.C. and 356 B.C., as opposed to referring to time lapses, i.e. "30 years earlier". In the commentary, Oliver Stone explained that for the theatrical release in the United States he had to refrain from using regular B.C. dates, since (according to data collected from test screenings) there was a significant number of viewers who did not know 356 B.C. was an earlier historical period than 323 B.C.
  • Ptolemy's backstory at the beginning is shortened.
  • The two flashbacks with the arrival of Eurydice to the court and the wedding feast are shifted into the eastern campaign, enveloping the trial of Philotas and assassination of Parmenion.
  • Ptolemy's narration leading to the Battle of Gaugamela has no reference to the razing of Thebes and burning of Persepolis. He mentions the official Macedonian accusation, that Darius assisted the assassination of Philip (in both versions, it is also mentioned when Alexander rallies the troops), and the proclamation by the Oracle of Amun is moved to later part of the narration.
  • There is no scene of the night before the Battle of Gaugamela, and the omen reader looking into the intestine of the ox-sacrifice before the Battle.
  • Directly after Alexander mourning the dead after the Battle of Gaugamela, there is an additional flashback with Philip explaining the Titans to Alexander.
  • In the theatrical, during Roxane's dance, Perdiccas can be seen breaking up a fight between Hephaistion and Cleitus, removed in the Cut.
  • The bedroom scene has been shortened. Roxane's attempt to kill Alexander (after her discovery of his relationship with Hephaistion) was cut.
  • When Alexander stumbles across the Page's Plot, the Cut features a scenelet in which Perdiccas goes to arrest Hermolaus, who falls on his sword with the words, "death to all tyrants."
  • There is no narrative explanation by Ptolemy during the trial of Philotas.
  • There is no scene of Alexander mourning Cleitus.
  • The flashback of Alexander questioning Olympias is not immediately after the flashback of Philip's assassination, but moved after Alexander being badly wounded in the Battle of Hydaspes.
  • The scene of Roxane being prevented from entering Alexander's tent by Hephaistion has been removed. This was the last remnant of a Roxane/Cassander subplot that was filmed, but not included.
  • Ptolemy's narration of the march through the Gedrosian desert additionally mentions the helplessness of Alexander watching his broken army die due to natural causes and harsh conditions in the desert, and he does not mention Alexander's new marriages in his final years. The scene of the army returning to Babylon is also shortened.
  • The scene of Olympias receiving the omen of Alexander's death is shortened.

Production details

Location

Film Trivia

In the first scenes with Ptolemy, Anthony Hopkins exchanges a look with a person with a similar beard, played by Elliot Cowan. Contrary to belief and implication, this is not a glimpse of Ptolemy's life after the campaign, but his son, Ptolemy II.

There were two character subplots removed in the editing room: A Cassander/Roxane subplot which explained their fall from grace in Alexander's eyes (cut for time), and a Hephaistion vs. Cleitus subplot (apparently thought too intense to include). Both subplots were completely filmed, but are not likely to appear in any releases.

Controversy

General controversy

Even prior to its release, there was controversy about the film's depiction of ancient Greek sexual mores. A group of 25 Greek lawyers initially threatened to file a lawsuit against both Stone and the Warner Bros. film studio for what they claimed was an inaccurate portrayal of history. Yannis Varnakos stated that "We are not saying that we are against homosexuals, 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". After an advanced screening of the movie, the lawyers announced that they would not pursue such a course of action [1].

However, the movie's portrayal of ancient Greek sex customs is based on the works of ancient historians. For example, in the film, Alexander's father – King Phillip the II of Macedon – is killed by his paederastic lover (at the wedding party in the film you can see the boy yelling). Pausanias was a young man who was having a sexual relationship with Philip. However, Pausanias's place had been taken by another younger man of the same name that Philip loved more. The elder Pausanias denounced his younger rival as a Prostitute. Unable to endure the insults from the elder Pausanias, the younger Pausanias had a conversation with Attalus and later committed suicide. Attalus then became enraged at the older Pausanias for provoking the suicide of his younger competitor and invited Pausanias to the wedding feast where Attalus made him drunk and had him raped. After the rape Pausanias demanded vengeance from Philip. Philip rebuked Pausanias because Attalus was one of his top generals and the uncle of his latest wife. Pausanias is said to have bided his time until Philip's daughter's wedding. When Philip was walking un-guarded, Pausanias stabbed him to death out of revenge. Aristotle (Politics) and Diodorus Siculus (Diodorus) confirm this. Most fans of the film consider the lawyers to be more inaccurate because they appeared to be basing the depiction of morality on contemporary (or even Christianity thought, not morality, love or thought in the classical times of Alexander.

At the British premiere of the film, Stone blamed "raging fundamentalism in morality" for the film's US box office failure [2]. He argued that American critics and audiences had blown the issue of sexuality out of proportion. He also asserted a film without revenge motif or villain like Alexander is too complex "for the conventional mind" [3].

Other comments from Stone about the controversy:

  • "So guys with goose-hunter caps won't come. I mean, what do you want me to say? There are a–holes who don't come because of whatever. I don't want to make a movie for demographics. Once I start doing that, I'll die in a gutter!"
  • "Kids weren't comfortable with men who hugged, a king who cries and expresses tenderness."

The criticism prompted Stone to make significant changes to the film for its DVD release. Stone removed eight minutes, cutting back his portrayal of homosexuality and adding new shots, like at the opening scene of Alexander dying. The DVD cover characterizes the changes as making the film "paced, more action packed" , A Hollywood Reporter told Stone about the toning down of the scenes of homosexuality in the film, Stone responded with a statement "I can't tell you how many staright men are turned off to this crap".

Criticism by historians

With its attention to historical detail, "Alexander" also attracted critical scrutiny from historians, however often with a quite opposite tendency than that has been voiced by general film critiques. Most such academic criticism are concerning the insufficient or even reluctant adherence to historical details. A historian by the name of Terrell Carver commented regarding the depiction of the relationship between Alexander and Hephaistion, "as barely more than a friendly film". Other conservative historians criticized Stone's visions, of the lack of explanations of Alexander's "greatness" in the movie.

Other major controversies came from Iranians histotians, who where outraged at the false renderings of Persians and Greeks alike. Kaveh Farrokh an expert historian of Persian history, says the portrayals of Persians and Greeks in the film are inaccurate. As an example, he mentions the battle of Gaugamela where Alexander the Great and his troops defeated the Persian army in a single battle. Farrokh stated that Alexander fought several fierce battles against a large Persian Army, before he was able to defeat Darius III and take over his Empire.

Since the release of the film, some historians have expressed surprise and regret that some key events of the time, such as Alexander's burning of the city of Persepolis, are overlooked.

"Greek forces are typically shown very organized, disciplined, and so on, and what's very disturbing is when the so-called Persians are shown confronting the Greeks, you see them turbaned. Turbans are not even a Persian item, and flies are seen circling their heads at one point. Their armies are totally disorganized. What is not known is that the Persians actually had uniforms. They marched in discipline, and music was actually used such as trumpets and so on, to allow them to march in disciplined rank," Farrokh says.

Farrokh believes Roxanna a Persian women was also inaccurately portrayed in the film, because Roxanna was a white person or of fair complexion. "Roxanna itself is derived from old Iranian word "rokh-shwan" ("rokh" means profile, and "shwan" meaning shiny-faced or of fair complexion).

Criticism by film critics

The principal complaint among critics was that "Alexander" was boring and in some sections resembled a history documentary more than an action-drama film.

The kindest criticism came from Daily Variety Magazine, published on November 21, 2004 where Todd McCarthy wrote that Oliver Stone's "Alexander" is at an honorable failure, an intelligent and ambitious picture that crucially lacks dramatic flair and emotional involvement. Dry and academic where Troy was vulgar and willfully a historical success." A critic, by the name of Manohla Dargis wrote in The New York Times that "Alexander" "brought out the best of the worst in terms of the puerile writing, confused plotting, and storytelling that lacks planning."

All in all, most criticism of Stone and the picture tended to be gentle, though clearly the critics were unanimous in finding "Alexander'" homosexual aspects of the film as controversial.

Extended version

According to an interview with Oliver Stone by Ropeofsilicon.com, Stone is making an extended version of "Alexander". Stone stated that "I'm doing a third version on DVD, not theatrical. I'm going to do a Cecile B Demille/Oliver Stone three hour forty five minute thing, I'm going to go all out, put everything I like in the movie. He was a complicated man, it was a complicated story and it doesn't hurt to make it longer and let people who loved the film and see it more and understand it more."

Cast

See also

References

Radio Free Europe/Radio liberty,January 28, 2005 "World: Oliver Stone's 'Alexander' Stirs Up Controversy" By Golnaz Esfandiari

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