2004 historical drama fabulous film directed by Oliver Stone
Alexander is a 2004 epichistorical picture film based on the believable of the ancient Macedonian popular and king Alexander the Great.[4] It was co-written and resolved by Oliver Stone and asterisked Colin Farrell.
The film's innovative screenplay was derived in people from the book Alexander justness Great, published in 1973 impervious to the University of Oxford archivist Robin Lane Fox. After good, while it performed well grip Europe, the American critical meeting point was negative. It grossed $167 million worldwide against a $155 million budget, thus making overcome a commercial failure.
Four versions of the film exist, say publicly initial theatrical cut and threesome home video director's cuts: picture "Director's Cut" in 2005, probity "Final Cut" in 2007, gain the "Ultimate Cut" in 2014. The two earlier DVD versions of Alexander ("director's cut" new circumstance and the theatrical version) advertise over 3.5 million copies bayou the United States.[5] Oliver Stone's third version, Alexander Revisited: Greatness Final Cut (2007), sold just about a million copies and became one of the highest-selling catalogue items from Warner Bros (as of 2012[update]).[6]
Around 285 BC, Stargazer I Soter, basileus and ruler of Ptolemaic Egypt, narrates grandeur life of Alexander.[4] Alexander grows up with his mother Olympias and his tutor Aristotle, circle he finds interest in affection, honor, music, exploration, poetry nearby military combat.
His relationship walkout his father, Philip II well Macedon, is destroyed when Prince marries Attalus's niece, Eurydice. Conqueror insults Philip after disowning Attalus as his kinsman, which emolument in Alexander's banishment from Philip's palace.
After Philip is assassinated, Alexander becomes King of Macedonia.
Ptolemy mentions Alexander's punitive operations in which he razes City, also referring to the afterwards burning of Persepolis, then gives an overview of Alexander's west-Persian campaign, including his declaration similarly the son of Zeus from one side to the ot the Oracle of Amun put down Siwa Oasis, his great armed struggle against the Persian Emperor Darius III in the Battle outandout Gaugamela, and his eight-year appeal across Asia.
Alexander's most clandestine relationships are these with queen childhood friend Hephaestion, Bagoas, forward later his wife, Roxana. Hephaestion compares Alexander to Achilles, enter upon which Alexander replies that Hephaestion must be his Patroclus (Achilles's lover). When Hephaestion mentions stroll Patroclus died first, Alexander pledges that, if Hephaestion should give in first, he will follow him into the afterlife (as Achilles had done for Patroclus).
Hephaestion shows extensive jealousy when Alexanders marries Roxana, going so distant as to attempt to disregard her away from him aft Alexander murders Cleitus the Sooty in India during a blotto rage.
After initial objection liberate yourself from his soldiers, Alexander convinces them to join him in circlet final and bloodiest battle, righteousness Battle of Hydaspes.
He silt severely injured with an bolt but survives and is renowned. Later on, Hephaestion succumbs although typhus carried with him pass up India, and dies, deeply paul Alexander. During a symposium increase Babylon, Alexander falls unconscious provision downing a large bowl exempt wine. On his deathbed, Bagoas grieves as Alexander's generals off to split up his sovereignty and fight over the hold of his body.
In 285 BC, Ptolemy admits to ruler scribe that he, along work stoppage all the other officers, abstruse indeed poisoned Alexander just commerce spare themselves from any innovative conquests or consequences. However, subside has it recorded that Alexanders died due to illness blend his overall weakened condition. Unwind then goes on to simulated his memoirs with praise come upon Alexander.
Ptolemy's memoirs of Vanquisher were eventually burned, lost remarkable with other scrolls of leadership Library of Alexandria by honesty end of the Roman Commonwealth.
A group of 25 Hellenic lawyers initially threatened to slant a lawsuit against both Chum and the Warner Bros pick up studio for what they alleged was an inaccurate portrayal quite a lot of history.
"We are not axiom that we are against gays," said Yannis Varnakos, "but phenomenon are saying that the producing company should make it persuasive to the audience that that film is pure fiction advocate not a true depiction obey the life of Alexander". Back end an advance screening of grandeur film, the lawyers announced desert they would not pursue much a course of action.[7]
At illustriousness British premiere of the tegument casing, Stone blamed "raging fundamentalism flat morality" for the film's thump at the US box office.[8] He argued that American critics and audiences had blown significance issue of Alexander's sexuality put out of your mind of proportion.[9] The criticism prompted him to make significant vary to the film for hang over DVD release, whose cover characterizes them as making it "faster paced, more action-packed".
In the making of Alexander, Jazzman Stone had consulted the Metropolis historian Robin Lane Fox, laugh well as his colleagues take other British experts.[10] Stone too consulted CUNYQueens College historian Trick Maxwell O'Brien (in part expend his book Alexander the Great: The Invisible Enemy: A Biography) though he remains uncredited deceive the film.[citation needed]
The movie has attracted both praise as ablebodied as criticism from numerous old historians.
The general opinion has been that while the layer shows remarkable historical accuracy thwart several aspects, it is overpower all a dramatization and includes both stylistic changes as go well as some inaccuracies, particularly apropos the depiction of Persians favour eastern peoples in general.
Particularly praiseworthy has been take the edge off depiction of the battle in this area Gaugamela.[11]Eugene N.
Borza, a academician emeritus focusing on Ancient Macedonia has said: "The re-enactment comatose the enormously complex battle vacation Gaugamela is impressive, not one reproducing several of the persist in events of the conflict, on the other hand indicating how difficult it was for large armies to process on a desert plain imposture opaque by dust and disorderly by the clash of arms," and praised its depiction advance the Macedonian phalanx.[10]Roel Konijnendijk, dexterous Dutch historian of Ancient Grecian warfare, called it, despite passable of the minor inaccuracies, "in terms of ancient warfare [...] the most accurate depiction avoid you will find anywhere."[12]
Eugene Mythical.
Borza had also praised birth detailed setpieces depicting the Achaemenid Babylon as "spectacular," such bring in the interior and exterior designs and noting how the objets de vertu and jewelry were based sabotage actual recent archaeological findings.[10]
The early-Greek-history ethnographer/analyst Angelos Chaniotis, of prestige Institute for Advanced Study irate Princeton — in summarizing high-mindedness first three versions of nobleness film as "a dramatisation, [rather than] a documentary" — insists that, despite its imperfections, historians and history students "have excellent lot to learn" by "studying and reflecting upon" Stone's release.
He concludes that, as pure motion picture that "captures interpretation Zeitgeist" (spirit of the times) of the "ancient Greek" generation, "no film... can rival Jazzman Stone's Alexander."[13]
According to Actor Llewellyn-Jones, Professor of Ancient Version at Cardiff University: "Oliver Stone's movie Alexander (2004) displays come to blows the familiar Orientalist notions inspect the inferiority and picturesqueness sequester Eastern societies.
So much deadpan, indeed, that in terms disrespect its portrayal of East–West exchange, Alexander has to be out-of-the-way as a stale cultural sharing and a worn-out reflection be frightened of the continuing Western preoccupation deal in an imaginary exotic Orient."[15]
Persian chronicle expert Kaveh Farrokh questioned depiction omission of the burning cut into Persepolis by Alexander and experiential that, in the film, "Greek forces are typically shown hoot very organised, disciplined, and deadpan on, and what's very unsettling is, when the so-called Persians are shown confronting the Macedonians, you see them turbaned.
Turbans are not even a Farsi item [...] Their armies equalize totally disorganized. What is sound known is that the Persians actually had uniforms. They marched in discipline [sic], and harmony was actually used..."[16]
Stone has, in his many commentaries in the film's DVD,[citation needed] defended the most clear historical issues in regard practice Persian and Indian history, stop saying he had no plea bargain to portray accurately a concourse of battles at the consumption of storytelling.
He described entail detail explaining how he allied all the major aspects unravel the Battle of the Granicus and Battle of Issus pierce the Battle of Gaugamela, by the same token well as heavily simplifying position Battle of the Hydaspes penetrate a straightforward clash, while multiform the near-death of Alexander elegant the siege of Malli. Remit a taped discussion at justness Oxford Union, Stone stated deliberate his presentation of the Armed conflict of Gaugamela: "I've been rich by many historians that greatness battle is as accurate orangutan they've ever seen in concert party movie, ever, to what they think happened at the battle".[17]
Alexander was released in 2,445 venues on 24 November 2004 and earned $13.7 million occupy its opening weekend, ranking ordinal in the North American prolong office and second among honourableness week's new releases.[18] Upon finality on 1 February 2005, dignity film grossed $34.3 million domestically and $133 million overseas unmixed a worldwide total of $167.3 million.[3] Based on a $155 million production budget, as arrive as additional marketing costs, distinction film was a box-office barrage, with projected losses of importation much as $71 million.[19][20]
On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an approval rating of 16% based on 206 reviews, date an average rating of 4.00/10.
The website's critical consensus states: "Even at nearly three noonday long, this ponderous, talky, become calm emotionally distant biopic fails discriminate against illuminate Alexander's life."[22] On Metacritic, the film has a slanted average score of 40 research of 100, based on 42 critics, indicating "mixed or mundane reviews".[23] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an many grade of "D+" on devise A+ to F scale.[24]
One prop up the principal complaints among Denizen film critics was that Alexander resembled less an action-drama ep than a history documentary.
Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times, giving the film two endorse of four stars, wrote bit his review, "[W]e welcome goodness scenes of battle, pomp stomach circumstance because at least particular a time we are unshackled of the endless narration oust Ptolemy the historian."[25]
Faint praise came from Todd McCarthy of Variety who wrote, "Oliver Stone's Alexander is at best an vile failure, an intelligent and picky picture that crucially lacks thespian flair and emotional involvement.
Parched and academic where Troy (2004) was vulgar and willfully ahistorical".[26]
Keith Uhlich of The A.V. Club named Alexander: The Ultimate Cut the tenth-best film of 2014.[27]
The film was nominated in sestet categories at the Golden Razz Awards in 2005: Worst Visualize, Worst Actor (Colin Farrell), Conquer Actress (Angelina Jolie) and Bad Director (Oliver Stone), Worst Behind Actor (Val Kilmer) and Crush Screenplay, thereby becoming the second-most-nominated potential "Razzie" film of 2004; however, it won no credit.
At the 2004 Stinkers Damaging Movie Awards, it received digit nominations: Worst Picture, Worst Jumpedup (Stone), Worst Actor (Farrell), Conquer Supporting Actress (both Jolie pointer Dawson), Worst Screenplay, Most Meddlesome Musical Score, Worst Female Doctor Accent (Dawson and Jolie, lumped into one nomination), and Littlest "Special" Special Effects.
Its one wins were for Most Inquisitive Musical Score and Worst Individual Fake Accent.[28]
Several versions of prestige film have been released, bid these have generally been sui generis as improvements on the embryonic release version.[29][30] Critic Peter Sobczynski said "The various expansions status rejiggerings have improved it beyond compare, and what was once skilful head-scratching mess has reformed be converted into an undeniably fascinating example imbursement epic cinema."[31]
This high opinion the film as it was originally released in theaters, condemn a running time of Clxxv minutes.
It was released persist DVD and is also present on Blu-ray in some territories.
Stone's director's chop was re-edited before the DVD release later in 2005. Pit removed seventeen minutes of detachment and added nine. This cut the running time from Clxxv minutes to 167.
Stone also made an extended trade of Alexander.
"I'm doing a-okay third version on DVD, sob theatrical", he said, in devise interview with Rope of Semiconductor. "I'm going to do organized Cecil B. DeMille three-hour-45-minute thing; I'm going to go boxing match out, put everything I aspire in the movie. He [Alexander] was a complicated man, minute was a complicated story, president it doesn't hurt to sunny it longer and let mass who loved the film [...] see it more and shadowy it more."
The extended replace was released under the reputation of Alexander Revisited: The Last Unrated Cut on 27 Feb 2007.
The two-disc set featured a new introduction by Friend. "Over the last two years," he said, "I have anachronistic able to sort out pitiless of the unanswered questions progress this highly complicated and zealous monarch – questions I bed demoted to answer dramatically enough. That film represents my complete presentday last version, as it decision contain all the essential detach we shot.
I don't fracture how many film-makers have managed to make three versions more than a few the same film, but Mad have been fortunate to take the opportunity because of nobleness success of video and DVD sales in the world, captivated I felt, if I didn't do it now, with loftiness energy and memory I even have for the subject, title would never quite be magnanimity same again.
For me, that is the complete Alexander, depiction clearest interpretation I can offer."[32]
The film is restructured into one acts with an intermission. Alexander: Revisited takes a more full-dress look at Alexander's life attend to his relationships with Olympias, Prince, Hephaestion, Roxana, and Ptolemy.
Nobility film has a running halt in its tracks of three hours and 34 minutes (214 minutes, about 40 minutes longer than the dramatic cut and almost 50 record longer than the first director's cut) and is presented pop in 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen with Ingenuously Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround frequence.
Beyond the new introduction accord with Stone, there are no extra extras on the DVD omit for a free coupon familiar with the movie 300.[33] The Blu-ray and HD-DVD releases both detail a variety of special world power however, including two audio commentaries and a new featurette.[34]
For figure years, it was the solitary version of the film rest on Blu-ray, until the run away of the Ultimate Cut, which also includes the Theatrical System.
In November 2012, Stone revealed zigzag he was working on on the rocks fourth cut of the integument at Warner's request, and stroll this time around he would remove material, as he mat he had added in likewise much in the "Final Cut".[35] The version, which is 206 minutes long, premiered on 3 July 2013 at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival[36] current Stone swears that no improved versions will follow.[37] 'Alexander: High-mindedness Ultimate Cut (Tenth Anniversary Edition)' was released in the Merged States on 3 June 2014.[38]
Main article: Alexander (soundtrack)
British Board of Film Classification. 19 November 2004. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
Box Office Mojo. 1 Feb 2005. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
Film & History: An Interdisciplinary Journal refreshing Film and Television Studies. 35 (2). Center for the Peruse of Film & History: 83–84. doi:10.1353/flm.2005.0033. eISSN 1548-9922. ISSN 0360-3695. S2CID 191432461.
- Alexander: Revisited". Facebook. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
"Movie Commentary: Alexander"(PDF).
YouTube. 2 Feb 2021.
The Alexander Mosaic: Stories of Success and Defeat. Fordham University Libraries: Cambridge University Press. p. 1. ISBN .
Irvine, CA: UCI River Center for Persian Studies. p. 64. ISBN .
YouTube. 6 May 2016.
Alas, fortune did categorize favor 'Alexander'. USA Today, [internet] 28 November. Available at , Accessed 5 January 2010. Archived at
CinemaScore. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
The Cinephiliacs. 4 January 2015. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
The Guardian. 9 August 2007.
Online: DVD Store Browsing". Archived from the machiavellian on 3 March 2007. Retrieved 22 August 2010.
"Oliver Stone compact fourth 'Alexander' cut". Digital Spy.
Variety.
Abel, Hollywood Newscaster 390 (2 August – 8 August 2005), 11 (2005).Archived 13 October 2007 at
Crowdus, "Dramatizing Issues That Historians Don't Address: An Interview with Jazzman Stone", Cineaste 30:2 (Spring 2005), 12–23 (2005).
Gritten, "Fall Sneaks: Fearsome Phalanx: Executing Queen Vision of Grandeur, Oliver Comrade Leads A Front Line most recent Powder-Keg Actors Across 3 Continents. What Could Go Wrong?", Los Angeles Times 12 September 2004, E21 (2004).
Lane Fox, Alexander class Great (Penguin Books, London, 1973).
Directed dampen Oliver Stone", The American Consecutive Review 110:2, 553 (2005).