Alexander the Great?
Published August 28, 2004
If we are referring to my youngest son, the appellation is doubtless true, but what of the forthcoming Oliver Stone film?
This one looks almost like a real Hollywood epic from the iconoclast Stone:
- He was many things to many people - a dashing warrior king, filled with ambition, courage and the arrogance of youth, leading his vastly outnumbered forces against the massive Persian armies...a son desperately longing for the approval of his stern, battle-scarred father, torn and conflicted by his mother's legacy...a relentless conqueror who never lost a battle and drove his soldiers to the very edges of the Known World...a visionary whose dreams, deeds and destiny echo through eternity, helping to shape the face of the world as we know it today. He was all that and more. He was Alexander the Great.
Oliver Stone's Alexander is based on the true story of one of history's most luminous and influential leaders (COLIN FARRELL) - a man who had conquered 90% of the known world by the age of 25. Alexander led his virtually invincible Greek and Macedonian armies through 22,000 miles of sieges and conquests in just eight years, and by the time of his death at the age of 32 had forged an empire unlike any the world had ever seen. The film takes a bold, honest look at Alexander's life and his relationships with his mother, Olympias (ANGELINA JOLIE), his father Philip (VAL KILMER), his lifelong friend and battle commander Hephaistion (JARED LETO), Roxane, his ambitious and beautiful Bactrian wife (ROSARIO DAWSON), and his trusted general and confidant Ptolemy (ANTHONY HOPKINS). Set in Alexander's pre-Christian world of social customs and morals far different from today's, the film explores a time of unmatched beauty and unbelievable brutality, of soaring ideals and staggering betrayals.
His extraordinary journey begins when Alexander launches his invasion from Macedonia, first leading his armies to wrest Western Asia from Persian control, then driving his vastly outnumbered troops to an impossible victory over the mighty Persian army itself. Alexander expands his empire into the unknown lands of modern day Central Asia before venturing across the Himalayan foothills, further than any Westerner had ever gone, continuing his conquests all the way to the exotic world of India. Incredibly, and possibly uniquely in the annals of military history, Alexander was never defeated in battle. He relentlessly pushes his army across the sands, mountains and jungles of strange and mysterious lands, conquering every enemy who dares oppose him.
The film chronicles Alexander's path to becoming a living legend, from a youth fueled by dreams of myth, glory, and adventure, to his intense bonds with his closest companions, to his lonely death as a ruler of a vast empire. Alexander is the incredible story of a life that united the Known World and proved, if nothing else, fortune favors the bold.
Check out a 3-minute clip of the soundtrack by Vangelis here.
- Alexander the Great?
- Published: August 28, 2004
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- Section: Video
- Filed Under: Video: News
- Writer: Eric Olsen
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Rumor has it that Alexander dies under suspicious circumstances while riding horseback through Dallas.
Hint: Arrows seen coming from the grassy knoll.
[Aside: If I know Hollowood, Ghenghis Khan (one of my heroes) will no doubt be next. BTW: He made Alexander the Great look like an underachieving choir boy.]
the leaders always get the credit and to a lesser extent the blame - the fighting masses are there to execute (pun intended)
Serious Greek revival going down of late
interesting... there is some kind of competition going on with all these leaders of antiquity; weird fact, is that many of them had temporal lobe epilepsy, including The Big Alexander as they say in Greece. Napolian did too, as did Julius Caeser and Alexander the great. There's a great quote about Napoleon by Goethe "He went forth to seek virtue, and when she could not be found he sought power."
and yes, ghengis khan was tuff enuff..
these films seem to be riding the same trend as superhero movies of late.. just loads of them all of a sudden.
maybe they figure we're ll looking for hero.
srp
As long as you're not too concerned with
minor details like Historical accuracy,
Oliver Stone's movies are always a great
watch.I doubt this'll be an exception to
the rule.
PS: That's a really cute kid, Mr.O
Thanks HW! and yes, his fantasias on history are better taken as fiction
I just read some were that there is plans to make a ghengis khan movie and that steven seagal is going to be in it...but im not sure if its true can any one clarify this for me?
not that quite interesting, alexander's sexuality was the main focus of the film and not the history itself.
it seems things did not turn out so well - I haven't seen it and based upon the reviews will not make a concerted effort to do so
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This kinda stuff reminds me of that poem by Bertolt Brecht. Can't remember the name. The one that asks "Did Alexander do it all himself?" kinda questions. What about the thousands who assisted? Are they great too? Maybe just above-average. Still, Colin Farrel and Oliver Stone is a team-up worth supporting.