Alexander

Promotional poster for Alexander
Directed by	Oliver Stone
Written by	Oliver Stone (screenplay)
Starring	Colin Farrell Val Kilmer Angelina Jolie Anthony Hopkins Jared Leto Rosario Dawson Jonathan Rhys-Meyers
Produced by	Oliver Stone
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release date	2004
Runtime	173 min
Language	English
Budget	$150,000,000
IMDb page

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. Promotional poster for Alexander, deemed This work is copyrighted. ... Promotional poster for Alexander, deemed This work is copyrighted. ... Oliver Stone William Oliver Stone (born September 15, 1946 in New York City) is an Academy Award-winning American film director. ... Oliver Stone William Oliver Stone (born September 15, 1946 in New York City) is an Academy Award-winning American film director. ... Colin Farrell Colin James Farrell (born May 31, 1976) is an Irish actor born in Castleknock, Dublin. ... Val Kilmer Val Edward Kilmer (born December 31, 1959, Los Angeles, California, USA) is a virile American actor considered by peers and fans alike to be one of the most talented and versatile, yet under appreciated actors currently working in film. ... Is such a cock sucker. ... Anthony Hopkins A separate article is about composer Antony Hopkins. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Rosario Dawson Rosario Dawson Rosario Dawson (born May 9, 1979) is an American actress of Irish, Puerto-Rican, and Black ancestry. ... Jonathan Rhys-Meyers as Joe in Bend It Like Beckham Jonathan Rhys-Meyers (born July 27, 1977, Dublin) is an Irish actor. ... Oliver Stone William Oliver Stone (born September 15, 1946 in New York City) is an Academy Award-winning American film director. ... Warner Bros. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This is a list of film-related events in 2004. ... A drama is a film that depends mostly on in-depth character development and interaction. ... An act of war - the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan during World War II War is a state of widespread conflict between states, organisations, or relatively large groups of people, which is characterised by the use of violent, physical force between combatants or upon civilians. ... Film refers to the celluloid media on which movies are printed Film is a term that encompasses motion pictures as individual projects, as well as the field in general. ... The film director, on the right, gives last minute direction to the cast and crew, whilst filming a costume drama on location in London. ... Oliver Stone William Oliver Stone (born September 15, 1946 in New York City) is an Academy Award-winning American film director. ... Alexander the Great fighting the Persian king Darius (Pompei mosaic, from a 3rd century BC original Greek painting, now lost). ...

It is heavily a character driven film. The continuity is non-linear. In fiction, continuity is consistency of the characteristics of persons, objects, places and events seen by the reader or viewer. ... To do: 20th century mathematics chaos theory, fractals Lyapunov stability and non-linear control systems non-linear video editing See also: Aleksandr Mikhailovich Lyapunov Dynamical system External links http://www. ...

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 Persian Empire is the name used to refer to a number of historic dynasties that have ruled the country of Persia (Iran). ...

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. Hephaestion (born ca. ... Olympias (Greek: Ολυμπιάς) (c. ... Philip II of Macedon (382 BCE–336 BCE; Greek: ΦΙΛΙΠΠΟΣ) was the King of Macedon from 359 BCE until his death. ...

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. The University of Oxford, located in the city of Oxford, England, is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. ...

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 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. In human sexuality, bisexuality describes people who are sexually and/or romantically attracted to both males and females. ... Warner Bros. ...

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. He also stated that Alexander is too complex for "conventional minds".[1] Fundamentalist Christianity is a fundamentalist movement, especially within American Protestantism. ...

Those who defend the film claim that America was not prepared for this kind of epic, a different and politically incorrect one in so many aspects. Still, Stone was aware of that: "So guys with goose-hunter caps won't come... I don't make a movie for demographics. Once I start doing that, I'll die in the gutter." "Kids weren't comfortable with men who hugged, a king who cries and expresses tenderness."

For more specific information regarding the film's content, go here: http://www.screenit.com/movies/2004/alexander.html

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

Colin Farrell Colin James Farrell (born May 31, 1976) is an Irish actor born in Castleknock, Dublin. ... Alexander the Great fighting the Persian king Darius (Pompei mosaic, from a 3rd century BC original Greek painting, now lost). ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Hephaestion (born ca. ... Claudius Ptolemaeus, given contemporary German styling, in a 16th century engraved book frontispiece Claudius Ptolemaeus (Greek: Κλαύδιος Πτολεμαῖος; c. ... Anthony Hopkins A separate article is about composer Antony Hopkins. ... Is such a cock sucker. ... Olympias (Greek: Ολυμπιάς) (c. ... Val Kilmer Val Edward Kilmer (born December 31, 1959, Los Angeles, California, USA) is a virile American actor considered by peers and fans alike to be one of the most talented and versatile, yet under appreciated actors currently working in film. ... Philip II of Macedon (382 BCE–336 BCE; Greek: ΦΙΛΙΠΠΟΣ) was the King of Macedon from 359 BCE until his death. ... Rosario Dawson Rosario Dawson Rosario Dawson (born May 9, 1979) is an American actress of Irish, Puerto-Rican, and Black ancestry. ... Roxana (Persian: روشنك Roshanak, meaning little star) the Persian wife of Alexander the Great, was born earlier than the year 327 BC although the date remains uncertain. ... Jonathan Rhys-Meyers as Joe in Bend It Like Beckham Jonathan Rhys-Meyers (born July 27, 1977, Dublin) is an Irish actor. ... Cassander (c. ... Blessed (centre) as Exeter in Henry V Brian Blessed (born October 9, 1936) is a respected English actor. ... Christopher Plummer photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1959 Christopher Plummer (full name Arthur Christopher Orme Plummer, CC) (born Friday, December 13, 19291) is a Canadian theatrical, film and television actor. ... Aristotle (sculpture) Aristotle (Greek: Αριστοτέλης AristotelÄ“s) (384 BC – March 7, 322 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher. ... Parmenion (c 400 BC - Ecbatana, 330 BC) was a Macedonian general in the service of Philip II of Macedon and Alexander the Great. ...

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.