Alexander (2004)

Director:

Oliver Stone

Writers (WGA):

Oliver Stone (written by) and
Christopher Kyle (written by) ...

Release Date:

24 November 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Biography | Drama | History | Romance | War

Tagline:

Fortune favors the bold

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

King | Army | India | Alexander The Great | Battle

Awards:

2 wins & 9 nominations

Cast

Colin Farrell	...	Alexander
Angelina Jolie	...	Olympias
Val Kilmer	...	Philip
Anthony Hopkins	...	Old Ptolemy
Jared Leto	...	Hephaistion
Rosario Dawson	...	Roxane
Jonathan Rhys Meyers	...	Cassander
Rory McCann	...	Crateros
Gary Stretch	...	Cleitus
Ian Beattie	...	Antigonus
Neil Jackson	...	Perdiccas
Raz Degan	...	Darius III
Christopher Plummer	...	Aristotle
John Kavanagh	...	Parmenion
Annelise Hesme	...	Stateira

Also Known As:

Alexander (Germany)
Alexander Revisited: The Final Cut (USA) (recut version)
Alexander: Director's Cut (USA) (censored version)
Alexandre (France)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence and some sexuality/nudity. (also director's cut)

Runtime:

175 min | 167 min (director's cut) | 214 min (final cut)

Country:

Germany | USA | Netherlands | France | UK | Italy

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Malaysia:18PL | Spain:13 | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Singapore:M18 (also final cut version) | South Korea:15 | Sweden:15 | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA (director's extended cut) | Brazil:14 | Canada:13+ (Québec) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Chile:TE | Czech Republic:12 | Finland:K-15 | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Iceland:14 (original rating) | Ireland:15 | Italy:T | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Philippines:PG-13 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Zurich) | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #41133) | USA:Unrated (Cut Director's Version) | New Zealand:R13 | Australia:M (DVD rating)

Filming Locations:

Ait Benhaddou, Morocco

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

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.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the final battle, before Alexander would ride towards the elephant, he is seen holding a spear, even waving it and pointing with it to his men to move forward. One second later he is carrying a sword, with the spear nowhere to be seen.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Old Ptolemy: He was a god, Cadmos, or as close as anything I've ever seen.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Troldspejlet: (#32.12)" (2004)

Hard to digest for hoi polloi, but true to history and Greek epic and tragedy

Oliver Stone consulted Robin Lane Foxe, Oxford historian and the premier Alexander expert, before making this film. It shows. The film certainly ranks as one of the closest-to-the-real-story Hollywood historical mega-films. To viewers with any background in Aristotelian drama and the Greek epic, it will immediately become clear that Stone has tried hard to emulate the epic form while integrating the culture of the Greek tragedy into his film. There is plenty of fear and pity here and there are plenty of tragic elements. The aging Ptolemy as narrator even takes on some of the functions of the chorus/choir. Tragic destiny in a larger-than-life man plagued by doubts over his own decisions, his consuming passions, is the universal here; the gripping story of Alexander the historical incidental, as it were. Not surprisingly, characterization and character interaction must loom large. Which explains the numerous and lengthy monologues and dialogues. Bravo, Mr Stone. Those who can appreciate will. But I fear that hoi polloi will not appreciate. They will simply fail to understand. Postscript: If there were any episodes in Alexander's life I missed and would have liked included (at the risk of making this film even longer) it would have been the Gordian Knot and the Oasis of Siwa.