Alexander (2004)

User Rating:

5.4/10   

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 | 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 | India | Army | Battle | Macedonia

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

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:

Features two actors who have played Elvis Presley; Val Kilmer (King Philip) and Jonathan Rhys Meyers (Cassander).

Goofs:

Continuity: When Alexander tries to ride the wild black horse, the ropes are crossed. In the next shot, they are in place.

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Last Laugh '04 (2004) (TV)

A Totally Different Viewing.

Last night I saw the movie a second time, with my 20 year old son. The audience was of an entirely different demographic than the first viewing (which was an advance screening). The average age of the audience was about 35-45, with not too many teens in there. And guess what? Besides the fact that the entire theatre was PACKED, there was absolutely not a sound from the audience...like they were breathless. No snickering at blond hair, eyeliner, sultry looks from Bagoas, or any of the things that drew slight laughs when I saw it for the first time. It bolstered my hope that as time goes on and more people see it, there will be a more favorable opinion of it.

I myself liked the movie a whole lot more the second time around. I watched different things this time...paid more attention to the sets and the other characters behind and around whoever was the primary action of the moment. I listened to the narration more closely, and enjoyed the film much more this time.

Response from my 20 year old son, who wasn't just trying to be nice to his old mom, was very positive. He even thought that the assassination scene was fine where it was because it related better to what was going on in Alexander's head at the time.

I highly recommend a second (at least) viewing at a theatre with a very good sound system. I realized I had missed some of the dialogue and narration because the 1st theatre's sound system was horrible.

P.S. Kudos to Mr. Stone for his lifetime achievement award in Sweden. They don't give those out to just anyone, you know?