Alexander (film)
Alexander is a monumental film by director Oliver Stone from 2004 , which describes the life and work of Alexander the great . The Macedonian king is one of the greatest conquerors of all time and extended his empire to Persia , Egypt and India . The film concentrates on the character of Alexander and the history and deliberately dispenses with the depiction of mythological elements such as the Gordian knot , the mass wedding of Susa or the oracle of Siwa .
action
The old Ptolemy , who fought at Alexander's side in his youth, tells his story.
We learn that in his childhood Alexander was regarded by his mother Olympias as a god-like creature destined to be great, while his father, the Macedonian King Philip II , saw him at least temporarily as a weakling.
After Philip's assassination, apparently played a crucial role in the Olympias, the just 20-year-old Alexander was appointed king of Macedonia and begin a conquest s campaign . He extends his empire to Persia , Egypt and India and dreams of uniting the peoples. But Alexander's men do not share his fascination for the “ barbarian peoples ” and long for their home country Macedonia. Alexander's marriage to the Asian woman Roxane , who initially remains childless , will not be tolerated.
Alexander is getting lonelier and more and more addicted to wine . In an argument he kills Kleitos , one of his most loyal companions.
Then Alexander invades India . After being badly wounded in battle, he returned to Persia with his army and spent his last days in Babylon . When his best friend Hephaistion , with whom he had a homoerotic relationship, dies of suspected poisoning, Alexander thinks his wife Roxane is the murderer and wants to kill her until he finds out she is pregnant . But Alexander no longer witnesses the birth of his son, because he dies of a fever beforehand.
useful information
The script was based on the popular 1973 biography of Alexander, by ancient historian Robin Lane Fox of Oxford University , in which a very positive judgment is made about the king, which not all researchers share. Fox, who can also be seen briefly in the film, also served as historical advisor during the filming, although Stone allowed himself considerable historical freedom. The film was shot near Marrakech in Morocco , London and Thailand .
The world premiere took place on November 16, 2004 in Hollywood . It was released in German cinemas on December 23, 2004.
The work deals intensively with the alleged homosexuality of Alexander the Great . This led to protests from Greece because there was fear that the reputation of the Greek national hero (unlike in ancient times, the ancient Macedonians in today's Hellas are considered Greeks) could be damaged. Threatened lawsuits could be the reason why the film refrains from depicting explicit homosexual acts.
From an economic point of view, the film was a flop . Production and marketing costs of around $ 195 million contrasted with global box office earnings of just $ 167 million.
In addition to the theatrical version (175 minutes NTSC- DVD / 168 minutes PAL-DVD) there is a Director's Cut (167 minutes NTSC and PAL-DVD) and a so-called Final Cut (214 minutes NTSC-DVD) in some Asian and English-speaking countries Alexander on DVD and Blu-ray Disc .
The Director's Cut is eight minutes shorter (based on the NTSC running time) than the Theatrical Version. Stone had cut out a total of 17 minutes from the original version and added nine minutes of new scenes to give the film a little more speed and make it more suitable for the masses.
The final cut was created by him according to the wording of Oliver Stone, because he had to find out for himself that no previously published version was complete and consistent. With a running time of around 3½ hours, the Final Cut is his clearest interpretation of the incredible life of Alexander. Stone had added scenes again for the Final Cut and rearranged and changed the plot structure compared to the Director's Cut. There is also an intermission in this version that has become rare these days, which divides the film in two halves.
In the original version, Oliver Stone tried to depict the different cultures using different dialects. For example, Alexander and the rest of the Macedonians speak with an Irish accent , but his mother has a Russian accent.
The film was also very poorly received by critics and was nominated for six Golden Raspberries in 2004, including in the categories of worst film , worst leading actor (Colin Farrell), worst leading actress (Angelina Jolie) and worst director (Oliver Stone). However, he did not receive a single one of these “awards” and was therefore “empty”.
The only better-known film adaptation of the Alexander story before Oliver Stones Alexander is the monumental film Alexander the Great by Robert Rossen from 1956.
Reviews
positive
“There are times when humanity really annoys me, especially my compatriots and especially the critics. The fact that Oliver Stone is collectively dragged into the mud by these people repulses me - no - even makes me angry! [...] Alexander is an impressive spectacle full of visions, ideas and great acting. "
“Even if the film doesn't conquer the world, Stones Alexander is still worth the battle. Like JFK and Born on July 4th, he combines history and politics in a wild, memorable and breathtaking journey. "
"The film slides along the kitsch several times (ungracious viewers would consider the film too hysterical), but Stone's courage to take risks has its own charm."
The German Film and Media Evaluation FBW in Wiesbaden awarded the film the title valuable.
negative
"A childish script, confused course and terrifyingly bad actors make this Oliver Stone film a great disappointment."
"Watching this film is like sitting in the classroom of a history teacher who is not even good at narrating."
“Whatever is monumental, Oliver Stone's alleged heart project about the greatest battle master in world history doesn't have it. Despite a respectable performance by Colin Farrell, 'Alexander' remains without a focus and over three hours he creates the unfortunate story of the failure of a huge project. "
Faithfulness to facts
As is often the case in the films of the monumental genre , this production withholds some historical facts, adds free inventions, and makes mere guesswork. What should be clearly emphasized in this film is the recognizable attempt to bring antiquity to life. The creators endeavored to reproduce Greek clothing and equipment of that time correctly and to avoid drastic falsifications of history. Although this is by no means always successful, and despite the participation of Robin Lane Fox, the film aroused disappointment and criticism from most ancient historians , overall Alexander clearly distinguished himself from earlier American sandal films .
Some examples of errors or changes:
- Aristotle uses a floor mosaic to show his students the world they knew at the time. However, this mosaic contains the Latin, not the Greek script . Even Ptolemy I shows a map that Latin contains terms. In both cases, due to the otherwise very realistic representation of the maps or the dialogues, the Mediterranean region and the Middle East would have been recognizable despite a written language barrier. At the time of Alexander, the Latin language and script was not widespread in the eastern Mediterranean regions and was only able to establish itself as an official language , but not as an intellectual language , even during the Roman Empire . Likewise, all inscriptions and legible letters in the film are in English , despite the cuneiform letters , although understanding them is not important for the plot .
- For reasons of cinematic dramaturgy , events were relocated to another location or to a different time. So was Alexander the Great not in the Battle of the Hydaspes severely wounded by an arrow, but in the siege of Multan , when he allegedly alone the entire enemy army put up his troops rushed to help. Following this injury, Alexander himself makes the decision to turn back in the film, but according to ancient tradition, after the Battle of the Hydaspes there was a mutiny of his army, which is why he was forced to turn back against his will. Unlike his historical role model, Stones Alexander is therefore largely free of hubris and megalomania, but is portrayed in a more positive way.
- Especially for Alexander's childhood and private life, the screenplay is obviously not based on the historian Arrian , who is generally regarded as quite reliable , but on the Alexander biography of the philosopher Plutarch, interspersed with legends and anecdotes . There is a lot in the film that is reported in an ancient source like this or similar, but which has long since been exposed as fiction by most scientists. All in all, the film corresponds more to the state of research of the 1950s than to the time it was made. This is especially true for the stereotyped representation of the Persians (see Orientalism ).
- The name Roxana comes from the Old Persian Rauḫšna (pronounced Ara-uchschna, روشنکRoschanak) and means “dawn” or “the radiant one”. The role was played by an African American woman, although being a Persian she was lighter skin color.
synchronization
Of Alexander , there are two different dubbed versions, the original theatrical version and the director's cut (DC). While many speakers are the same, there are some roles with different speakers. Most striking is Anthony Hopkins' role of old Ptolemy, which was dubbed by Joachim Kerzel in the theatrical version and by Kaspar Eichel in the DC . The roles with two different speakers are marked in bold .
literature
- Stefan Servos, Anja Arendt: Alexander. Everything about the greatest conqueror in world history & the new film by Oliver Stone. Heel, Königswinter 2004, ISBN 978-3-89880-397-7 .
Web links
- Alexander in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Official German-language website for the film
- Alexander in the online film database
- Alexander at Cinemusic.de
- Alexander at AllMovie (English)
- Alexander at Rotten Tomatoes (English)
- Comparison of the cuts Theatrical Version - Director's Cut , Theatrical Version - Unrated Final Cut by Alexander at Schnittberichte.com
Individual evidence
- ^ Certificate of release for Alexander . Voluntary self-regulation of the film industry , November 2004 (PDF; test number: 100 755 K).
- ^ Age rating for Alexander . Youth Media Commission .
- ↑ aintitcool.com
- ↑ Michael Wilmington: Alexander. Chicago Tribune , November 24, 2004, accessed August 8, 2015 : “But even if it doesn't conquer its world, Stone's 'Alexander' is worth the battle. Like 'JFK' and 'Fourth of July,' it hot-wires history and politics into a wild, memorable, breathtaking ride. "
- ↑ Page no longer available , search in web archives: Review
- ↑ movies2.nytimes.com
- ↑ Alexander 2.5 / 10. In: supercalafragalistic.com. Archived from the original on December 8, 2004 ; accessed on May 25, 2015 .
- ↑ filmspiegel.de
- ↑ Alexander (cinema version ) in the German dubbing index
- ↑ Alexander (Final Cut) in the German dubbing index