The Background
Alexander is a movie based on historic facts which traces the short and adventurous and ambitious life history of Alexander the Great (356-323 B.C.) the Macedonian conqueror, who conquered almost the entire known world of his era.
Being the son of King Philip and Queen Olympia he ascend the thrown at age 20 in 336 B.C. upon his father’s murder, and starting in 334 B.C., Alexander moved towards Asia on his 11-year conquest of the known world. From his conquests of Egypt, to battles with the Persians and the capture of Babylon, operations near Maracanda and in Afghanistan, and pushing all the way to India where he reigned unchallenged before his sudden death at age 32. Alexander strived to proved the (so called) Macedonian supremacy over the world using a strong and dedicated army created by his father, he pushed the limits of Macedonian & Greek power to levels King Philip could not have dreamed of.
Flip Side
Obviously with a life as eventful as Alexander’s, determining what to include was critical for the director of the movie [Oliver Stone]. However it’s strange then that considering all of Alexander’s achievements who conquered half the known world by the time he was 25 -Oliver decided to dwell so much on Alexander’s homosexuality. Not that it shouldn’t have been included, but its looming presence, exhibited by such crass quips as ’’he was never defeated except by Hephaistion’s thigh’s, ’’ referring to Alexander’s boyhood friend and lifelong lover, hovers over everything. Further dialogues like, ’’You birthed me in your sack of hate, ’’ as uttered by Alexander to his mother Olympias (Angelina Jolie) does not fit well with the tense situation of the screenplay rather it fuels laugh than fuel the dramatic tension. But seen in totality these are some minor flip side of the film.
Actors.
Colin Farrell as a choice to role as mighty Alexander cannot be fully justified. Though he possess a rawness and passion as may be required for this role, but he lacks the commanding stature one associates with the role.
Angelina Jolie, who played the role of Alexander (Farrell) mother Olympia, looks anything but a mother of Alexander, her stunning looks notwithstanding.
Anthony Hopkins (Ptolemy) is at his usual best narrating the back-story. At one point he declares, ’’His failures towered over other men’s successes’’ is worth debating as the reverse of this statement is more true, but it is not for me to decide the.
What?s impressed most.
The battle scenes indeed form the film’s biggest spectacles especially the battle in Babylon and in India. Their scale, grandeur and staging is impressive and spectacular. This combined with the brilliant background music is worth appreciation and it transcends the audience once to the battleground.
The dialogues especially the conversation between Olympia and Alexander in the early part of movie and the motivational speech by Alexander to his army before going into the battle are very well written and delivered.
Overall
Nice movie, worth watching.
Rating : 4 of 5
Alok Ranjan.