|
|
 |
|
 | Colin Farrell, Angelina Jolie, Val Kilmer, Anthony Hopkins and Jared Leto star in this 2004 blockbuster about the life of Alexander the Great. Himself quite a strange fella, Farrell manages to portray Alexander as a multi-faceted character with both degrees of madness and greatness.
Conquering 90% of the known world by the age of 25, Alexander the Great (Farrell) led his armies through 22,000 miles of sieges and conquests in just eight years.
Coming out of tiny Macedonia, Alexander led his armies against the mighty Persian Empire, drove west to Egypt, and finally made his way east to India. This film concentrates on those eight years of battles, as well as his relationship with his boyhood friend and battle mate, Hephaestion.
Alexander died young, of illness, at 33. Alexander's conquests paved the way for the spread of Greek culture (facilitating the spread of Christianity centuries later), and removed many of the obstacles that might have prevented the expansion of the Roman Empire.
In other words, the world we know today might never have been if not for Alexander's bloody, yet unifying, conquests.
|
|   | | 6%
| | | 10.3%
| | | 24.9%
| | | 27.1%
| | | 31.7%
|
|
 |  | "A king isn't born, Alexander. He's made."
Controversial director and legendary conspiracy nut Oliver Stone travels much further back in time than usual to tell a Hollywood-ised historical tale set some 2,300 years before his customary stomping grounds, the 1960s (Platoon, The Doors, JFK…). Taking the lead as relentless conqueror Alexander, Colin Farrell dominates the screen with fiery eyes, flowing blond locks and passionate, Oscar-friendly monologues. A rousing blend of spectacular battlefield action and revealing behind-the-scenes intrigue, the movie focuses both on the events that shaped the young Alexander as well as his wildly world-altering endeavours as a grown-up king.
Bolstered by the A-list likes of Angelina Jolie, Anthony Hopkins and Val Kilmer in support, Farrell throws himself into the life and times of Alexander, a legend in his own lifetime as the man who conquered 90% of the known world by the time he was 25. Leading his enormous, invincible Greek, Macedonian and Eastern armies through 22,000 miles of sieges and conquests in just eight years, by the time of his death at the age of 32, Alexander had forged an empire bigger than McDonald's and Microsoft combined.
"The beauty of Alexander is that he won," says Stone. "He'll always be known for at least two reasons – that he conquered the world without ever suffering a military defeat, and as a visionary and a man of remarkable and generous spirit. He was perhaps the greatest warrior of all time, greater than his mythic heroes Achilles and Herakles. He grew up under the influence of these mythological Greek figures and he believed in them as no other child. Out of that belief and faith grew this monumental drive and destiny, which he actually achieved."
Fascinated by Alexander since childhood and inspired by Greek mythology, Stone dreamed of making Alexander's story for years. "I had frustrated student fantasies of going back in time with documentary cameras and a small crew to actually film Alexander's military campaigns," he recalls. "32 years later, I finally had one chance to go back in time and actually recreate the period as best I could."
"Most of us have some historical knowledge of Alexander," notes producer Moritz Borman, "but don't know much about the man himself, his soul and inner workings. Oliver's script asked where he came from, what were his trials and tribulations, how did his cultural environment form him, what happened when he encountered different cultures and confronted apparently impossible situations. This was not just a history lesson, but a script about a man who all of us could very well relate to today, with many of the themes of our time. The whole story of Alexander just came alive in the script, a truly dramatic and glorious tale."
The casting of Alexander was of course crucial to the success of the film. "Like Alexander," says Stone, "Colin has the spirit of a rebel and the confidence of a warrior and a leader. He became Alexander on many levels – he led the actors as a group, he built himself up physically, mastered the horse and sword, and fought like a lion to give his best. I often offered to replace him with a stuntman, both on horse and foot, but he truly wanted to hang in there himself and do as many of his own stunts as possible. As crazy as he might be sometimes, he is one of nature's noblemen. It's an honor to have met him at such a moment in his life."
"Oliver wrote an incredible script," responds Farrell. "I never in my life read anything as dark and as light and as full of potential as that script. It was, very simply, the best I had ever read in my life. Alexander was a man who would stop at absolutely nothing to achieve his dreams, which I truly believe were based on much more than greed and the desire for conquest. All his life, Alexander was looking for answers, and I also think that he was looking for love all his life. Alexander had an almost insane passion for everything he did. He could have lived a fine life in Macedonia in his palace, taxing his people and enjoying the luxury befitting a king. But there was a hole in his chest that couldn't be filled, and his search for answers took him to the ends of the earth."
Historically speaking, Stone's version of events is intended less to inform than to inspire and entertain. More like a violent, expensive soap opera than an accurate portrayal of past times. Most obviously, Farrell's thick Irish accent betrays his lack of Greek ancestry, but within minutes you'll be beyond that, drawn in by the sights and sounds of an idealised B.C. landscape. Alexander's taste for boys as well as girls is touched upon but not explored too deeply. Back in those days, apparently, everyone swung all sorts of ways, so it really wasn't a big deal. Ultimately, this is a lavish melodrama of epic proportions, a feast for the senses, full of drama and excitement. Pardon the pun, but Alexander's great.
© 2005 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All rights reserved.
|
|
|
|