HBO "Fire From Heaven" TV series?

[marcus]

But you have to be a bit careful about Docherty's quotations from the sources, Jan. In one of the books (at least) he includes quotes from Book 1 of Curtius... which is no longer extant... so how he manages to quote it I don't know.Obviously, any quotes from Arrian and Plutarch are going to be pretty OK (but on the strength of his so-called Curtius quotes I'd check every one before I read them as gospel!).All the bestMarcus

[marcus]

At the risk of going off on an alarming tangent, the natural build up of muscle through labour does not, in any shape or form, mean that you are going to end up looking like The Rock, or any other wrestling 'star'. In fact, it all comes down to your body type (it's whether you are endomorphic, mesomorphic or ectomorphic). And, of course, diet plays a large part as well.The Macedonians, whose musculature was built up through athletics and weapons training, were going to be sturdy, for sure, but the real test will have been in fitness and stamina, rather than bulky muscle build-up.All the bestMarcusPS: at the end of the day, what I'm saying is: keep the wresting stars well away from an Alexander movie!

[marcus]

Hi LindaAnne,Yes, I'd heard that the Gibson idea had been scrapped, too.It's a shame, because Alexander's life would be far better served by a 10 part miniseries than by a 2-3 hour film, which cannot hope to cover everything satisfactorily - one only has to remember the complete cop-out that was the last 20 mins of the 1956 film (which was rubbish, anyway).And, to be honest, I don't really care too much if they change the story, or focus of the story, so long as they get the basic facts right, and so long as it looks good!Welcome to the forum. I hope you'll be posting many more messages, now that you've broken your duck.All the bestMarcus

[jan]

Thanks for asking about which it is. I am somewhat dumbfounded myself. I just finished reading Plutarch's Lives yesterday at Barnes and Noble, and am impressed with how well Manfredi is following his material.Having read Arthur Weigall's version of Alexander, I became suspicious and interested in his life. As I have already been wrestling with reincarnation through a study of George Washington and Louis XIV, I am surprised at nothing. But Alexander is a great hurdle for me to consider, yet his powers of efficacy in my health has contributed to my interest in him.This exercise has wakened me to the understanding the nature of soul. As I found key phrases in Plutarch which made me think of both GW and Louis XIV, I would not be surprised at anything.I had the experience in dream fashion which made me believe that I had been in the person of Alexander while gathered together on a hillside. Fortunately, I found a reference to it in Michael Woods study which somewhat confirmed my belief it is in a stage of both prayer and instruction that I had been drawn. I stopped being afraid of learning who Alexander is. I am not going so far as to say except in fun that I am Alexander reincarnated. But if I am, I am no longer afraid to have been that natural born killer.

[jan]

Ironically, the first thing I read in To the Ends of the Earth is that Alexander gave his men time for both wrestling and boxing. I must have anticipated Manfredi's thinking as when I finally read it, I enjoyed the coincidence of my having made the statement.I am actually starting to like Manfredi better now that I have read Plutarch's Lives. It is just that the translation into English is horrendous, and I don't like the hatchet job in literary terms. Otherwise, I like the fact that Manfredi refrains from projecting his own personality into any of the characters.

[andrewt1978]

Agreed. I don't think that any athletes should be cast as Alexander. I think pherhaps Keannu Reeves would be a good choice to play Alexander. If you disagree with that, please let me know.

[andrewt1978]

I agree that it would best be told as a 10 part mini-series. Perhaps someone else will pick it up.

[marcus]

Hi Andrew,I seem to recall that Keanu's name has come up before as a contender, as has Tom Cruise's.For my own part, my main problem with Keanu is his style of acting - he's fine for Bill & Ted, and for the Matrix and Speed, but I'd be really concerned about his ability to play someone like Alexander. I'm disappointed that none of the directors is using Cruise, 'cos I think he'd do a really good job of it. Acting wise I think he's improved no end, and he'd be able to handle the action stuff very well.Still, using Di Caprio will help to boost the female audience, I suppose (and, as I don't think I've seen a single film he's been in, I'm not qualified to talk about his acting ability).All the bestMarcus

[Linda]

Hi JanetThank you for taking my joke in good part. I am, I am afraid, a desperate cynic when it comes to reincarnation, or mysticsm in general; however, I do believe that searching for the truth and wisdom is the most fruitful way to live your life, that it is hard to do, and we can learn a lot from the work and lives of others. I think people have a real need to connect with oneanother, and sometimes identification with another is a way to find yourself. I am glad that your health has improved and this has been a positive influence on your life. Reading and talking about Alexander has opened up new areas in my life, for which I am grateful, but the Alexander in my head is the one I have created, based on the one others have created before me. I think that seeing significance in small things as a way of giving life meaning is fine, but it is you who are looking - things have significance because it is *you* who is seeing them, not because there is any predetermined path. That is what I think.I am very dull, mind.

[marcus]

Not knowing Signor Mandredi personally, I can't say whether his own personality is intruding at all. But I did find all the characters rather 2 dimensional - a point that I have made before is that I find them very childlike (or stroppy teenager-like) that is totally at odds with their actual ages and their situation, let alone the cultural ambience of the time.But that might be because Manfredi's not a very good writer, rather than anything else, of course :-)All the bestMarcus

[jan]

Hi Marcus, I appreciate your point of view. I finally finished reading Plutarch's Lives yesterday, and I find that Manfredi is following the script therein pretty well. His use of phrases has caught my attention. This is for your eyes only syndrom, and as I had never seen in print some of his slang and vulgarities I was shocked to hear an old phrase I use quite often (up a s***creek in the mouth of Hephaestion) in my Ohio born youth. I was rather shocked to say the least! I am in the third book of the trilogy. The name Manfredi recalls a memory for me of the past by a friend from yesteryear whose saint was the same as mine, St. Theresa of Lisieux, who had cured Frank Manfredi of severe arthritis. So the name alone attracted me to the book.However, I am enjoying his narration following the line of Plutarch. I have just finished reading about Barsine's death, something that I had not known until reading this chapter last night. It gave me an insight into when and where this connection to the Greeks entered my life in my youth, as I woke up to dream of a former friend who worked with me in a country club near Chicago, Illinois. I see the Kennedy connection through this dream, and narration of Barsine's death. It is all coming home to me now, so the venture is worth it all to me.

[jan]

I enjoy your remarks, Linda, and I like a good discussion. What has occurred to me is that when one understands how and why the human mind entertains certain kinds of thoughts that seem foreign in origin, studies into subjects like Alexander do help. In other words, I just read about Alexander's having taken someone by the head and crashing him into a wall. (I finished my quick read of Plutarch's lives on Alexander.) That helped me to understand why it is that I am using phrases and sentences that sound so horrific but are only thoughts as far as I am concerned. Suddenly, it dawned on me that by having dreamed my way into the past that I had also activated the kinds of methods of punishment that were used in the past, and I refer to them quite often. In that sense, it is worthwhile to understand one's own experiences whether through dreams or through vicarious reading. It does help to have these kinds of tortures written so that one understands why one is subconsciously drawing upon them in threatening means today. I would not literally slice someone's head off, or throw him up against a wall, or gore him from stem to stern, but it all sounds rough and tough while saying it. It is mental imagery intended to frighten. Realizing that it may be a result of a bad dream or nightmare helps me to fathom it and thus to live with it.I think that psychologists might better understand a lot of modern day behaviour as sometimes influences from the past, whether through, soul's sleep and dreams, or from vicarious reading matter.I hope I did enlighten and not bore you to death, as I am understanding the relationship of Plutarch to modern day living.
Jan

[andrewt1978]

A friend of mine said that she thinks Vigo Mortensen would be a good idea for portraying Alexander, and after thinking about it, I think that I would agree with her.

[marcus]

Not bad. He certainly has a role in my fantasy Alexander cast, but I'm not sure at the moment who it would be.I think he would probably be Krateros, 'cos he's my favourite of Alexander's companions, and I'm a big fan of Mortensen (as Aragorn, anyway).All the bestMarcus