Alexander the Great: A Two Part Movie?

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karen
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Post by karen »

I may not be one to judge, perhaps knowing the story too well to really discern, but I think it actually was coherent and understandable for people with no prior Alexander knowledge -- in the Revisited version.

BTW, Oliver Stone has just launched a project about yet another most powerful leader in the world who launched an aggressive invasion in Mesopotamia and felt that his power came by divine will... only this one never gets his hands dirty with actual fighting, and tends often to misunderestimate his strategeries. Yep, you guessed it, Stone's going to do Bush.

Whatever you think of his moviemaking, you have to credit him for venturing where angels fear to tread.

Karen
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Post by jasonxx »

Its fare to say that indeed a 3 hour movie couldnt do a proper job with Alexander. But its fare to say 3 hours can score a pretty good epic movie.

Ben Hur. Spartacus,John waynes The Searchers,El Cid were all classic long movies to name a few. And most were based on long Stories.

I think the main component with these great movies were the leading men. Although people would argue John Waynes acting he always played a guy you could believe in. The man who if he told you you could do something you would believe him.

I watched the old John Ford Movie stage Coach. These actors to be blunt were shear charisma. Those legends Kirk Douglas. Burt Lancaster, John wayne were eternal. Todays actors are basically one movie and forgotton. Russel Crowe had Gladiator and maybe a few others but will not be as the Greats.

3 hours is enough to do a good story and movie but alas the chraisma and the Directors are basically Rubbish.

kenny
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Phoebus
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Post by Phoebus »

So I was watching parts of "Alexander" yesterday... Anyone ever notice that during the editing process they decided to do a 180-degree horizontal flip on at least one of the scenes where Alexander's addressing his Pezhetairoi?

It's either that, or there was at least one Spheira/Syntagma of left-handed Foot Companions. :wink:

Anybody else catch any interesting bloopers in the movie?
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Paralus
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Post by Paralus »

Burt Lancaster: a very underrated actor.
Paralus
Ἐπὶ τοὺς πατέρας, ὦ κακαὶ κεφαλαί, τοὺς μετὰ Φιλίππου καὶ Ἀλεξάνδρου τὰ ὅλα κατειργασμένους;
Wicked men, you sin against your fathers, who conquered the whole world under Philip and Alexander.

Academia.edu
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Fiona
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Post by Fiona »

Phoebus wrote:So I was watching parts of "Alexander" yesterday... Anyone ever notice that during the editing process they decided to do a 180-degree horizontal flip on at least one of the scenes where Alexander's addressing his Pezhetairoi?

It's either that, or there was at least one Spheira/Syntagma of left-handed Foot Companions. :wink:

Anybody else catch any interesting bloopers in the movie?
Never spotted that one, I'll have to look out for it now, but any excuse to watch it again is good enough for me. Which cut were you watching, Phoebus?
A couple of bloopers that spring to mind:
At Gaugamela, when the cavalry start to ride for the gap, Alexander has his sword aloft, and in the next shot he has a spear.
And in the elephant battle, when he is wounded and being carried off on the shield of Achilles, at first his sword is on top of him and next shot it's beneath his shoulder.
Then there's Hephaistion's split lip. In the theatrical version and the director's cut, he gets hit by Cleitus in the Roxane dance scene, then his lip is fine when he's at the meeting with Alexander and the generals, and it's fine at the wedding, but in the ring scene it's split. But this is corrected by the changed scene order in Revisited.
There are probably more but those are all I can think of off hand.
Fiona
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Phoebus
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Post by Phoebus »

I've watched them all, Fiona. I own the Director's Cut and "Revisited" as well. I may not like the whole product, but no one can say I didn't give it a chance! :)

In fact, when I was watching it the other day, it struck me once more what an eye Stone had for the sets and (most of) the costumes. I have to give credit where credit is due. I still get shivers during the scene where they sacrifice the bull before Gaugamela.
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Fiona
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Post by Fiona »

Glad to hear you've got them all! What I was meaning, though, was which one were you watching when you spotted the 180 degree flip, so I can watch the same one to see it?

I do agree about the sets - amazing. Loved the library in Alexandria, and the Babylon palace in particular, but I thought they were all good, and each big set had its own mood, its own colour scheme, it was great. Sometimes I tune out and just look at the background, taking in all the details. It's good fun too spotting which known works of art were the inspiration for various pieces. Sometimes they come up for sale, too - I want that bust of Hephaistion so badly I can taste it.
I was glad they put a sacrifice in. Sacrificial offerings are mentioned so often in the sources, yet it would have been easy for them to overlook that, but they didn't. The bull moment was chilling and very impressive, and in that scene I thought Colin looked his sternest of all.
Fiona
Phoebus wrote:I've watched them all, Fiona. I own the Director's Cut and "Revisited" as well. I may not like the whole product, but no one can say I didn't give it a chance! :)

In fact, when I was watching it the other day, it struck me once more what an eye Stone had for the sets and (most of) the costumes. I have to give credit where credit is due. I still get shivers during the scene where they sacrifice the bull before Gaugamela.
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Phoebus
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Post by Phoebus »

Ah, apologies. The last time I saw the movie, I was watching the theatrical edition. I'm almost positive it's in the other two editions as well, though.
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