ALEXANDER by Oliver Stone
by Andre Soares
Alexander (2004) 
Director: Oliver Stone. Screenplay: Oliver Stone, Christopher Kyle, and Laeta Kalogridis. Cast: Colin Farrell, Angelina Jolie, Val Kilmer, Jared Leto, Anthony Hopkins, Rosario Dawson, Christopher Plummer
MEGASNIVELER
Two-time Academy Award winning director Oliver Stone is no stranger to controversy. His latest polemic comes courtesy of the director’s first historical epic, Alexander, the story of the Macedonian ruler who conquered most of the world known to the Ancient Greeks. The arguments thrown about both for and against the film are due to the fact that this (reportedly) US$150,000,000 production officially boasts a bisexual hero who not only is the supreme commander of a conquering army, but who also slaughters his enemies with the type of superhuman fearlessness that would put to shame the heterosexual-est of movie heroes of past and present.
Will audiences accept a homoerotically inclined hero? Was Alexander really attracted to men? Although these are pertinent questions, they rapidly fade into the background as we sit through the film’s nearly three-hour running time. Since Alexander’s homoeroticism is only hinted at mostly via some embarrassing dialogue and several lovey-dovey looks the megalomaniac conqueror directs at his right-hand man, we spend our time wondering about other matters: We ask ourselves how many of the film’s historical events are actually true (several are condensed or fabricated); we marvel at how CGI has improved since Gladiator; we admire Angelina Jolie’s magnetic star presence; we puzzle over the casting of a bleached-blond (bewigged?) Colin Farrell as the Macedonian hero — but for the most part, we look at our watches, for Alexander is no more than a bloated, misguided attempt at mixing epic filmmaking, sociopolitical commentary, and heavy psychological drama. As a result of its own incertitude, Alexander ends up failing on virtually all counts.
Oliver Stone, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Christopher Kyle and Laeta Kalogridis, attempts to show us a complex, multifaceted Alexander — but one we must love and admire. Alexander may be a despot, but he is a despot with good intentions. Like another well-intentioned film despot, the King of Qin of Zhang Yimou’s Ying Xiong / Hero, Stone’s Alexander is guided by a lofty goal: to unify all the peoples of his world. Whether they want to be unified or not is irrelevant. The emperor knows best — and Stone often sides with him (something that comes as a major surprise from a director well known for his liberal views).
Thus, if Stone’s Alexander seems much too obsessed with his next conquest, it is because he is the innocent victim of a highly dysfunctional family, and not because he is a supreme megalomaniac. If he executes those who rebel against his tyranny, it is all for the good of the empire. Just in case we find those (and other) deeds a tad too revolting, Stone tries to soften his hero. Unlike Richard Burton’s macho Alexander in Robert Rossen’s dreary 1956 production, Colin Farrell’s Macedonian ruler has no qualms about displaying both his "masculine" and his "feminine" sides: he rules, he cries, he murders, he whines, he grows long blond curls, and he may even enjoy sex with men as well as with women. Instead of complex, however, this Alexander appears merely confused. Ultimately, we reach the final credits knowing more about Stone’s Alexandrian fetish than about the inner workings of the film’s protagonist.
Alexander begins with an homage to Citizen Kane, in which a ring falls from the hand of the dying emperor. The similarities to Orson Welles’ analysis of another deeply flawed historical figure end there. Fast forward several decades to Alexandria, Egypt, where Ptolemy (a mechanical Anthony Hopkins), self-proclaimed king of Egypt and one of Alexander’s former generals, recounts the life story of his former leader. We then travel back in time to Macedon, a kingdom (located in today’s northern Greece) ruled by the vulgar, bullish Philip, played in overreaching fashion by a one-eyed Val Kilmer. (Next to Kilmer’s, Fredric March’s overripe Philip in the 1956 film seems like a model of underplaying.)
An official descendant of the demigod Heracles (and by extension, of Zeus), King Philip drinks by the gallon, carouses with both males and females, and clearly has no concept of the meaning of the word "bath." When not participating in orgies or battling one fellow Hellenic tribe or another, the king abuses his Russian-accented wife, Olympias, campily played by a stunning-looking Angelina Jolie. A cunning, manipulative witch with a taste for big, long snakes, and a yen for her little boy, Alexander (Jessie Kamm), Olympias is no stupid queen. This ancient Lady Macbeth knows that her son’s allegiance is all-important for her political — and even her physical — survival. Thus, she is always reminding the young Alexander that no one loves him as much as she does, while adding that his real father is Zeus — not the battle-scarred, one-eyed slob in the next palatial room.
With parents like those two, it is no wonder that Alexander grows up to be a confused teen. He loves his mother but feels stifled by her at the same time; he loves his father but is revolted by Philip’s animalistic behavior. (As a child, he had witnessed dad trying to rape mom). Matters worsen when the king impregnates and marries another woman. Both Alexander’s position as heir to the throne and his life are now threatened.
Fast forward to the Battle of Gaugamela (in today’s northern Iraq), where Alexander is discussing war strategies with his generals and counselors. His father murdered by a traitor (Olympias may have had a hand in Philip’s assassination) and all potential rivals to the throne murdered at his command, Alexander has become the supreme ruler of the Macedonian empire, which now stretches all the way to the border with Persia. Without a Macedonian equivalent of Freud to help him sort through his Oedipus complex, his father-son complex, his demigod aspirations, and other assorted neuroses, Alexander has turned into an overachiever who is compelled to go on conquering whichever land he finds in his way. That will keep him as far from Mother’s bosom as possible, while proving to himself and to Father in Hades that he is indeed worthy.
According to Alexander’s own reasoning, however, he keeps on expanding his empire because the people of West Asia and elsewhere need a civilizing hand to free them from their barbarian ways. Obviously, the screenwriters are making an analogy to current U.S. policies in that part of the world, and the script is peppered with reminders that history is (somewhat) repeating itself. Those include Aristotle’s (Christopher Plummer) warning, "The East has a way of swallowing men and their dreams," and Alexander’s dreamily affirmation that those barbarians are ready for "change." (One crucial difference between Alexander and today’s chickenhawks, however, is that the Macedonian king actively participated in the battles, chopping off arms and heads right along with his soldiers.)
The Battle of Gaugamela — impaled bodies, severed limbs, decapitations — is shot with brutal realism. We are offered both panoramic views of the conflict and bloody closeups of the slaughter. Although technically well done (and quite disturbing, when one realizes that so much remains the same in terms of human savagery), the battle sequence suffers from a crucial miscalculation. That is the casting of Colin Farrell, who lacks the necessary charisma to make us believe that all those men would follow him for thousands of miles to risk life and limb in a fight against a much more powerful enemy, Darius’ Persian Empire. Farrell looks particularly out of place when his artificial Alexander of the Great Blond Curls is juxtaposed with the Darius of Israeli-born actor Raz Degan, a good example of a performer who actually looks the part of an ancient king.
As the film progresses, Alexander’s (usually off-screen) achievements continue until he is forced to stop after a disastrous battle in India, but Alexander the movie achieves precious little after Gaugamela. True, Babylon looks incredibly real, and the second and final on-screen battle offers some gruesomely realistic moments of elephant trunks being cut off, plus the usual impaled human and equine bodies. Though hardly pleasant, the Indian battle sequence retains our attention, which is more than can be said for the inane arguments, soulful speeches, drunken whining, and longing looks that take place elsewhere in the film.
The aforementioned longing looks are exchanged between Alexander and Hephaistion (Jared Leto), considered by many historians to have been the Emperor’s one true romantic love. (Others dispute the theory; there is no full-proof evidence either way.) In those moments, Stone is wink-winking at us that those long-haired guys actually do it when they are not on camera. But if that is so, wouldn’t something a little more intimate than a chaste hug be called for while the cameras are rolling? Well, yes, except that this is a costly film, and Stone and his backers would rather not offend homophobic ticket buyers. The problem with this reticence is that it comes across as wishy-washiness, which is hardly the type of sensibility one would normally attribute to Oliver Stone. And really, would a kiss between Alexander and Hephaistion disgust audiences even more than those pathetic "baby-I-love-you-so" glances?
Not helping matters is the screenwriters’ failure to create flesh-and-blood characters out of Alexander’s love interests, Hephaistion and Roxane. The former is less an individual than a hint to Alexander’s sexuality. Lost in time and space, Jared Leto, all mascara and no role, plays the one-dimensional Best Friend as a smoldering cross between a Malibu surfer and a Valley girl.
As for Alexander’s potential heir-provider, the Bactrian princess Roxane, Rosario Dawson cuts a striking figure whether clothed or naked, but we never understand why she, of all Asian princesses, is chosen to be the emperor’s breeding partner. (And what is a black actress doing in the role of a Central Asian woman?) A bizarre Hispano-Finnish accent notwithstanding — "Do you luff heem?" an angry Roxane asks Alexander about you-know-who — Dawson plays the non-role with more gusto than it deserves. (Unsurprisingly, Stone has no problem with showing Alexander and Roxane’s laughably kinky wedding night.)
Having so much ground to cover, Stone and his fellow screenwriters probably believed they should not spend too much time with those supporting characters, but by failing to make Hephaistion and Roxane real people the filmmakers have diluted the psychological essence of their protagonist while robbing Alexander of some much needed emotional depth.
With Alexander, Oliver Stone has missed a $150,000,000 opportunity to create a sweeping psycho-historical epic that would resonate in the 21st century. By not knowing whether Alexander should be a hagiography or a demystifying biopic, Stone leaves us as befuddled as his hero — a shadowy nonentity that is neither god nor human. Curiously, several Greek attorneys have reportedly threatened to sue Stone and Warner Bros. for the filmmakers’ (veiled) portrayal of Alexander as a bisexual ruler. That being the case, those lawyers might want to spend their time doing something more productive than going after a pretentious B-movie that doesn’t quite know where it stands or what it stands for.
In Alexandria, Egypt, (self-proclaimed king) Ptolemy recounts the life and times of his former leader, Alexander, the Great (356-323 BCE). Worshiped by his mother, Olympias (Angelina Jolie), who claims he is the son of Zeus, and despised by his brutish one-eyed father, King Philip of Macedon (Val Kilmer), the young Alexander is torn between love and hatred for both. Dreaming of proving his worth to his father and of achieving independence from his mother, Alexander yearns for the day when he will be as glorious a hero as his mythical ancestors, Achilles and the demigod Heracles/Hercules.
With the death of his father, murdered by a traitor, Alexander (Colin Farrell) rises to the throne. Eight years later, at Gaugamela, near Babylon, his army comes face to face with the army of King Darius of Persia (Raz Degan), whom Alexander accuses of being the man responsible for the murder of King Philip. A lengthy, bloody battle ensues. Knowing when to retreat, the Persian king flees. Shortly thereafter, Alexander marches into Babylon as a welcome blend of conqueror and liberator. Even so, the Macedonian hero has no time to settle down, for Darius is still on the loose and much of the world is begging to be liberated through bloody warfare.
Foremost in Alexander’s mind, is the capture of Darius. The Macedonian king eventually finds the Persian king-turned-fugitive, but has no need to kill him. Darius’ own men have already performed the good deed. At that point, Alexander’s men become restless. In their view, the mission has been accomplished: Persia has fallen. They want to go home to their families. Still lusting for eternal glory, however, Alexander is adamant. He must conquer — or, in Alexandrian parlance, free — the world. Only his beloved Hephaistion (Jared Leto) is always on his side.
Against the wishes of his captains and counselors, Alexander marries a Bactrian princess, Roxane (Rosario Dawson), whose chief purpose is to breed a Euro-Asian heir and thus unite all the peoples of the empire. Then it is time to move on to India. Alexander’s troops cross mountains and valleys, deserts and forests, as they follow their indefatigable leader. Not surprisingly, they eventually get tired of all that marching. Internal rebellions lead to a series of executions, but worse yet, a misguided attack against a local Indian kingdom ends disastrously. For the first time, a seriously wounded Alexander is forced to retreat.
A return to Babylon is no happier, especially after the death of Hephaistion. At 32, Alexander has fought one battle too many. The end is now near.
DVD:
Alexander Region 1 DVD (U.S. / Canada / U.S. territories) release date: August 2, 2005.
Both the original theatrical movie and a director’s cut version will be available on DVD.
The director’s cut version includes:
- Oliver Stone’s new vision of the film (which apparently turns the film’s sexually ambiguous Alexander into a clear-cut heterosexual hero)
- New and extended scenes
List price: US$19.95.
Two-disc Director’s Cut features
- The above-mentioned features, plus
- Over 1 hour of behind-the-scenes bonus materials
- Documentaries and a soundtrack featurette
- CD ROM enabled: Set tours of Alexander
List price: US$22.95.
A Warner Home Video release.
Notes:
Director Baz Luhrmann (Strictly Ballroom, Moulin Rouge!) has, at least for the time being, scrapped his plans to direct another film version of the life of Alexander, the Great. Leonardo DiCaprio was to have played the role of the Macedonian conqueror.
Much about the life and death of Alexander is pure conjecture, as there are no surviving written works about him that date back to his time. Bits and pieces of contemporary writings were later used in the works of other authors, but those date centuries after Alexander’s death and are not to be taken at face value.
Many historians agree that Alexander most probably died of typhoid fever, though some argue that he may have been poisoned.
According to historical descriptions, Hephaistion (356-324 BCE) was bigger than Alexander. In Stone’s film, Alexander’s companion is played by Jared Leto, who looks smaller than Colin Farrell.
"[Alexander was] a dashing warrior king who had a vision of compassion, generosity of spirit and peace. He was not a needless killer, he was not a butcher. At times he did massacre, but these were hard times. He did so with a purpose, with a reason." Oliver Stone, as quoted by the Associated Press.
The Guardian has reported that what was left of Babylon has been "substantially damaged" by U.S. and Polish troops during the war in Iraq. In April 2003, just prior to the invasion to topple Saddam Hussein, U.S. commanders set up a "military depot" in Babylon. Five months later, the base was handed over to a Polish-led force. A report compiled by the British Museum states that U.S. and Polish military vehicles crushed 2,600-year-old pavements in the city, and that archaeological fragments were used to fill sand bags.
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL
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