Alexander the Great (1956)

Director:

Robert Rossen

Writer:

Robert Rossen (written by)

Release Date:

31 August 1956 (West Germany)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | History

Tagline:

The colossus who conquered the world!

Plot:

An epic film that follows the life of Alexander the Great, the macedonian king that united all ancient...

Plot Keywords:

Empire | Epic | King | Macedonian | Persian

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Richard Burton	...	Alexander
Fredric March	...	Philip of Macedonia
Claire Bloom	...	Barsine
Danielle Darrieux	...	Olympias
Barry Jones	...	Aristotle
Harry Andrews	...	Darius
Stanley Baker	...	Attalus
Niall MacGinnis	...	Parmenio (as Niall Macginnis)
Peter Cushing	...	Memnon
Michael Hordern	...	Demosthenes
Marisa de Leza	...	Eurydice (as Marisa De Leza)
Gustavo Rojo	...	Cleitus
Rubén Rojo	...	Philotas (as Ruben Rojo)
Peter Wyngarde	...	Pausanias
Helmut Dantine	...	Nectenabus

Also Known As:

Alejandro Magno (Spain)
Alexander den store (Finland: Swedish title) (Sweden) [sv]
Alexander der Große (Austria) (West Germany) [de]
Aleksander Wielki (Poland) [pl]
Aleksanteri Suuri (Finland) [fi]
Alessandro il grande (Italy) [it]
Alexander den store (Denmark) [da]
Alexandre le grand (France) [fr]
Alexandre, o Grande (Portugal) [pt]
Büyük Iskender (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
O megas Alexandros (Greece) [el]

Runtime:

136 min (TCM print) | Spain:143 min | USA:135 min (Turner Library Print) | USA:141 min

Country:

USA | Spain

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.55 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | West Germany:12 (f) | USA:Approved (PCA #17782) | New Zealand:G | Australia:PG | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:15 | UK:U | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

El Molar, Madrid, Spain

Company:

C.B. Films S.A.

Trivia:

Charlton Heston turned down the title role, adding "Alexander is the easiest kind of picture to make badly".

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When the Macedonian horsemen attack Darius' soldiers, one the the spear tips clearly bends in a way that shows it to be made of rubber.

Quotes:

Nectenabus: There were signs of greatness at his birth! Quakes and storms shook the earth - and in the skies, a star fell... and two eagles perched upon the roof of the Queen's chamber. And in far-off Asia... the Temple of Ephesus was struck by lightning and burnt to the ground.
Philip of Macedonia: And how did you read these signs, soothsayer?
Nectenabus: The two eagles - that he was born to rule two worlds. The burning of the Temple - that a torch was kindled that day that would one day consume all the world. And this torch... your son.
Philip of Macedonia: And the falling of the star?
[...]

Movie Connections:

Version of Alexander (2004)

A philosophical epic

I have always been fascinated by the short and violent life of Alexander of Macedonia, which of course makes me biased in reviewing this film. It has been said of this film that Robert Rossen, who produced, wrote and directed this film, was aiming for a masterpiece but failed honorably. While this is true in a way, I still enjoyed it more than that. This movie is not fast in pace, and the direction is not perfect either, but it feels authentic. I'm sure that not everything portrayed is true to history (does anyone really care?), but it is convincing, and the acting is solid. Richard Burton is a very good Alexander, and he adds a lot of subtle edges to this enigmatic figure from history (just ignore the silly blond wig...) All in all, Alexander the Great is a good film, perhaps too ambitious, and even though it is not very accessible to viewers not familiar with the territory, it is still quite dramatic, convincing and enjoyable if you like historical epics. And even though the film doesn't ask you to care too much about the characters, it is still an interesting, intellectual, and high minded story you probably will not forget. If you keep in mind that it is the events of history that are really on display here, and not so much the individual players, you may enjoy it as I did.