Alexander: A Review

Alexander, the film released in 2004 under Warner Brothers, is everything but a misleading portrayal of history. Although the film is so short to portray the real life of the legendary conqueror and king, it is not an excuse to misrepresent historical facts and show it to the public, who, in turn, without the correct information, would later on believe that what the film has depicted, is a reality instead of a fiction.

If someone is both aware about history and psychology, that person would understand that the film has been portrayed more from a psychological perspective than being historical having the former more prevalent all throughout the film, though subtler, than having the battles mixed up and incorrect. History indicates that there were four battles against the Persians and not like what the film depicted where Darius lost in a single(first and last) battle. But who puts emphasis on all these details aside from historians? Thus, the public can be easily misled as to the facts because after all, it is not their main concern as the film's purpose is supposed to entertain more than to educate by having it in the “commercial film” category. Consequently, the film did not become a box office hit despite its lead actors. This is a clear indication that people, having implied notions that the film is strict historic, have lost interest in watching it.

Getting back to the lack of historical factuality and having its emphasis on Alexander’s oedipal complex, and Alexander’s feat for conquering fear, the film also emphasizes the legend’s sexuality. Some of the comments on these factors can be noted from the following reviews of the film. "Alexander's ability to master his fears than he is about his military exploits" (Meladze, 2006) and "Alexander and Hephaistion do not get much further than lingering glances and manly hugs that will hardly cause straight guys to throw up."(Carver, 2005) The film is, aside from being fictionalized history, is focused on emotions rather than action. All the same, the viewers have at least the general, though inaccurate, notion of how it was during Alexander’s time.

References

Carver, T. (2005). Oliver Stone's Alexander Warner Bros. and Intermedia Films . Film & History, 35(2), 83+.

Meladze, V. (2006). America's Apocalyptic Rebirth Fantasies in Contemporary Films. The Journal of Psychohistory, 33(3), 232+.