Alexander the Great (1956)

the audience applauded

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

How sad is this?

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

Richard Burton is "Alexander the Great" in this 1956 film directed by Robert Rossen. The film also stars Fredric March, Claire Bloom, Danielle Darrieux, Barry Jones, Peter Cushing, and Helmut Dantine.Rossen was a fine director who was blacklisted in the McCarthy era. Here he takes on a very ambitious project, the story of the great military leader Alexander, and it's a bit too ambitious given his budget, time constraints, and the code.Richard Burton in an awful wig does a good job -- his performance has several layers, and he is excellent in the declamatory sections. It was hard to buy him totally as Alexander, though, but that's probably the fault of the film. Fredric March plays Philip, his father and rival, and he's excellent, as are the scenes between father and son. That seems to be the problem with the film -- the relationships are fascinating, and perhaps it was less necessary to concentrate on making a spectacle or epic. Rossen was forced to leave out several battles and combine others.However, there were some striking scenes and moments. Philip's death was one, Alexander walking through the Parthenon, and Alexander seeing his enemies across the river before the Battle of the River Granicus.The film sort of plods along. Alexander's conquests were remarkable for the way they changed entire cultures. But these conquests were massive and you need a three to four hour film. Concentrating on the psychology of Alexander, his father, his mother, and his relationships would have been a better way to go.

I bought this film in the hope that it would deliver an engaging and exciting portrayal of history's greatest king who conquered Europe and Asia at the age of 22. However when i watched it i was disappointed to say the least even the great Richard Burton could not save this dull , unimaginative and slow paced "epic". The battle scenes seem to have been added at the last minute as they come across as shabby and dull. At two hours the film is way too long if it were an hour and a half it would be easier to sit through. The pace of the film does not change its starts off slow and remains slow until the end. Richard Burton tries to deliver an over the top and dramatic portrayal of Alexander but it just feels very out of place here. The film does have some good qualities. It is well shot and the costumes and sets are visually stunning.

First off, I would like to point out that if you are looking for sustained sequences of violence (which, I should note, I do like on certain movies), you will be disappointed. Next, if you are into the pusillanimity of deep character psychoanalysis, you will be disappointed. Lastly, if you are obsessive about historical accuracy, you will probably be distracted. All this said, this movie is awesome! The dialogue is excellent, not too wordy, but elevated in style, in accord with its subject. I have seen some complaints about the acting style, but I find that the acting style here fits the movies well; it reflects the 'serene grandeur' that was the Ancient World. I saw a complaint about the special effects in another review; folks, this movie was made in 1956! Besides, they handled many situations which would otherwise have required special effects quite well; an example would be the part where Alexander kills his friend Clitus towards the end. At any rate, the special effects are not cheesy enough to detract from this movie. To sum, I like this movie for the following reasons:1. The acting is not sentimental. 2. The main events of the movie are not overshadowed by the characters' personal problems/personal quirks. 3. The movie is beautifully filmed. 4. Like Classical history books, this movie does not drive the details of battles into the ground, but focuses on relationships between players and on the political and personal causes of things. 5. The dialogue and story line are concise. 6. The few sexual innuendos are tastefully handled; you can show this one to a sixth-grade history class and you might only have to forward through one part because of the dialogue, NOT nudity or suggestive behaviour.All-in-all, a great movie, and I am glad my mom got this one for me for a gift; it is a great addition to my library of movies about Ancient Rome and Greece.

Richard Burton played many historical roles as:mark Anthony,Alexander the great,Trotsky,he was very genius in this kind of roles because this kind is the factual examen for the good actor and this role of Alexander is the base of the better (Mark Anthony)in his history He is looks like Alexander in his shape and he played his role in goodly way that transport the short life of Alexander in 150 minutes but the film left the story of entering Egypt and Iraq and it made a spotlight on the life of him and the analysis of hopeless case of his character as the same of the story of hamlet who was sadness from his mother