Alexander the Great (1956) Reviews

Alexander the Great (1956)
Member Rating:  
The short life and quick death of Alexander the Great is recounted in this literate historical epic. Decked out in a blonde wig, Richard Burton stars as the Grecian warrior who conquered the known world while only in his twenties, then wept because there were no more worlds left to conquer. While the film's 141 minutes are occasionally bogged down by near-existential dialogue sequences (What doth it profit a man etc. etc.), the battle sequences are among the best and most accurate ever filmed. Fredric March and Danielle Darieux costar as Alexander's parents Philip of Macedonia and Olympius, Claire Bloom does what she can with the nothing role of Alexander's wife Barsine, and Michael Hordern and Harry Andrews are cast as Demosthenes and Darrius, respectively. Lensed in Spain and Italy, Alexander the Great conquered no new worlds at the box-office, perhaps because Richard Burton, brilliant though he was, hadn't yet attained "saleability". ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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Starring:
Richard Burton, Fredric March, (more)
Director(s):
Robert Rossen
Format(s):
DVD
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Average Ratings

(7 member reviews)  

Member Reviews

Alexandria M.

This movie is so-so. It's not great, it's not bad, it's not awesome, it's not crappy. I didn't really like Richard Burton as Alexander. He over acted some parts too much and some parts not enough. I liked watching the guy who plays Philip much more. He seemed to really get into his character and made him work for the time that he was in the film. The battle scenes are anemic compared to what we're used to today and even for that time I think left a bit to be desired in that realm. The dialogue could be a bit silly in places and odd in some other parts. I would say, and this had it going for it, it's no worse than the modern version of Alexander with Colin Farrell. To me it seems like Stone watched this movie and only updated it instead of revamping it.

Yes   |   No


Bryan N.

This particular version of Alexander the Great is disappointing. The movie was made in 1956 and, due to various censorship guidelines in place at the time, could not really capture the beauty and mystique that was Alexander the Great. The battle sequences are poorly made; the actors mediocre; the history half-told. In my opinion, there has never been a really GREAT movie about Alexander the Great. Of the movies that do exist, this is one of the worst.

Yes   |   No


Norma W.

Given the year this movie was made and the constraints then on showing Alexander's real life and character, I suppose it's understandable that this movie couldn't depict him in depth. However, the whole film was so superficial that what it did was succeed in making a very fascinating historical figure merely dull. It has a fantastic cast but the script is mediocre. Bad writing and lack of character development cannot be saved by a good cast. The intent was to make a Cinemascope spectacular. What they made is a boring and, at times, unintentionally funny movie. The least they could have done was manage to find some decent wigs for the cast! I hope someday a movie is made that conveys the real scope and importance of Alexander's life.

Yes   |   No


Glenn B.

I recently BOUGHT this dog at a yard sale for $2...what a waste! If you wanna see Dick clanking his short sword around try renting Cleopatra instead. Then, at least you can drool over Liz in her prime!

Yes   |   No


Laura B.

Well, since Blockbuster sent me a disc too scratched to watch, and then when they "resent" it, they sent me the wrong movie (the recent "Alexander") I can't give this one a rating. If I could get someone from Blockbuster to actually check the disc before sending it, I'd try a 3rd time, but I don't want to keep wasting queue space.

Yes   |   No


Jeffrey P.

As usual, when there are two movies with similar titles, Blockbuster sends the wrong one. I tried twice; both times the sleeve was as advertised, but the disk inside was just Oliver Stone's much-maligned work "Alexander." Don't bother ordering this until Blockbuster _really_ stocks it.

Yes   |   No


Steffen O T.

old + worse

Yes   |   No


 
 
 

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    Alexandria M.

    This movie is so-so. It's not great, it's not bad, it's not awesome, it's not crappy. I didn't really like Richard Burton as Alexander. He over acted some parts too much and some parts not enough. I liked watching the guy who plays Philip much more. He seemed to really get into his character and made him work for the time that he was in the film. The battle scenes are anemic compared to what we're used to today and even for that time I think left a bit to be desired in that realm. The dialogue could be a bit silly in places and odd in some other parts. I would say, and this had it going for it, it's no worse than the modern version of Alexander with Colin Farrell. To me it seems like Stone watched this movie and only updated it instead of revamping it.

    Yes   |   No

     
    Bryan N.

    This particular version of Alexander the Great is disappointing. The movie was made in 1956 and, due to various censorship guidelines in place at the time, could not really capture the beauty and mystique that was Alexander the Great. The battle sequences are poorly made; the actors mediocre; the history half-told. In my opinion, there has never been a really GREAT movie about Alexander the Great. Of the movies that do exist, this is one of the worst.

    Yes   |   No

     
    Norma W.

    Given the year this movie was made and the constraints then on showing Alexander's real life and character, I suppose it's understandable that this movie couldn't depict him in depth. However, the whole film was so superficial that what it did was succeed in making a very fascinating historical figure merely dull. It has a fantastic cast but the script is mediocre. Bad writing and lack of character development cannot be saved by a good cast. The intent was to make a Cinemascope spectacular. What they made is a boring and, at times, unintentionally funny movie. The least they could have done was manage to find some decent wigs for the cast! I hope someday a movie is made that conveys the real scope and importance of Alexander's life.

    Yes   |   No

     
    Read All 7 Reviews
       

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