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Alexander the Great (1956)

Alexander the Great (1956)
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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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Synopsis of Alexander the Great

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

Theatrical Feature Running Time:
136 mins

Complete Cast of Alexander the Great


Director(s):
Robert Rossen
Writer(s):
Robert Rossen
Producer(s):
Robert Rossen
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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.

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    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.

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    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.

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