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Alexander Revisited (Unrated Final Cut) (2004)
Starring: Anthony Hopkins, David Bedella Director: Oliver Stone Rating: R
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| Storyline: |
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Alexander The Great was a relentless conqueror who by the age of 32 had amassed the greatest empire the world had ever seen. Past and present collide to form the puzzle of the protagonist, a tapestry of triumphs and tragedies in which childhood memories and Alexander's rise to power unfold side by side with the later day expansion of his empire, its gradual decline and ultimate downfall. From his youth, fueled by dreams of glory and adventure, to his lonely and mysterious death as a ruler of a vast state, from the tumultuous relationship with his parents - a powerful king and a queen determined to put her child on the throne at any cost, including murder - to the rousing "band of brothers" bond with his closest companions and vast army, as they fought from the sun-scorched battlefields of the Persian Empire across the snow-peaked mountains of India, the film chronicles Alexander's journey to become a living legend. For as Virgil wrote, "Fortune favors the bold." And no king or emperor, either before or after, ever achieved such fortune, or indeed was so bold, as Alexander the Great.
Director Oliver Stone chalks up an ambitious entry on his biopic resume (past entries include films about Jim Morrison, Richard Nixon, and JFK among others) with this cinematic treatise on the life of the mighty Alexander the Great. Despite his young death at 32, Alexander packed some unimaginable conquests into his limited years by ruling over a huge chunk of the globe. Stone draws on a voice-over narration provided by Anthony Hopkins, whose character is named Ptolemy, to aurally depict some of the battles. Thus, Stone shifts the weight of the film to focus on the personality of Alexander (Colin Farrell), a man who is stricken by overwhelming personal insecurities that come in direct contrast to his bold achievements. Complex dealings with his mother (Angelina Jolie) and father (Val Kilmer) plague him, as does his turbulent relationship with his wife, Roxane (Rosario Dawson). His connection with his best friend, Hephaestion (Jared Leto), is ambiguous, with Stone touching on their vaunted homosexuality via some shared tender moments. As these personal battles are played out, Ptolemy fills the historic gaps in the narrative by charting the incredible conflicts that raged at Alexander's behest. Eventually, Stone lets loose with an epic on-screen battle, which sees Alexander's troops rumble across India in another country-conquering quest. But while his minions struggle, and Alexander demands success, it becomes clear that he is his own worst enemy. With the only real threat to Alexander coming from a tempestuous struggle with his own ego, Stone's summation of the great historical leader paints a picture of an embittered and solitary figure who was able to rule everyone apart from himself. |
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| Cast & Crew: |
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Starring:
Anthony Hopkins | David Bedella | Jessie Kamm | Angelina Jolie | Val Kilmer | Fiona O'Shaughnessy | Connor Paolo | Patrick Carroll | ...more
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Directed By:
Oliver Stone
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| Technical Information: |
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Genre:
Action/Adventure, Drama, Epic, True Story
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DVD Release Date:
February 27, 2007
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Format: Region 1
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Rating:
R
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Year:
2004
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Regional Coding:
R1:
Will only play on North American Region 1 or multi-region DVD players.
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Number of Discs:
2
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Subtitles:
English, French, Spanish
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Screen Ratio:
Anamorphic (16:9), Widescreen Edition - 2.35:1
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| Sound System: | |
English (Dolby Digital 5.1) | |
Running Time:
214 minutes
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Studio:
Warner Brothers
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UPC/Barcode Number:
085391143512
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Closed-Captioned: Yes
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Color: Yes
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| DVD Features: |
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- Featuring more than 45 minutes of never-before-seen footage, Oliver Stone’s Alexander can now be experienced as he meant it to be seen with this all-new unrated version which brings the film to a heightened level of realism and intensity.
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