| Alexander the Great | 
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Avg. Customer Rating:   (based on 29 reviews)
Sales Rank: 19047
Category: DVD
Actors: Richard Burton, Fredric March, Claire Bloom, Danielle Darrieux, Barry Jones
Director: Robert Rossen
Publisher: MGM (Video & DVD)
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Brand: TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENT
Label: MGM (Video & DVD)
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dubbed, Dvd-video, Subtitled, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), French (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), Spanish (Dubbed)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Media: DVD
Running Time: 141 minutes
Number Of Items: 1
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: MGMD1007058D
ISBN: 0792862058
UPC: 027616911995
EAN: 9780792862055
ASIN: B0002KPHW4
Release Date: October 19, 2004
Theatrical Release Date: 1956
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Description
Fierce military commander, magnificent warrior, world conqueror. Legendary Macedonian hero Alexander the Great is celebrated in this definitive film about his tumultuous life. Richard Burton, FredricMarch and Claire Bloom lead a "remarkable cast" (Leonard Maltin) of thousands in this epic film that seamlessly blends spectacular action, vivid character portrayals and an age-old tale of wisdom, blood and glory! Alexander (Burton) is a man torn by conflict between the lofty wisdom of histeacher, Aristotle (Barry Jones), loyalty to his warrior father (March) and his own grand design for world domination. In a turbulent world of political unrest, this ambitious young man must rise above all conflict to unite the continents of Europe and Asia and become one of the most celebrated rulers of all time!
Amazon.com
Richard Burton stars in Alexander the Great, a middling entry in the 1950s CinemaScope epic cycle. The film boasts excellent production values and a fine cast--including Frederic March, Claire Bloom, Harry Andrews, Stanley Baker, Peter Cushing, Michael Hordern--but rarely comes to life other than as a big fat ancient Greek wedding of the talents of Burton and Bloom. They strike real dramatic sparks together, so much so they would be reunited in Look Back in Anger (1958) and The Spy Who Came In from the Cold (1965). Otherwise the blame must be laid at the feet of writer-director-producer Robert Rossen, who never before or after helmed anything remotely on this scale; his best work would follow with the intimate The Hustler (1961). Rossen simply shows little sensibility for the epic, staging lavish but brief and rather pedestrian battles, and somehow drawing from the usually mesmerizing Burton a performance lacking the charisma essential to a great military commander. Burton fans can enjoy him at his epic best as Marc Anthony in Cleopatra (1963). --Gary S. Dalkin
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| Customer Reviews: Read 24 more reviews...
 Alexander the Great October 5, 2008
This is a better movie then the new one they made with Colin Farell. It is more refreshing to watch a movie that is easier to understand about the history then the confusing flashbacks that do not explain enough.
 Source Material June 3, 2008
I remember from my youth the comic book being way better than the film. Watching as an adult only reaffirmed my childhood acumen as a critic. This movie is so amazingly boring it made me long for the comic book and a Vicodin. Failing that, I found the remote and put this epic on permanent pause.
Greek history December 10, 2007
A much better movie than the recent version. Add it your collection or a makes a nice gift for that Ancient History major you may know.
 Alexander the Lesser October 18, 2007
I'm a moderate fan of Fredric March and I happened to notice that he was in this movie so I watched it. As the movie unfolded, I had a hard time believing that he would participate in this film of near-epic length. He plays the role of Phillip, the father of Alexander and manages to appear through nearly half of the movie. We get a sort of Oedipal understanding of Alexander and his parents which adds nothing to the movie. The role of Phillip requires that March convey a robust masculine appearance which, at this stage of his life, required as much make-up as acting ability. On the other hand, once we get a look at Richard Burton as the adult Alexander, we can't see anything but his curly blond hair. I mention these things because this lengthly movie tends to underscore the importance of costume, makeup, coiffering, sets, special effects, etc. by doing such a sloppy job with each. The story is disjointed and might have survived impressing the pre-teen male audience if it at least had some powerful battle scenes. However, each battle shows us a mass of soldiers on horse and afoot who hold their swords in the air and occassionally swing them about weakly. Nobody seems to be agressive (or even assertive) in these encounters. They seem more like commuters trying to get through Grand Central Station at rush hour; they don't mean to hurt anyone but they're too busy trying to get through the crowd to care if they do. I have to admit that I am confessing my own personal short-comings by acknowledging that I watched the entired 135 minutes of this farce. However, in the interest of movie lovers everywhere, I did it so as to be able to warn you not to make the same mistake I did.
Rossen the Lesser July 26, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The faux Shakespearian dialog by Robert Rossen not only induced me to chuckle but it has the unfortunate effect of inspiring Richard Burton to give a bellowing, mannered performance -- maybe hoping to distract from his pitifully non-athletic physique and grotesque blonde wig.
The direction, also by Robert Rossen, reminds me of the worse of the old Italian sword-and-sandals films with failed efforts to make a cast of tens seem larger and make cheap sets to look lived-in.
The history is mix of authentic and questionable, but the vital importance of military tactics has been reduced to simple brute force in cheaply staged battle scenes.
Lovely French icon Danielle Darrieux (in a dark wig -- contrary to Burton) comes off best as the embittered and ambitious mother of Alexander. She and the 'famous moments of legend' earn any positive rating I give this.
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