Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #857 in DVD
• Released on: 2007-08-06
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Formats: Box set, PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 206 minutes

Synopsis
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. This ‘revisited’ edition boasts an extra 45 minutes of screen time deemed too controversial for cinemas. It’s also the first time we get to see the film as Stone had originally intended it, untainted by studio wrangling.

Customer Reviews

sure begone aih'm the son o, juice am ai not
what a wasted opportunity. what a waste of money. what a waste of Angie jolie in gorgeous ancient greek attire with the snakes and all.
Begin at the end. Good idea Olie ! not. Tell the story in a series of flashbacks. Dead clever, Dead literary, dead movie results.
Don't let's start on the irish accents. Bad idea. Twittering leprechaun Alexander the midget wit de mophead trying to be DEEP at the end of every scene. I wouldn't follow this demigod to the village pub never mind accross THE KNOWN WORLD.
No No this is not a sword and sandal greek tragedy more a hollywood flip flop on a gigantic scale.
Two characters really. Him and his mum, mum and him. The rest as portable scenery, who cares. No narrative drive, no convincing emotional dynamo at the heart of this tale. A few good set pieces, some bloody battles with subtitles.
What a wasted opportunity - obviously in the wake of Gladiators' success but we end up with a contused, sprawling mess of a film that makes Troy actually look like a classic.
All woe and no WOAH.

Solid but uninspiring
This version has a more epic scope to the story and does feel less rushed - the intermission is useful in allowing an opportunity for reflection. Don't be fooled by the "2-disc" tag - it is amongst the worst DVD packages of recent films I can remember for a big-budget production as it is strictly limited to a new introduction from oliver Stone (no commentaries, makings-of documentaries etc). Worth a watch but purchase only if you're a fan of the subject or director as it doesn't provide much value beyond watching the film.

good dvd, a masterpiece:alexander
firstly i must say i have given 5 stars to this film because of its final release.in fact this dvd makes alexander a masterpiece with its runtime and successful acting.i am happy o have this two disc dvd eventhough it does not include any extra except for new introduction by oliver stone.
i think, with this release, alexander is one of the best epics ever.