While it may have been a film of epic proportions in its day with well-known actors in the starring roles, a period of fifty years has destroyed all the original magic which may have been associated with this production.
Watching it on TV with all the advertisements destroying any flow of the story, it was a painful 3 hours. I have to admit I included lunch and a short snooze in the viewing time, but it still was a marathon experience.
I always understood that the most remarkable feature of Alexander was his extreme youth, and yet he became the great conqueror defeating so many well-established armies. If we accept this, then Richard Burton being somewhat older was totally miscast.
I was not moved by any of the scenes portrayed in this film. While the costumes and architecture seemed to me to be accurate in detail, the individual scenes were like photographs in a high school text book. Even maps were used to show the advance of the army of warriors. In a word everything seemed so distant and I really cared very little about the outcome of arguments or physical violence among any of the characters. And there was the stentorian delivery of the major speeches which seemed to be devoid of any sincerity.
And as for the sculpted wigs with not a hair out of place, they were positively embarrassing. Perhaps the director wanted it that way. Perhaps he wanted his warriors to appear as if they had stepped out of a classical Greek sculpture.
I think this whole film goes to prove you need more than a group of top ranking stars and a cast of thousands to create a triumphant spectacle that will stand the test of time.
Watching it on TV with all the advertisements destroying any flow of the story, it was a painful 3 hours. I have to admit I included lunch and a short snooze in the viewing time, but it still was a marathon experience.
I always understood that the most remarkable feature of Alexander was his extreme youth, and yet he became the great conqueror defeating so many well-established armies. If we accept this, then Richard Burton being somewhat older was totally miscast.
I was not moved by any of the scenes portrayed in this film. While the costumes and architecture seemed to me to be accurate in detail, the individual scenes were like photographs in a high school text book. Even maps were used to show the advance of the army of warriors. In a word everything seemed so distant and I really cared very little about the outcome of arguments or physical violence among any of the characters. And there was the stentorian delivery of the major speeches which seemed to be devoid of any sincerity.
And as for the sculpted wigs with not a hair out of place, they were positively embarrassing. Perhaps the director wanted it that way. Perhaps he wanted his warriors to appear as if they had stepped out of a classical Greek sculpture.
I think this whole film goes to prove you need more than a group of top ranking stars and a cast of thousands to create a triumphant spectacle that will stand the test of time.