Alexander - Movie Historical Accuracy

Alexander Movie Historical Accuracy Essay Alexander the Great Who is Alexander and why is he so great? Born in Pella in 356 BC (Central Macedonia, Greece) Alexander was one of the most successful military commanders in history, winning his first battle at the age of 16. By the age of 20 he was the king of his homeland Macedonia succeeding his father Philip II after he was assassinated. By 25 Alexander had conquered the known world (from Greece, Egypt to Pakistan). British Historian Tom Holland described him as ‘the ultimate conqueror’ The Film The film is based on Alexander the Great, the military commander and King of Macedonia, and his life experiences, hardships and triumphs. Directed by Oliver Stone, the cast included Colin Farrell, Anthony Hopkins, Angelina Jolie, Val Kilmer and Jared Leto and was shot in locations such as England, Morocco and Thailand. Overall the historical action film received poor ratings. 16% from Rotten Tomatoes, 2/4 from Roger Ebert, 5.5/10 from IMDb and 39% from Metacritic. Bucephalus Alexander commemorated his conquests by naming over 70 military forts Alexandria, after himself and 1 Bucephala for his horse Bucephalus. Bucephalus originally was strong and untameable by even King Phillips best riders however a 13 year old Alexander tames the stallion, realising the horse is afraid of its own shadow he turns it towards the sun. Bucephalus served Alexander in numerous battles but died due to fatal injuries at the Battle of the Hydaspes (June 326 BC). The film captures the taming and death of Bucephalus perfectly according to historical accounts in 344 BC. Ptolemy The film begins with Ptolemy as he narrates Alexanders story, reciting his memories to a scribe in Alexandria, Egypt. Ptolemy (367 BC – c. 283 BC) actually fought alongside Alexander in his conquests as a Macedonian general and became ruler of Egypt in 323 BC. In the film Ptolemy refers to the hero as â€Å"Alexander the Great,† however history shows that the â€Å"Great† was not added until much later, in Roman times. Alexanders Parents Stone recreated the scarred right eye of Alexanders father, Philip II as he lost his eye to a Greek arrow during the siege of Methone in 354B.C. Alexanders mother Olympias convinced Alexander that Phillip was not his father and that he was the son of Zeus himself, when one night in the form of a snake he impregnated her. Angelina Jolie’s portrayal is very historically similar to Olympias, who was the fourth of Philips seven wives and was believed to kill Philip or hire someone to kill him in 336 BC. Battle Scene Alexander had to fight the battle of Granicus, Siege of Tyre, Issus and Gaugamela to eventually beat King Darius however the film only has 1 battle which is actually an amalgamation of two battles fought between the them (Gaugamela and Issus). The Macedonian military equipment seen in the battle was accurately reproduced due to the director’s historical consultant Fiona Greenland, an oxford graduate. However in the film, Alexander wore a lions-head helmet. According to Plutarch, Alexander wore a burnished iron helmet molded for him by the Greek craftsman Theophilus. Stone apparently decided to fashion a battle helmet based on later representation of Alexander as Heracles. Additionally there is an outstanding representation of the Macedonian infantry phalanx wielding their 17ft long spears. Before the Battle Before the battle, Alexander says to the Macedonians â€Å"for the glory of Greece.† Ancient sources however write that Alexander didn’t fight for Greece but for Macedonia. Three ancient historians detailed Alexander’s speech to the army before the battle and each one of them made a clear distinction between Greeks, Macedonians, Thracians and Illyrians as four distinct civilizations that made Alexanders army. This created confusion throughout Oliver Stone’s film whether the people from Macedon differed from other Greeks. Ironically the film synopsis indicates a distinction between Macedonians and Greeks. It reads: â€Å"Alexander led his virtually invincible Greek and Macedonian troops.† http://www.historyofmacedonia.org/AncientMacedonia/AlexandertheGreat.html http://www.biography.com/people/alexander-the-great-9180468 http://www.britannica.com/biography/Alexander-the-Great http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/alexander_the_great.shtml http://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/alexander-the-great http://www.ancient.eu/Alexander_the_Great/ http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/alexanderdeath.htm http://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/video/472665667520/secret-life-of-alexander-the-great https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ptolemy_I_Soter https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Alexander_the_Great https://www.archaeological.org/pdfs/papers/AIA_Alexander_Review.pdf http://www.boxofficemojo.com/features/?id=1601 http://www.historyofmacedonia.org/AlexanderOliverStone.html http://www.moviemistakes.com/film4636/corrections https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_(2004_film) https://prezi.com/i_s3bsfd388w/was-the-movie-alexander-the-great-historically-accurate-and/ https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070520132655AAvGt9v http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0346491/ Books: Jennifer Lawlwss Unlocking the past: Preliminary Studies in the Ancient World (1996) Jennifer Lawlwss Unlocking the past: 2nd Edition Toni Hurley Antiquity textbook Louise Chipley Slavicek Heroes and Villains: Alexander the Great (2005) Michael Wood In the footsteps of Alexander the Great (2001) Laura Foreman – The epic story of the warrior king Alexander the Conqueror Steven Pressfield The Virtues of War: A Novel of Alexander the Great (2004) Paul Anthony Cartledge Alexander the Great (2004) Nicholas Geoffrey Lemprià ¨re Hammond The Genius of Alexander the Great (1997) Michael Alvear Alexander the Great: The Man Who Brought the World to Its Knees (2004)