Huge historical war epic about the greatest general of all time (there are 4 versions of the film)

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Huge historical war epic about the greatest general of all

In the 2000s, monumental films experienced a renaissance in cinemas. Inspired by the success of Gladiator, several historical blockbusters were released in cinemas epic battles and intrigues told. Along with Troy and the Kingdom of Heaven, Alexander is the most famous representative of this era.

Oliver Stone tells the story of Alexander the Great as an epic historical war film

The story of Alexander the Great begins with a horrific crime: the assassination of King Philip II (Val Kilmer). Then the just 20-year-old Alexander (Colin Farrell) becomes the Ruler of Macedonia and embarks on a campaign of conquest that takes him from India to Egypt.

Under the watchful eye of his mother Olympia (Angelina Jolie), he develops into a fearless warrior. Faithfully at his side is his best friend Hephaistion (Jared Leto) and his wife Roxane (Rosario Dawson). But little by little Alexander loses the trust of his men in battle falls for wine.

You can watch the trailer for Alexander here:

Alexander – Trailer (German)

Oliver Stone is behind Alexander as director. With the Film adaptation of history he knows his stuff very well. Many of his films revolve around historical events, be it the assassination of John F. Kennedy (JFK – Tatort Dallas), the Vietnam War (Platoon) or the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 (World Trade Center).

But he wasn’t happy with Alexander for a long time. He returned to the cutting room several times, to rework the huge film. There are now four different versions of Alexander, starting with the cinema version, which was released in cinemas worldwide in 2004. She shouldn’t be the only one.

All versions of Alexander at a glance

  • The theatrical version (2004): Alexander conquered the big screen for the first time with a running length of 175 minutes. This version was later released on DVD and Blu-ray. It is often also the basis for TV broadcasts.
  • The Director’s Cut (2005): A year after its release, Stone reviewed the film’s narrative flow and restructured many parts for the director’s cut. The opening now lays out the themes of the film more clearly. The Battle of Gaugamela begins much earlier. Angelina Jolie and Val Kilmer’s characters have more screen time. The third act was also adapted. Stone removed 17 minutes and added 9 new minutes. This means the Director’s Cut comes to 167 minutes.
  • The Final Cut (2007): Inspired by the monumental films of Cecil B. DeMille (Cleopatra, The Ten Commandments), Stone ventured back into the cutting room and transformed Alexander into a two-act epic with intermission. This version was released under the title Alexander Revisited: The Final Unrated Cut and adds 47 minutes to the previous version, so we’re talking about 214 minutes of film. According to Stone, all essential footage from the filming was used.
  • The Ultimate Cut (2014): Stone was still not satisfied and gave Alexander another scrutiny. Since he felt that the final cut was too overloaded, he created Alexander: The Ultimate Cut, a stripped-down version of the two-act structure including intermission. The result is 206 minutes and – according to Stone – really the final version of the film.

    • What is the best version of Oliver Stone’s Alexander?

    In addition to Ridley Scott’s sci-fi masterpiece Blade Runner, of which there are 7 (!) versions, Alexander is one of the most complex films to be released after its theatrical release revised several times became. But which version should you look at if you don’t have the time to fully compare all versions?

    While the majority of Blade Runner fans opted for the final cut, Alexander doesn’t have an overly obsessive following that has settled on a defining version. Our tip: With this Ultimate Cut from 2014 Stone has created the version of the film that is most clearly told without losing any of its grandeur.

    Historical war epic: When will Alexander be on TV?

    Alexander is running tonight, December 2, 2023, at 8:15 p.m. on ServusTV. The broadcast continues with advertising until 11:25 p.m. and is repeated at 1:00 a.m. at night. The theatrical version adapted for television will be shown. Alternatively, you can watch the film as a stream on Amazon Prime Video with various purchase and rental options.

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