History Film / Alexander

* UsefulNotes/BellyDancing: A traditional female example with Roxana's dance, and a rare male example with Bagoas, the Persian dancer who performs for Alexander at one of the big banquets.

* BellyDancer: A traditional female example with Roxana's dance, and a rare male example with Bagoas, the Persian dancer who performs for Alexander at one of the big banquets.

The son of Phillip II and his wife Olympias, Alexander, becomes king of Macedon after his father's murder, and throws himself into a series of conquests the scale of which the world has never seen before, starting with [[UsefulNotes/AncientGreece Greece]] and moving on to [[UsefulNotes/TheAchaemenidEmpire Persia]], [[AncientEgypt Egypt]] and UsefulNotes/{{India}}. Throughout the journey, Alexander has to struggle immensely with the logistics of his conquests, his limitless ambition, and his intimate turmoils.

* AncientGrome: Like many a retelling of the man's life, the Latin version of his name is used rather than the original Hellenic "Alexandros".

* BigBadassBattleSequence: The Battle of Gaugamela towards the opening of the film

* FullFrontalAssault: Roxane tries to stab Alexander while completely naked on their wedding night.

* RoyallyScrewedUp: Alexander's whole family -- drunk rapist father, possessive and treacherous mother, he himself lusting for everlasting glory as a conqueror, then Roxane playing her own games... Not to mention his male lovers that he treats as part of his family.

* BigBadassBattleSequence: The Battle of Gaugamela towards the opening of the film.
* ChildhoodFriends: Alexander and Hephaistion, along with many other of his courtiers and companions.

* DespairEventHorizon: Alexander suffers one when Hephaistion dies of typhus, ordering the doctor executed and insulting his wife. The despair occurred in RealLife as well.

* MeaningfulBackgroundEvent: Hephaistion's death scene: Alexander speaks with him, then goes to a window and makes a speech about his future conquests and their growing old together... meanwhile, in the background, very much out of focus, Hephaistion dies.

* YouNoTakeCandle: The Persians speak and are spken to fairly and eloquently ("If only you were not a pale reflection of my mother's heart") while the Bactrian Roxane speaks in this manner: "Great man, Alexander? You I kill now." Potentially justified in showcasing that Roxane was not very fluent in the native language of the Greeks, which her father Oxyartes speaks perfectly fluently.

-->'''Hephaistion:''' Patroclus died first.

''Alexander'' is a 2004 {{epic|movie}} [[{{Biopic}} biographical film]] directed by Creator/OliverStone about the life and death of 4th century BC Macedonian king and conqueror [[UsefulNotes/AlexanderTheGreat Alexander III The Great]]. The film stars Creator/ColinFarrell in the title role, along with Creator/AngelinaJolie and Creator/ValKilmer as his parents, and Creator/JaredLeto, Creator/ChristopherPlummer, Creator/RosarioDawson, Creator/ElliotCowan and Creator/AnthonyHopkins in further supporting roles. Music/{{Vangelis}} composed the soundtrack.

* ArtisticLicenseReligion: Bizarrely, Philip tells Alexander that after completing his Twelve Labours, Heracles suffered a bout of madness that led him to kill his own children. In the original myth, he had this before the Labours, not after; the Labors were precisely a punishment for his actions under said madness.

* RaceLift:
** Most of the Greeks and Macedonians are played by non-Mediterranean actors, mostly Anglo-Saxons, who would have been classified as Celts at the time and place the story is set. Especial mention goes to Creator/AngelinaJolie, who has Native American blood of all things.
** Persians and Asians are usually played by Middle-Eastern actors, but Roxana is by the partially Afro-Latina Creator/RosarioDawson, who has much darker skin than the real Roxana would have. Bagoas is another exception, although he's played by a Spaniard, who is tan enough to believably pass as an ancient Persian/Iranian.

* ArtisticLicenceHistory:
** Dialogue implies Phillip revoked Alexander's banishment basically next morning, when in real life Alexander and Olympias passed at least six months in exile.
** The two major battles preceding Gaugamela (Granicus and Issus) are not present, and are instead condensed into the one battle shown in the movie.
** Cassander, who is seen participating in the Battle of Gaugamela (331 BC), did not actually arrive to the court of Alexander until 323.
** The film has Cleitus the Black and Antigonus being the assassins that kill Parmenio, when in real life the deed was done by two minor agents named Cleander and Sitalces.
** The real Cleitus the Black was killed at the Persian satrapial palace of Samarkand, which is located in Bactria, modern day Uzbekistan. In the film, he dies significantly later, after the expedition has already arrived to India. The party in which he dies is celebrated instead in a large Indian palace, where Alexander can even be seen sitting next to an important-looking Indian dude who is implied to be the historical Taxiles, his main ally in the region.
** The movie has Hephaestion being the one who comforts Alexander with big words into returning after accidentally murdering Cleitus. In real life, it was Anaxarchus, a skeptic philosopher who was another friend of Alexander and in this case gets AdaptedOut.
** In the movie, Indians and Persians are shocked by Alexander kissing Bagoas. In reality, homophobic attitudes in UsefulNotes/{{Hinduism}} only began significantly after interaction with UsefulNotes/{{Christianity}} and UsefulNotes/{{Islam}}, there being abundant same-sex erotic art in India and even a part of a few rituals related to it. As for the Persians, UsefulNotes/{{Zoroastrianism}} does include a prohibition on same-sex erotism in the ''Vendidad'', but it's thought it only influenced a small eastern Iranian population at the time anyway, not Persian emperors and noblemen who would have been in position to get away with anything (Greek sources even claim that Persians had similar pederastic institutions and that it was perfectly routine for kings like Darius to have eunuch boys as well as women in the harem). Again, this is probably working off Mary Renault's carefully researched novels and nonfiction work pertaining to Alexander.
** Alexander wasn't wounded at the Battle of the Hydaspes, but at the Siege of Malli which took place afterwards. The film also portrays Porus being able to withdraw his army and escape, when in real life he was captured.
** Coenus died of illness in real life in the travel back to Babylon, while the film shows him dying gruesomely in the Hydaspes when an elephant stomps on his head.
** Historical chronicles are unanimous that Alexander wasn't at Hephaestion's side when the latter died, not arriving in time due to the swift of his illness. In the film, for extra drama, Hephaestion dies inadvertently while Alexander is speaking to him with his back turned to the bed.
** The film shows Alexander devolving into a lustful alcoholic. The alcoholism is accurate, but ancient historians specifically contrasted that with Alexander's restraint in "pleasures of the flesh".
** The film has the aged Ptolemy admit to his scribe that Alexander's generals had him poisoned to put an end to all the conquests and future consequences. While some historians think that Alexander may have indeed been poisoned, none of them think that his generals were responsible.

** It is also quite obvious that many of the Indian people disapprove of the Greeks' homosexual behavior, with dirty looks and whispered disapproval when Bagoas dances for and kisses Alexander at a banquet.
** For purely practical reasons (lack of any treatment), badly wounded soldiers are euthanized without anyone blinking an eye, considering it merciful instead.

** The Indian chieftain who sits next to Alexander during his fight with Cleitus. In contrast to the angered, offended or scared faces around them, he just waits it to pass, and when it doesn't, gets up calmly and exits.
** The gymnosophists in the extended cut, who are shown to be this when Alexander visits them.

** Cassander's father Antipater, regent to Macedon in Alexander's absence, is not present in the film despite the important role he'd play in the Wars of the Successors.

** In the movie Indians and Persians are shocked by Alexander kissing Bagoas. In reality, homophobic attitudes in UsefulNotes/{{Hinduism}} only began significantly after interaction with UsefulNotes/{{Christianity}} and UsefulNotes/{{Islam}}, there being abundant same-sex erotic art in India and even a part of a few rituals. As for the Persians, UsefulNotes/{{Zoroastrianism}} does include a prohibition on same-sex erotism in the ''Vendidad'', but it's thought it only influenced a small eastern Iranian population at the time anyway, not Persian emperors and noblemen who would have been in position to get away with anything (Greek sources even claim that Persians had similar pederastic institutions and that it was perfectly routine for kings like Darius to have eunuch boys as well as women in the harem). Again, this is probably working off Mary Renault's carefully researched novels and nonfiction work pertaining to Alexander.
** The two major battles preceding Gaugamela (Granicus and Issus) are not present and are instead condensed into the one battle shown in the movie.
** Alexander wasn't wounded at the Battle of the Hydaspes, but at the Siege of Malli which took place afterwards. The film also portrays Porus being able to withdraw his army and escape, when in real life he was captured.

** The film has Cleitus and Antigonus being the assassins that kill Parmenio, when in real life they were Cleander and Sitalces.
** Coenus died of illness in real life, while the film shows him dying gruesomely in the Hydaspes when an elephant stomps on his head.
** The film shows Alexander devolving into a lustful alcoholic. The alcoholism is accurate, but ancient historians specifically contrasted that with Alexander’s restraint in "pleasures of the flesh".

%%* BerserkButton: Do NOT insult Alexander's mother, or you will end up in a world of trouble. %% Zero Context Example

* ChildhoodFriends: Alexander and Hephaistion.

* DeliberateValuesDissonance: Macedonians and other Greeks in general look down on all non-Greeks as hedonistic barbarians. When Alexander says that he looks forward to the day when Greeks and non-Greeks will mix and be treated as equals, his generals look at him as if he's insane. And there is of course a heavy misogynistic theme on the Greek side, treating women as good only for childbearing and as slaves to passion, while only two men can create a true, perfect love.
** It is also quite obvious that many of the Indian people disapprove of the Greeks' homosexual behavior, with dirty looks and whispered disapproval when Bagoas dances for and kisses Alexander at a banquet.

* MeaningfulBackgroundEvent: Hephaistion's death scene: Alexander speaks with him, then goes to a window and makes a speech about his future conquests and their growing old together...meanwhile, in the background, very much out of focus, Hephaistion dies.

** Persians and Asians are usually played by Middle-Eastern actors except in some cases, such as Roxana being played by the partially Afro-Latina Creator/RosarioDawson, who has much darker skin than the real Roxana would have. Bagoas is another exception, although he's played by a Spaniard, who is tan enough to believably pass as an ancient Persian/Iranian.

* YouNoTakeCandle: The Persians (and many of the Greeks/Macedonians) speak fairly and eloquently ("If only you were not a pale reflection of my mother's heart") while the Bactrian Roxane speaks in this manner: "Great man, Alexander? You I kill now." Potentially justified in showcasing that Roxane was not very fluent in the native language of the Greeks, which her father Oxyartes speaks perfectly fluently.

** Cassander's father Antipater, regent to Macedon in Alexander's absence, is not present in the film despite the important role he'd play in the Wars of the Successors, although he does have a cameo in Olympias' narration in the extended cut.
* AdaptationalSexuality: Despite popular belief, no ancient sources state Alexander had homosexual relationships or that his relationship with Hephaestion was sexual. [[note]] Except for when Diogenes of Sinope implied this, possibly just to make fun of Alexander. [[/note]] The only person specifically mentioned as Alex's ''eromenos'' was Bagoas, a eunuch who had been Darius' courtesan and "was afterwards loved by Alexander" according to historian Quintus Curtius.[[note]]Historian Plutarch says Bagoas did in fact win a dance contest and the Macedonian troops urged Alex to kiss him, which he did. Make of it what you will.[[/note]] It is possible he was bisexual as he seems to have married Roxana out of love but other than Greek culture at the time there is nothing to say he was.

** In the movie Indians and Persians alike are shocked by Alexander kissing Bagoas. In reality homophobic attitudes in UsefulNotes/{{Hinduism}} and UsefulNotes/{{Zoroastrianism}} began significantly after interaction with UsefulNotes/{{Christianity}} and UsefulNotes/{{Islam}},[[note]]In the case of Zoroastrianism there is also the Vendidad, but it was published rather late and its thought that it only influenced a small eastern Iranian population at the time anyway; many Zoroastrians today find it a contradiction of the religion's cardinal tenant of "good thoughts".[[/note]] there being abundant same-sex erotic art in India and even a part of a few rituals, while Greek sources claim that Persians had similar pederastic institutions, that it was perfectly routine for kings like Darius to have eunuch boys as well as women in the harem. Again, this is probably working off Mary Renault's carefully researched novels and nonfiction work pertaining to Alexander.

** The film has Cleitus being one of the assassins that kill Parmenio, when in real life he wasn't.

* UnstoppableRage: The Battle of the Hydaspes is won after Alexander is shot with an arrow and falls from Bucephalus, causing his army to rampage into the Indian army to rescue him which drives the Indians to retreat.
** What they seem to have done is to combine this battle, which actually went fine, with the later incident in Mallia, where Alex took the arrow that almost killed him, and his army thinking him dead massacred everyone in the city.

** This repeats itself, when in a flashback Aristotle is reminding everyone how selfish and egoistic Achilles was. Yet Alexander is styling himself as second Achilles for his whole life, perhaps too hard...

* AccentAdaptation: Alexander the Great has an Irish accent as do many of his generals. The filmmakers did this on purpose, as Alexander was Macedonian, which at the time were considered much more rural and uncivilized than their Greek neighbors, and hypothesized that they sounded more like Celts, so they decided an Irish accent would be more realistic than anything else. On the other hand, Angelina Jolie affects an "exotic foreigner" accent (intended to be Albanian, which would fit her character's birthplace of Epirus, in modern-day Albania.)
** Or, according to the documentary about making of the film, Colin Farrell [[OohMeAccentsSlipping was unable to fully drop his]] Irish one, so instead everyone adopted it and ''then'' it went to the above described decision of Irish accent as Macedonian Greek.

* AgeLift: Roxana was 13 when she married Alexander. She is understandably aged up to be around her early to mid twenties in the film.
* AdaptedOut: Alexander’s sister, Cleopatra of Macedon, with whom he had kept close contact his entire life. His half siblings, Thessalonica and Arrhidaeus, are also absent.
** Cassander's father Antipater, regent to Macedon in Alexander's absence, is not present in the film despite the important role he'd play in the Wars of the Successors.

* ArtisticLicenceHistory: In the movie Indians and Persians alike are shocked by Alexander kissing Bagoas. In reality homophobic attitudes in Hinduism and Zoroastrianism began significantly after interaction with Christianity and Islam,[[note]]In the case of Zoroastrianism there is also the Vendidad, but it was published rather late and its thought that it only influenced a small eastern Iranian population at the time anyway; many Zoroastrians today find it a contradiction of the religion's cardinal tenant of "good thoughts" anyways.[[/note]] there being abundant same-sex erotic art in India and even a part of a few rituals, while Greek sources claim that Persians had similar pederastic institutions, that it was perfectly routine for kings like Darius to have eunuch boys as well as women in the harem. Again, this is probably working off Mary Renault's carefully researched novels and nonfiction work pertaining to Alexander.
** Some events are understandably condensed down:
*** The two major battles preceding Gaugamela (Granicus and Issus) are not present and are instead condensed into the one battle shown in the movie. .
*** Alexander wasn't wounded at the Battle of the Hydaspes, but at the Siege of Malli which took place afterwards.
*** Cassander, who is seen participating in the Battle of Gaugamela (331 BC), did not actually arrive to the court of Alexander until 323.
** The film shows Alexander devolving into a lustful alcoholic. The alcoholism is accurate, but ancient historians specifically contrasted that with Alexander’s restraint in “pleasures of the flesh”.
** The film has the aged Ptolemy admit to his scribe that Alexander's generals had him poisoned to put an end to all the conquests and future consequences. While some historians think that Alexander may have indeed been poisoned, none of them think that his generals were responsible.

The son of Phillip II and his wife Olympias, Alexander, becomes king of Macedon after his father's murder, and throws himself into a series of conquests the scale of which the world has never seen before, starting with [[UsefulNotes/AncientGreece Greece]] and moving on to [[UsefulNotes/TheAchaemenidEmpire Persia]], [[AncientEgypt Egypt]] and UsefulNotes/{{India}}. Throughout the journey, Alexander has to struggle immensely with the logistics of his conquests, his limitless ambition and his intimate turmoils.

The son of Phillip II and his wife Olympias, Alexander, becomes king of Macedon after his father's murder, and throws himself into a series of conquests the scale of which the world has never seen before, starting with [[UsefulNotes/AncientGreece Greece]] and moving on to [[UsefulNotes/TheAchaemenidEmpire Persia]] and UsefulNotes/{{India}}. Throughout the journey, Alexander has to struggle immensely with the logistics of his conquests, his limitless ambition and his intimate turmoils.

* ArtisticLicenceHistory: In the movie Indians and Persians alike are shocked by Alexander kissing Bagoas. In reality homophobic attitudes in Hinduism and Zoroastrianism began significantly after interaction with Christianity and Islam,[[note]]In the case of Zoroastrianism there is also the Vendidad, but it was published rather late and its thought that it only influenced a small eastern Iranian population at the time anyway; many Zoroastrians today find it a contradiction of the religion's cardinal tenant of "good thoughts" anyways.[[/note]] there being abundant same-sex erotic art in India and even a part of a few rituals, while Greek sources claim that Persians had similar pederastic institutions, that it was perfectly routine for kings like Darius to have eunuch boys as well as women in the harem. Again, this is probably working off Mary Renault's carefully researched novels and nonfiction work pertaining to Alex.
** The two major battles preceding Gaugamela (Granicus and Issus) are not present and are instead condensed into the one battle shown in the movie. .
** Alexander wasn't wounded at the Battle of the Hydaspes, but at the Siege of Malli which took place afterwards.
** Cassander, who is seen participating in the Battle of Gaugamela (331 BC), did not actually arrive to the court of Alexander until 323.