Alexander the Great (1956) - film review

In 356 BC, King Philip II of Macedonia is leading a campaign against Olynthus when his wife Olympias bears him a son, Alexander.  Although Philip resents Olympias’ persistent claims that Alexander is of divine birth, he devotes himself to making him his heir, grooming him to be a warrior leader and having him educated in the highest of Greek culture.   Alexander grows into an ambitious but intelligent young man and is delighted when his father makes him ruler of Pella, the capital of Macedonia, whilst he is away fighting in the wars.  This first taste of power emboldens the young Alexander and soon he is joining his father in his campaign against Athens.  With the Greek capital brought to heel, Alexander’s future should be assured.  But no – Philip accuses Olympias of infidelity and divorces her, whilst some in his court begin to spread the rumour that Alexander is of illegitimate birth.  When the king is slain by a friend of his, Alexander takes his place and, with a god-like certainty, he sets out to conquer the whole of Asia.  His life will be short, but the scale of his achievements are to be without parallel...

In this lavish historical epic, Robert Rossen makes an heroic endeavour to tell the life story of one of history’s true Titans, although the sheer scale of the enterprise prevents him from being entirely successful.  Visually, the film is stunning, even by the standards of the day, when Hollywood blockbusters of this kind were almost two a penny.  With its cast of thousands, stunning panoramas, and meticulous attention to period detail, Alexander the Great ought to be considered an artistic triumph.  Unfortunately, its dramatic impact is  badly undermined by Rossen’s half-hearted direction and a lacklustre screenplay that is weighed down by cod classic dialogue which badly dates the film, rendering parts of it unbearably dull.

He may not make the impact that he did in some other films of this time, but Richard Burton makes an impressive Alexander the Great, supplying both the outward physical prowess and inner psychological complexity.  No homoerotic undertones here, just a butch over-confident Welshman intent on conquering and civilising the entire world, a demonstration that regime change can work providing you have the gods on your side and Claire Bloom to chivvy you along.  Burton’s solid performance is surpassed only by Frederic March, who revels in his portrayal of the even more macho Philip of Macedonia.  Alas, the superlative supporting cast are pretty well wasted, thanks mainly to the weaknesses in the script, although there is some fun to be had in seeing stars as diverse as Danielle Darrieux, Peter Cushing and Michael Hordern together on screen.  Whilst the film is by no means a masterpiece, it is sufficiently engaging and well-made to hold our attention and encourage us to find out more about the great historical figure it portrays.

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