Expand Your Horizons

Rating: 8/10 (29 November 2004)

Forget the trumped-up controversy over subject matter that has already taken up way too much time and energy during the past political season in the USA, and focus on what the film accomplishes. On a mere technical level, it is superior in every way to "Troy," "Gladiator," and (ugh) "Braveheart." The scenic majesty and coarse brutality of life in multiple ancient civilizations is presented in a dazzling and sweeping style; say what you will about his limitations as a writer of dialogue, Oliver Stone is a consummate artist with his command of the camera. The epic battle scenes are heart-pounding and thrilling. The opulent recreation of Babylon is one of the reasons movies exist on the big screen. And the outsize-emotions expressed by these flesh and blood characters is fitting , given their the historical significance; credit the actors for breathing passion and sincerity into some of the clearly unsubtle exchanges of dialogue, which we tend to view from a post-Freudian viewpoint that has some merit but seems beside the point in light of the fact that these archetypes might well have been models for Freudian analysis. And now--okay--the Love that Dares to Speak Its Name: (1) get over it everybody and (2) hooray for Oliver Stone's willingness to present HIS take on things sexual, sensual and emotional. I, for one, admire his insistence on including the immutable emotional bond between Alexander and his beloved Hephaestion, and the scene in which they stand together, gazing out over the splendor of a moonlit Babylon which now belongs to them, while freely and openly speaking of their LOVE, is a beautiful thing indeed. I might WANT to see them making love (who wouldn't want to see these two beautiful men naked together?) but it is not at all necessary and, say what you will, the scene in which Hephaestion gives Alexander a ring on his wedding night and wishes him a son, it's brave and bold work for all involved. A Puritanical and hypocritical Red State Dominated USA simply cannot cope; I say, more, more, more, and thank you Oliver Stone for what you have wrought! The lead and supporting performances offer all of the spice, intrigue, passion and danger required from these characters, and Colin Farrell truly proves himself to be worthy of his character and an ever-icreasing importance in the industry. I doubt that it will receive Academy Award nominations in major categories, but it should do conspicuously well in technical categories, as befits its outstanding production values. Let's hope the DVD includes another hour or two of footage and lots of commentary about the making and marketing of this gigantic effort. Fortune favors the bold, and Oliver Stone is the boldest of all major American filmmakers, including the brilliant Scorsese.