Alexander \'extended edition\' is coming...

[Arthes]

Just heard about this over on the Alexander forum.......
Oliver Stone is planning on a third release of Alexander DVD.....lasting 3 hours and 45 minutes....
I can't wait.......
Oliver Stone Interview
I hope it's true......!
regards
Arthes

[Lepidina]

Oooh, maybe there will be an extended director's cut of "King Arthur" too!!

*shudder*

[Hoplitesmores]

*edited by mod -- totally inappropriate*

[Theodosius the Great]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hey ! Someone tipped off the mods, Hoplitesmores. Your criticism was VERY legitimate (not to mention FUNNY AS HELL :lol: ) At least the thought police cannot delete it from our memories :wink:

My original reaction to your post is below as follows
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Hoplitesmores, I thought they already came out with that version but it was called the "Director's Cut" :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

(Which I saw, unfortunately) :x

The cover said it was more "action-packed!" I didn't know they meant THAT kind of action !

Ughhhh.....no thanks, I've seen enough - I'll pass on this latest extended version. Gee...I wonder which scenes they'll extend.....the battle scenes or the male crack scenes



I wanted to kill (Oliver Stone's) Alexander myself after watching the first 1/2 of the movie :lol:



Theo

[Caius Fabius]

Maybe it won't be the scenes that get extended....

I wish they would go back and use more battle footage!

[Arthes]

Greetings,
well personally, I thought the comment was more insulting than funny - different viewpoints I suppose... :?
Without going into a discussion on Alexander's personal preferences, which after all, was part of what made him who he was; he did have a 'love' relationship with Hephaestion, regardless of just how physcially close they actually were....and men of that period (and later) did share beds and hug and kiss as close friends...
Oliver Stone didn't show anything that indicated Alexander as obviously 'gay' or 'bi' except maybe two scenes with Bagoas....the ONLY overtly sexual scene was with ROXANE who is FEMALE....!
(no, I am neither 'gay' nor 'bi'....
:wink: )
regards
Arthes

[Arthes]

It's possible that with all the recent negativity written about Alexander, ie, he was ruthless, cruel, an egomaniac, drunkard, etc; Oliver, as a longtime admirer wanted to show him as also having feelings, quite aside from his warlike nature (which was certainly in evidence) :?:
I don't know what he plans to add to the new DVD, but hopefully it will balance out and stop some of the unkind comments about what is basically a very good historical film..with undeniably some of the most authentic costume, props and battle scenes to be seen in modern cinema...
:wink:

[Ebusitanus]

Alexander was such a complicated historical figure but we need to be forced down the throats all this pillow biting.
I did not get to even see the "Director´s cut"...was the extended part just more buggery or not?

[Narukami]

Greetings,

Without going into a discussion on Alexander's personal preferences, which after all, was part of what made him who he was; he did have a 'love' relationship with Hephaestion, regardless of just how physically close they actually were....and men of that period (and later) did share beds and hug and kiss as close friends...

(no, I am neither 'gay' nor 'bi'....
:wink: )
regards
Arthes

And not just the Ancient Greeks either...

Arthes, you hit upon the core of the truth here -- the love of warriors for each other.

If I might quote, at length, from the Hagakure by Tanaka Minoru:


Shikibu had a view: "Regarding homosexuality, young samurai might experience an error that will cause life-long shame. You are in danger if you lack proper understanding. Few people are in a position to talk and advise about this subject. So I shall speak of the drift samurai have to bear the following in mind: a good 'wife' never meets a second 'husband.' The object of your love is one for life. Otherwise, you are the same as a prostitute. Too shameful for a samurai.

"It is truly said by Saikako Ihara that 'A samurai without a companion is like a girl without a fiance,' People will ridicule such a samurai.

"After five years or so of intimacy, you will discover the ultimate conscience of your supposed companion; and then you can ask him to elevate the relationship.

"Remember, you must be willing to throw away your lives for each other. If another courts you, shake him off with 'You stand in my way.' If he insists and asks 'Who is the impediment?' answer him with 'I will never tell you as long as I live.' And for any further importunity, cut him down.

"But at all events, never have two strings to your bow. At the same time, be assiduous in the practice of the military arts while thus engaged. Thus your conduct will be consistent with Bushido."


Perhaps this was the nature of Alexander's relationship with Hephaestion.

Narukami

[Hoplitesmores]

the movie should have had 2 hours of combat and 1 hour of blah blah blah .

[Arthes]

Alexander Revisited.......The official release date for Region 1 is February 27th 2007....3 hours and 40 minutes..... D
No news as yet about other Regions....but some computer dvd drives read multiregion...


Warner Home Video have announced the Region 1 DVD release of Alexander Revisited: The Unrated Final Cut for 27th February 2007 priced at $24.98 SRP. Featuring more than 45 minutes of never-before-seen footage, Oliver Stone’s Alexander can now be experienced as he meant it to be seen with this all-new unrated version which brings the film to a heightened level of realism and intensity.

The two-disc set features a new introduction by the director which reflects Stone's passion and attention to detail in getting this film exactly the way he envisioned. Says Stone, "Over the last two years I have been able to sort out some of the unanswered questions about this highly complicated and passionate monarch -- questions I failed to answer dramatically enough. This film represents my complete and last version, as it will contain all the essential footage we shot. I don't know how many filmmakers have managed to make three versions of the same film, but I have been fortunate to have the opportunity because of the success of video and DVD sales in the world, and I felt if I didn't do it now, with the energy and memory I still have for the subject, it would never quite be the same again. For me, this is the complete Alexander, the clearest interpretation I can offer."
Now restructured into two acts with an intermission, Alexander: Revisited takes a bolder, more in-depth look at Alexander's (Colin Farrell) life and his relationships with his mother, Olympias (Angelina Jolie), his father Philip (Val Kilmer), his lifelong friend and battle commander Hephaistion (Jared Leto), Roxane, his ambitious and beautiful Bactrian wife (Rosario Dawson), and his trusted general and confidant Ptolemy (Anthony Hopkins). The new film intensifies the beauty and unbelievable brutality of Alexander's pre-Christian world of social customs and morals so different from todays.

The film (now running 220mins) is presented in anamorphic widescreen with English DD5.1 Surround audio. Beyond the new introduction with director Oliver Stone there are no other confirmed extras.

HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc versions are planned for release later in 2007.

[Arthes]

The Alexander website has been updated to reflect the new version of the film.....Alexander

In Oliver Stone's own words from his letter....
[i]For those who didn’t appreciate the original, rest assured this is my last pass, as there is no more footage to be found. And for those of you who did like it, please share with me my passion for “Alexanderâ€

[Arthes]

This video clip starts with Oliver Stone and some filming shots then gives you the full revamped Battle of Gaugamela...'ouch...that must have hurt' It's more gory, dusty and totally brilliant filming - what it was really like....
Don't tell me this dvd is not worth buying for that alone.... :wink: Alexander Revisited

[Sergey Lenkov]

But, collegues, if we wouldn't talk of the battlescences, Babylon scenes and music by Vangelis - well, the other parts of the film are questionable.
I very like "Platoon" - you are seeing the movie and you are beleiving in the reality of it. Here... Ptolemeus with long boring lectures in attempt to explain to majority of American viewes - who was Alexander, novel by Mary Renault (truely she wrote pop literature) as a model for screenplay. Why did he do this? Why did he didn't use very cinematographic episodes from the sources - Strabo etc.? As example, Strabo describes that the Macedonians tried to attack the horde of monkeys in Indian jungle - they thought of them as of human army. Here it is short comic episode, some monkeys frowing something into Alexander. Or famous dialogues of Alexander with the Indian "philosophers" - it could be great episode etc.
I think that we should blame not only lack of funds or imagination - lack of the proper education
Though of course I'd like to buy this version if it would be released in Russia.

[SOCL]

As example, Strabo describes that the Macedonians tried to attack the horde of monkeys in Indian jungle - they thought of them as of human army. Here it is short comic episode, some monkeys frowing something into Alexander.

Funny you should mention that. The very original, theatrical release had the Macedonians being pelted by what I can only imagine being unpleasant things by monkeys in India and mounting a defense against them. Unfortunately, for some very strange reason, it was taken out of the Director's Cut, which is essentially the only version you can find on the market. :? I remember the scene distinctly the two or three times I saw the movie in the theater. Hopefully this new version will bring that back.