Alexander the Great (1956)

0% of critics liked it
(5 reviews)
57% of users liked it
(5,241 ratings)

The short life and quick death of Alexander the Great is recounted in this literate historical epic. Decked out in a blonde wig, Richard Burton stars as the Grecian warrior who conquered the known world while only in his twenties, then wept because there were no more worlds left to conquer. While… More The short life and quick death of Alexander the Great is recounted in this literate historical epic. Decked out in a blonde wig, Richard Burton stars as the Grecian warrior who conquered the known world while only in his twenties, then wept because there were no more worlds left to conquer. While the film's 141 minutes are occasionally bogged down by near-existential dialogue sequences (What doth it profit a man etc. etc.), the battle sequences are among the best and most accurate ever filmed. Fredric March and Danielle Darieux costar as Alexander's parents Philip of Macedonia and Olympius, Claire Bloom does what she can with the nothing role of Alexander's wife Barsine, and Michael Hordern and Harry Andrews are cast as Demosthenes and Darrius, respectively. Lensed in Spain and Italy, Alexander the Great conquered no new worlds at the box-office, perhaps because Richard Burton, brilliant though he was, hadn't yet attained "saleability". ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: G, 2 hr. 15 min.
Directed By: Robert Rossen
Genres: Classics

In Theaters: Mar 28, 1956 Wide
On DVD: Oct 19, 2004
Studio: United Artists

Critic Reviews

David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
...even more ineffectual and dull than Oliver Stone's recent attempt.
John A. Nesbit, Old School Reviews
would work better as a stage play for high school theatrical productions
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com
a colossal bore

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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Featured Audience Ratings

jay n

Ponderous and slow but Burton is okay.
AJ V

Another boring epic I saw on TV. I didn't see the whole thing, but some scenes were okay. Overall an okay movie.
Byron B

Huge overblown epic about the ancient world has Burton as Alexander the Great who fails to really bring the history to life or draw you in so you care about the well known character one way or the other. March was unrecognizable as Alexander's father Philip but stood out in the… More
Huge overblown epic about the ancient world has Burton as Alexander the Great who fails to really bring the history to life or draw you in so you care about the well known character one way or the other. March was unrecognizable as Alexander's father Philip but stood out in the role. It plays like a soap opera with the disputes between ancient nations, between son and parents, and between leader and subjects. I kept expecting the story to go further. I had recently read a biography of Alexander the Great by Agnes Savill that seemed fairly balanced. There is hardly anything about the military strategy used, the few battle scenes lack action or energy, and the influence of Aristotle and the way that Alexander's culture spread is scarcely mentioned.
Dimitris S

A passionate filmmaker like Rossen could have switched off the engine,return credits to the producers and reject a project like Alexander's life.Paradoxically,not only he's successful in accomplishing it,Burton is hermaphroditic in a masculine facade just as Alexander was… More
A passionate filmmaker like Rossen could have switched off the engine,return credits to the producers and reject a project like Alexander's life.Paradoxically,not only he's successful in accomplishing it,Burton is hermaphroditic in a masculine facade just as Alexander was supposed to be shown!So Mr Stone you can kiss my sorry ass!!!

Cast

            Richard Burton as Alexander the Great

            Fredric March as Philip of Macedonia

            Claire Bloom as Barsine

            Danielle Darrieux as Olympias

            Harry Andrews as Darius

            Stanley Baker as Attalus

            Niall MacGinnis as Parmenio

            Peter Cushing as Memnon

            Michael Hordern as Demosthenes

            Barry Jones as Aristotle

            Marisa de Leza as Eurydice

            Gustavo Rojo as Cleitus

            Rubén Rojo as Philotas

            William Squire as Aeschenes

            Helmut Dantine as Nectanebus

            Peter Wyngarde as Pausanius

            Julio Peña as Arsites

            José Nieto as Spithridates

            Carlos Martinez Baena as Nearchus

            Larry Taylor as Perdiccas

            José Marco as Harpalus

            Ramsay Ames as Drunken woman

            Mario De Barros as Messenger

            Ellen Rossen as Amytis

            Virgilio Teixeira as Ptolemy

            Riccardo Valle as Hephaestion

            Frederick Ledebur as Antipater
See full cast