Alexander the Great (1956)
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0% of critics liked it
(6 reviews) -
56% of users liked it
(5,314 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
- Directed By
- Robert Rossen
- Genres
- Classics
- In Theaters
- Mar 28, 1956 Wide
- Studio
- United Artists
Critic Reviews
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Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
It might be a literate epic, but it's a long and heavy slog.
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David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
...even more ineffectual and dull than Oliver Stone's recent attempt.
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John A. Nesbit, Old School Reviews
would work better as a stage play for high school theatrical productions
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Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com
a colossal bore
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
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Cast
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Richard Burton
as Alexander the Great
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Fredric March
as Philip of Macedonia
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Claire Bloom
as Barsine
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Danielle Darrieux
as Olympias
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Harry Andrews
as Darius
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Stanley Baker
as Attalus
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Niall MacGinnis
as Parmenio
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Peter Cushing
as Memnon
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Michael Hordern
as Demosthenes
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Barry Jones
as Aristotle
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Marisa de Leza
as Eurydice
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Gustavo Rojo
as Cleitus
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Rubén Rojo
as Philotas
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William Squire
as Aeschenes
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Helmut Dantine
as Nectanebus
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Peter Wyngarde
as Pausanius
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Julio Peña
as Arsites
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José Nieto
as Spithridates
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Carlos Martinez Baena
as Nearchus
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Larry Taylor
as Perdiccas
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José Marco
as Harpalus
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Ramsay Ames
as Drunken woman
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Mario De Barros
as Messenger
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Ellen Rossen
as Amytis
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Virgilio Teixeira
as Ptolemy
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Riccardo Valle
as Hephaestion
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Frederick Ledebur
as Antipater