Alexander the Great

"The colossus who conquered the world!"

1956 2h 16m EN

😐

6.1

MID

🥫

ROTTEN

⭐

5.8

IMDB

★6.1TMDB · 112🥫8%Rotten Tomatoes★5.8IMDB · 4,466

AdventureHistoryDramaWar

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

An engrossing spectacle set in the 4th-century BC, in which Alexander of Greece leads his troops forth, conquering all of the known world, in the belief that the Greek way of thinking will bring enlightenment to people. The son of the barbaric and ruthless King Philip of Macedonia, Alexander achieved glory in his short but remarkable life.

“The colossus who conquered the world!”

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Cast

Richard Burton
Alexander
Fredric March
Philip of Macedonia
Claire Bloom
Barsine
Danielle Darrieux
Olympias
Barry Jones
Aristotle
Harry Andrews
Darius
Stanley Baker
Attalus
Niall MacGinnis
Parmenio

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Robert Rossen
Writers: Robert Rossen, John DeCuir
Languages: English
Countries: Spain, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

70 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Spain, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Robert Rossen, shot by Robert Krasker. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Mario Nascimbene. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Ralph Kemplen shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Richard Burton and Fredric March and Claire Bloom carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The colossus who conquered the world!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0048937 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Robert Rossen directs. Robert Krasker behind the camera. Mario Nascimbene scores. Ralph Kemplen cuts. Produced in Spain, United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

170 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2International production across 2 countries: Spain, United States of America.
3Directed by Robert Rossen, shot by Robert Krasker. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Mario Nascimbene. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Ralph Kemplen shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Richard Burton and Fredric March and Claire Bloom carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "The colossus who conquered the world!".
8IMDB entry: tt0048937 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Robert Krasker
Original score: Mario Nascimbene
Editing: Ralph Kemplen
Costume design: David Ffolkes
Makeup / hair: Gordon Bond
Runtime: 136 min · 2h 16m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Alexander the Great (1956)
Rotten Tomatoes: 8% 🥫 Rotten
IMDB rating: 5.8/10 · 4,466 votes
MPAA: Approved

Awards

1 nomination total

Also by

Robert Rossen

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Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2021-08-10
★ 6/10
Alexander’s conquests from Greece through the Persian Empire After being tutored by Aristotle (Barry Jones), Alexander (Richard Burton) takes over the Macedonian throne in 336 BC at the age of 20 after his father is assassinated (Fredric March). Over the next 13 years he, amazingly, conquers the Persian Empire and heads into India before finally turning back. Claire Bloom plays Alexander’s mother while Peter Cushing appears as General Memnon, who defects to Persia. Teresa del Río is on hand as Alexander’s wife acquired in Bactria. “Alexander the Great” (1956) debuted 48 years before Oliver Stone’s 2004 rendition. It’s better than what I expected for such an old, obscure film, but not great like, say, “Ben-Hur” (1959) mainly because the brooding story is more tedious than compelling. There’s a lot of Shakespearean posing and talking, which will turn off some viewers. However, I like the doomy, heavy air, which is augmented by the score (that no doubt inspired doom metal bands fifteen years later), as well as Burton’s forceful presence (people claim that he was too old for the part, but not really since he was 30 during shooting and the real Alexander died one month shy of 33). I expected the ambiance to be lusher, yet the colors are surprisingly muted. This one spends so much time in Greece/Macedonia to the point that the conquest of the Persian Empire seems like an afterthought and India is barely mentioned (if at all). Nevertheless, there’s enough to appreciate here for those interested in the topic. Speaking of which, I suggest reading up on Alexander a little bit before viewing so you can grasp the main characters and the basics of what’s going on. I also suggest watching the 2004 version and comparing the two. The film runs 2 hours, 16 minutes, and was shot entirely in Spain. GRADE: B-
CinemaSerf2023-01-07
★ 6/10
This is essentially a story all of it's own. Though history forms the basis of the subject, Richard Burton's depiction strays quite wilfully from any of the more established legends that are Alexander of Macedonia - or it just chooses to create a completely new one. Frederic March is good as his borderline megalomanic father Philip. with whom Alexander has a love/hate relationship as is Danielle Darrieux - his glamorous, and equally enigmatic mother Olympias who is constantly filling her son's head with tales of his divine origins. The tale leads us on a colourful adventure through his life without much subtlety, artistry or style - indeed Burton is pretty wooden throughout. To be fair, he has little by way of good dialogue to work with and although the assembled cast is impressive, they rarely work together well enough to create anything like a sense of peril, achievement or anything much, really - with Stanley Baker and Clare Bloom as the Persian Princess Barsine proving to be casting at it's most curious. As you'd expect, the budget wasn't meagre and the craft elements are stunningly produced; costumes, scenery and the battle scenes are all staged well with plenty of action. It's far too long however, and the chances to develop the more historically interesting facets of their characterisations are pretty much all missed. Just goes to show that money isn't everything...