Did Hollywood get Alexander right?

[Devastatin Dave]

http://www.nypost.com/entertainment/34381.htm

Alexander liked a bearded taco as well as a hat hunk of sausage, no doubt. But it appears that there are some complaints about the movie actually showing some insight of his sexuality. You guys know that usually I'm not the biggest fan of "alternate lifestyles" but I do think in order to be true to the character of Alexander you have to show that he really liked to hang out with the boys on occasion. Now for the rest of the picture, God only knows if they get anything historically correct about him. What do you guys think of the importance of showing this man's sexual influences in his life?

[Nelson]

Dave, I believe Alexander did kill one of his male lovers in a fit of rage. If the film does not explore his AC/DC nature then it will not adequately portray the mercurial violent temper that lead him to murder a very close friend. I'm hoping the movie tells it like it was, or at least how most historians think it was.

[Big King Sanctaphrax]

I'm really pleased they're doing this one right. I thought the total exclusion of any romantic relationship between Petroclus and Achilles in Troy was a massive let down.

[ah_dut]

Yes indeed, If a man is gay and that makes part of him what he is, why not show it that way?

[Hurin_Rules]

Yes, I think it is a sign of our immaturity as a culture that we can't have accurate depictions of other cultures whose society and sexual practices differ from our own. Or maybe hollywood just underestimates us. Making Patroclus Achilles 'cousin' in Troy was laughable. At least Stone is taking a chance, and for that you have to give him some credit.

[BDC]

Gay heroes don't go down well in America maybe?

[Slyspy]

Like many others I was annoyed by the censoring of the Achilles/Petroclus (sp?) relationship in Troy so I hope Alexander avoids this. Mind you Troy had South American llamas wandering around in the city so I guess missing out a homosexual relationship is nothing really.

[Steppe Merc]

I think that the movie will be very inhistorical. But he did sleep with boys very often, though later on he we went more to women. But pretty much all greeks and Macedonians had boy lovers as well as women. It was normal.

What's more, and I better step lightly here, didn't the "10,000" of the Persian empire sleep exclusively with other men because that thought that sex with women would weaken them?

No that was the Immortals. Your thinking of the Greek Sacred band, wich supposedly slept with each other, so they wouldn't run in front of their lovers. Historians aren't sure if it's true, however.

I just wish they'd thought about the horny male demographic and gotten a better looking Helen. Oh, well. You know there's trouble in a movie about the Trojan War when Achilles is better looking than Helen.

I thought Helen was hot... though I wish she had brown hair and brown eyes. But then, they all should have been darker complexion, as well as Alexander. While sometimes it's said he's blond, it's more comonly excepted that he was light brown haired, or dark blond at the most.

[PanzerJaeger]

"It was said ... that Alexander was never defeated, except by Hephaistion's thighs," the aged Ptolemy (Anthony Hopkins) says in narrating the saga.

Whether right or wrong, i can say from a strictly business oriented standpoint that this will not go well with people of any "group", young men, old men, wemon, whatever...

[Colovion]

It says that in the movie?

Haha, that'll be amusing to see who laughs and who gets that "shocked and disgusted" look.

[Goofball]

"It was said ... that Alexander was never defeated, except by Hephaistion's thighs," the aged Ptolemy (Anthony Hopkins) says in narrating the saga.

Whether right or wrong, i can say from a strictly business oriented standpoint that this will not go well with people of any "group", young men, old men, wemon, whatever...

Well, there is one obvious group I can think of that will like it...

[monkian]

The steelworkers of America ?


We work hard, and we play hard

[Colovion]

hot stuff coming throoo!

*flails wrist*

tee hee

[nokhor]

The steelworkers of America ?


We work hard, and we play hard

nice Simpsons reference!!!

[Hosakawa Tito]

Actually, that's a good point, BDC. Kinda hard to have a typical American action hero when you think all gay guys are fruity. This is where I think things like "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" does homosexuals a disservice, as it continues stereotypes. Maybe all AMERICAN gay men are effeminate, but that's hardly a mandate.

The effeminate stereotype, like most, is completely false. I know some homosexual cons from Attica State Prison that could/and did beat the living daylights out of just about anyone. One, a male prostitute from Manhattan named Tasha, had under gone hormone therapy to grow breasts. He/she was one of the most feared/respected cons in the jail. Nobody dared to cheat Tasha out of payment, cigarettes usually, for services rendered.

[Navaros]

any movie that promotes sodomy is not a movie i'll see. i do not support such things as i believe them to be immoral, depraved and evil

so no in my view Hollywood did not get Alexander right because there is nothing "right" about a male committing sodomy on another male

[Dhepee]

any movie that promotes sodomy is not a movie i'll see. i do not support such things as i believe them to be immoral, depraved and evil

so no in my view Hollywood did not get Alexander right because there is nothing "right" about a male committing sodomy on another male

Interesting. So you would rather see a movie that was inaccurate than see something that you construe as immoral.

[Navaros]

Interesting. So you would rather see a movie that was inaccurate than see something that you construe as immoral.

if that movie is going to portray one who does such vile evil acts as a "Hero" - which this Stone movie does - then yes, better to be inaccurate rather than to promote evildoing by sending the sick message "doing that is ok, even Heros do it!"

if however, an Alexander movie came out that portrays Alexander as an evil man who lived a shameful, disgraceful, immoral life - then "accuracy" may be ok in that case

[Goofball]

if that movie is going to portray one who does such vile evil acts as a "Hero" - which this Stone movie does - then yes, better to be inaccurate rather than to promote evildoing by sending the sick message "doing that is ok, even Heros do it!"

if however, an Alexander movie came out that portrays Alexander as an evil man who lived a shameful, disgraceful, immoral life - then "accuracy" may be ok in that case

Interesting. So, by your line of reasoning, any "hero" who has ever done anything immoral (by your definition of immoral, at least) is disgusting and shameful and is not really a hero at all? In other words, one "wrong" cancels out a thousand "rights?"

Man, I would hate to be one of your children. Constantly living in fear of doing something Dad found to be offensive and being eternally condemned because of it would be more than I could handle...

[Goofball]

so no in my view Hollywood did not get Alexander right because there is nothing "right" about a male committing sodomy on another male

What if they stuck strictly to fellatio?

[BDC]

What if they stuck strictly to fellatio?

That's acceptable presumeably.

I don't see how you can really compare this to modern values.

This is all long before the tyranny of the giant, unaccepting and untolerant monotheisic religions, so morals were a lot more diverse and relaxed I imagine.

[Slyspy]

I like the fact that those Greeks are getting wound up by the film. OMG it shows a Macedonian king from ancient times being bisexual. Presumably they fear that viewers will think all Greek men are homosexuals and therefore bring into question their masculinity. Laughable really. A certain poster here would fit right in!

PS
For those obsessed with sodomy I would like to point out that this act is not a necessary feature of a homosexual relationship. In fact, in the time of Alexander, anal intercourse was frowned upon and it is likely that most relationships did not involve sodomy. There are examples IIRC of individuals who did engage in sodomy being looked down upon by the rest of society. Also to those who believe that the era was a time of few strictures regarding morality, including attitudes to sex, I would suggest that the ancients merely had a different morality.

[Spino]

I don't like most of Stone's movies and I think his recent projects have been terrible. Furthermore the pre-release buzz is that this Alexander biopic is a bit of a mess. However the production values look amazing and there have been precious few pictures made about this period in ancient Greece's history. Therefore I am compelled to shell out my hard earned cash and see this one on the big screen. It's Alexander the freakin' Great for Pete's sake!

[bmolsson]

This movies is just like homosexuality. If it's not your gig, don't watch it. I am sure that there is a bible reading session you can participate at instead......

[Navaros]

This movies is just like homosexuality. If it's not your gig, don't watch it. I am sure that there is a bible reading session you can participate at instead......

two things: Bible is spelled with a capital "B".

i won't watch Alexander and i will also caution everyone i know not to watch it to because it promotes immorality and evildoing. i know many others will feel the same way. hopefully enough so that this movie tanks.