The director's cut of Alexander is not a normal director's c
SRS | Ohio | 07/18/2006
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Normal directors' cuts have extra scenes, scenes that were cut from the cinematic release. This one has fewer than the cinematic release! What was deleted?
"Made as a reaction to film's poor box office showings in America and, specifically, the "Alexander the Gay" jibes it attracted, this new version excises approximately eight minutes of footage and tones down the bisexuality."
As for the film, it's marred, not by the fact that the main character is bisexual, but by just about everything, including the less-than-believable relationship between Alexander and his male lover. Alexander is a failure as a film, not because of bisexuality, but because the film really has very little that's done right. And, unlike what many have said, the film is not supportive of Alexander's interest in men. Rather, the film presents homosexuality as being taboo and negative, with the suggested rape of a teen by a horribly ugly king, the complaint of Alexander's compatriot of the army being "too pretty", Alexander's silly appearance and behavior, the negative reaction of the eastern tribe to Alexander's interest in a male dancer, etc. The film doesn't present Alexander as a strong figure who is secure in his love for Haephestion. It presents him as a lost, fit-prone, shrill character who is out of touch with just about everything except the "exotic animal magnetism" of the woman he marries."