OUTED -- How The Post reported it in Thursday's
Pulse: "Does my butt look big in this toga?"
Posted on 11/20/2004 8:04:44 PM PST by OESY
Oliver Stone and the studio releasing his $150 million historical epic "Alexander" should beware of Greeks bearing writs — over the film's depiction of Alexander the Great as Alexander the Fabulous.
The controversial director and Warner Bros. were yesterday threatened with a lawsuit by a group of Greek lawyers who are incensed that the new movie "Alexander" portrays the hero as bisexual.
The group of 25 Athens-based lawyers said they sent a letter to Warner Bros. demanding that it label "Alexander" ... as a work of fiction....
"We are not saying that were are against gays, but we are saying that the production company should make it clear that this film is pure fiction and not a true depiction of the life of Alexander."...
Colin Farrell, who plays Alexander in the 3-hour epic, sports a blond pageboy and mini toga and is seen kissing two different men on the lips.
Though the film includes a steamy wedding-night sex scene between Alexander and his wife Roxane, played by Rosario Dawson, it makes no bones that the true love of the emperor's life was his pal Hephaistion, portrayed by Jared Leto.
Alexander came from northern Greece, which has long been touchy about most historians' belief that like many men of the era, one of the greatest military leaders of all time swung both ways.
Two years ago, hundreds of Greeks stormed an archeological symposium where a speaker presented a paper on Alexander's sexuality and police were called in to restore order.
"We cannot come out and say that President... Kennedy was a shooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers and so Warner cannot come out and say Alexander was gay," Varnakos said....
According to the film's narration, "It was said . . . that Alexander was never defeated, except by Hephaistion's thighs."
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
OUTED -- How The Post reported it in Thursday's
Pulse: "Does my butt look big in this toga?"
Speaking as a female, I see nothing sexy and attractive about Colin Farrell in that cheap wig and toga.
History is history, regardless.
I guess old Ollie must still be letting some of his autobiographical sketches leak into his "art".
Well, I thought this was pretty well established from the historical record?!?
Then again, it is in an Oliver Stone film, so I suppose that is a fairly strong argument against...
Should have used the " " on the word leak or were you punning?
With all the room under those togas, I guess you would swing both ways...
The ancient biographers such as Plutarch were certainly not ambiguous about it.
Everytime I see him in that getup it cracks me up. Reminds me of Tom Hulce from Amadeus, for some reason. Anyway, it just looks stupid.
We all know that Stone is a sick man and probably posts regularly on DUmmys.
They are goign to lose a fortune on this movie.
Why does Hollywood insist on coming out with more and more disgusting garbage.
And they wonder why "The Incredibles" is doing so well? Sheesh. It's the only movie out right now thats okay for families.
These hollywood guys are living in a fantasy worls.
The Golden Age of Greek literature preceded Alexander, and so obviously most of the renown authors would not have written anything about it. From Roman sources (and a couple Hellenistic writings) it's rather clear what the relationship was thought to have been, and the basic modern Greek counter-argument is that it's nothing more than hearsay. It's a fairly silly dispute which could be brought up about most any ancient records.
The Greeks just don't want to admit that their ancient forebears were mostly bisexual sluts..
Mary Renault, "The Persian Boy"
http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0394751019/ref=sib_dp_pt/102-0927276-7907359#reader-link
Ick. I wanted to see this film, but now....well, not so sure.
I enjoyed Troy, but this just turns me off.
They sure are. It cost $160 million and I'm pretty sure it's gonna bomb. So sad, too. I was really looking forward to seeing an Alexander movie someday (I've had a long fascination with Alexander the Great's conquests, since a project I did in 7th grade).
That blond, simpering version of Colin Farrell just looks so silly though I won't be going to see it. I'll probably rent the DVD someday, and that's it. I know Alexander was blond, but if they had to cast Farrell they should've just taken some license and left his hair dark. Or, they could've just cast a blond actor or whatever.
Not that the other Alexander adaptation that would've starred Leonardo DiCaprio would've been much better from the sound of it. *sigh*
I agree. Even the history channel mentioned that A the G had a boyfriend, but I doubt if there was any 'romantic foreplay' in their relationship.
"White folks was in the caves while we was building empires. We taught philosophy and astrology and mathematics before Socrates and them Greek homos ever got around to it."~Al Sharpton
There aren't that many records of the period.
The New Testament has thousands of times more documentary evidence, and it is controversial.
Imagine having a few late-dated manuscripts far removed from the time and making authoritative statements about the era in question, much less about an individual.
One thing that is beyond serious dispute about the era in question is that homosexuality didn't just speak its name, it shouted it from the rooftops. If Alexander wasn't having homosex then he was probably just about the only one..
Moreover, the Romans took a much more ambivalent view on the matter, and since they revered Alexander there is rather little reason I can think of why they would've fabricated such a thing.
God**mn Faggots!!!!!
(Not that there's anything wrong with that)
You know why. It has nothing to do with history or historical accuracy. It has everything to do with trying to convince the American peeples that homosexuality is pretty common and that one of the greatest conquerers in the history of the world was gay, proving that gays are tough, warlike MEN.
did he truly say this? hahahaha!
Is this a real quote?
LOL! At any moment, you'd expect Colin as Alexander to giggle obnoxiously and fart.
I just Googled it. It seems the Sharp One had that little brainstorm in a 1994 speech at Kean College. The stupidity is quite astounding. LOL
What a bore the left has become. How petty their "causes."
It's a real quote, but I thought it was a black professor in NYC who said it.
Alexander may have been many things but there has never been any credible proof to suggest he was bisexual but that doesn't stop the homosexual community in its attempt to re-write history. There is plenty of evidence of homosexuality throughout history usually in the form of young men (many times slaves) being taken under the wings of older men. The unflattering history of homosexuality, much of which would be considered indistinguishable from molestation and abuse if today's standards were to be applied, is treated as if it never existed.
Roman after centuries. There is nothing present during the actual life of alexander. It is all inuendo and the bisexual BS is a product of American homosexuals in the ivory tower.
Stone is stoned, History channel did a special tonight totally humiliating the "JFK" film stone made.
Stone has as much credibility as Michael Moore.
Now that the Stone homosexual angle has been outed, (fox reports male kissing on the lips) it will be interesting if straight men will want to be seen entering the "gay" movie.
The History channel special on Alexander the Great made it clear that Hephaistion was Alexander's lover.
"Everytime I see him in that getup it cracks me up. Reminds me of Tom Hulce from Amadeus, for some reason. Anyway, it just looks stupid.
Reminds me of Dukaka wearing that tanker's helmet.
It does make me want to see the Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton film of Alexander the Great.
Yes, since Plutarch and Curtius wrote the authoritative surviving biographies in the first century AD, and since they both make the relationship explicitly clear, the sources are obviously Roman after three centuries. I never said otherwise.
Alexander the Clerk staring Michael Dukakis
see heroic deed of administrative paper shuffling
watch in awe as he champions no fault car insurance to the Masses of Mass.
watch as he trains his protoge Lutenant Governor Kerry to support homosexual marriage without vocally stating support.
You will be shocked by the controversial facts which the director will make up in order to titilate 1% of the population.
(/s)
This is akin to claiming all semites are jews because jews are semites.
I saw the same documentary. The History chanel made it very clear it was not settled only implied. It was only a two hour piece so many details were left out.
Oh, and Arrian of Nicomedia wrote the third major biography. That was four centuries after Alexander. There was one more major biography but I can't recall who wrote it at the moment. I also don't recall what either of them had to say about Hephaistion specifically. I could look it up..
The Greeks of the time consider the Macedonians to be at best semi-Greek, and little better than Thracians.
Not true. Macedionians were considered hicks much the same way the stereotype of people from Arkasas are considered inbred hicks. That stereotype does not make them any less Americans. (or bill clinton not a US citizen)
The were Greek, they did speak Greek. The entire world at the time considered all on the penisular Greeks, every city state on the penisula considered themselves Greek, and the stone writings and writings that have survived list the Macedonian provence as Greek.
The only reason for the modern change is the yougoslavian land grab by renaming a slavic provence "macedonia" in the 1950's.
Macedonia is part of Greece. The birth place of Alexander is in Greece, the burial tomb of King Philip is in Greece.
Interesting. I never heard any part of this controversy until now. When I saw the trailer it looked interesting to me until I saw it was a Stone movie. Then I knew better.
Actually Alexander considered his real father to be Zeus, king of the Greek gods. In his eyes that would be 100% greek by your statement.
I noticed that too, but who cares? Evidently homosexuality was acceptable among Greeks. I suppose the situation was similar to that in say Afghanistan today, men and women segregated and men resorting to the practice as a pressure valve and social ladder-- to establish hierarchy. It doesn't seem unreasonable to suppose Alexander participated in the practice.
He was a murderous bastard, a proto-hitler. I don't care if he screwed knot-holes in fence posts, frankly. I see nothing to celebrate in the life of this tyrant or any reason to worry about his reputation.
Diodorus Siculus wrote the fourth major biography in the first century BC. Arrian was evidently the source of the Achilles/Patroklos tomb anecdote, which I suspect is fictional but that leaves little doubt about what Arrian thought on this little controversy..
I am interested in military history. I have always been interested in Greek history and Alexander.
I wouldn't see this movie because I heard Farrell make an anti-Iraq War remark. I can't listen to or see the work of liberal entertainers anymore.
I wouldn't see a Stone movie.
One time I looked up "Bagoas." He was described as a "favorite" of Alexander.
http://www.androphile.org/preview/Library/Biographies/Alexander/Alexander.htm
Stephen Pressfield has a new novel out about Alexander. It's called "The Virtues of War". I haven't read it yet but his novel about the Spartans at Thermopylae called "Gates of Fire" was fantastic!
Part of the facts that made alexanders conquests of note was that he did not impose culture on the conquered and often adopted local practices. It was the first efforts of various cultures co-existing (in a bloody savage world).
He also established the library of Alexandria. When commerical ships came to port, they would be inspected for scrolls to be taken and copied. If it was a document of value the owners would be given the copy.
Homosexuality was never accepted by the Ancient Greeks. Even the homoadvocates support the notion that homosexuals did not exist then in any more than they exist now. Homosexuals were segregated appart from normal society. I do simplify because the real issue here is whether Oliver Stone takes liberties which the actual historical evidence does not support.
Not the first time for stone, History channel right now is doing a conspiracy piece about the Kennedy assisination which discredits Stone's "JFK" as absurd.
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