Posted on 05/22/2005 2:59:15 PM PDT by CaptIsaacDavis
Nice article, but can we have a real link please?
I saw the movie recently, and I enjoyed it for its entertainment value. But it was historically challenged, to say the least.
These revisionist films always tend to portray the Catholic monks as pretentious, cowardly and distrustful. In truth they were honest, courageous and faithful men who deeply believed in Christ.
As you can see from my name, I've read a great deal about the Crusades, and the reason why they ultimately failed was never due to lack of courage and conviction, but essentially due to the severe inability to resupply the forward armies with food, arms and replacements. The supply routes and logistics were extremely difficult back then, nearly impossible to re-supply the forward armies without suffering crushing losses and casualties along the way.
What really struck me as revisionist history in this movie was the lack of Christian faith the film's 'Crusaders' displayed, and complete selfishness of their leaders. Though personal gain was a part of their leading the Crusades, it's important to note that, according to the great historian Hilaire Belloc, roughly 500,000 Crusaders and their civilian auxiliaries left Europe on the first Crusade, and most of them died from enemy attack, starvation, dehydration and disease. Only about 15,000 of the original 1/2 million crusaders survived to make it to Jerusalem, where this decimated, exhausted army of Christians conquered and ousted the Muslims and took the Holy City. Now THAT'S something more than just 'personal gain', they were traveling, surviving and fighting on the fuel of their Christian faith. The movie was a mockery of how things actually were.
self ping
The article at times starts to devlove into something written by a Star Wars fan about Lucas' latest release, but otherwise it presents a fairly concise desciption of history and the fiction of the movie.
Had this been done the other way, a pro-Christian revision on history, I'm sure that most of the enlightened nations would have banned it for being a religious attack. But since it attacks Christians, that's just fine and dandy.
It was challenging in more ways than one. Muddy plot, bad acting, and painfully awful dialogue. The battle scenes were entertaining enough, though even there I found myself suspicious of elements.
I was entertained (caveat: it's been many months since I've been to a movie), but I'd not bother watching it again.
I'll see this movie when I can rent it free of charge from the library on DVD.
I, too, am still waiting for the definitive film on Alexander the Great. In the meantime, Blockbuster carries the Richard Burton/Claire Bloom version, in color, made in the mid-fifties.
Yes, Stone's film made it clear that the Macedonian conqueror vanquished a huge Persian force. The film is worth one viewing, just for the battle scenes. Otherwise, it's a poor movie all around.
I have to admit it hurt to plunk down admission for "Alexander", knowing a chunk of it was going into Oliver Stone's pocket. But then again, I don't have 50 years to wait till the next time Hollywood decides to make a film on Alexander. (Yup, it was half a century between Richard Burton's film and Colin Farrell's.)
This History Channel has a good two hour documentary on Alexander which includes descriptions of the major battles and visits to the actual sites, including the monument to the slain Sacred Band at Chaeronea. Also includes four actors portraying the four major ancient historians who chronicled Alexander's life. Very well done. THC has run it at least twice in the past two years - when the Stone film was released, and during Ancient Conquerors Week.
I'm fascinated by the whole era of Elizabeth I and her shipbuilding program and her encouragement of privateers like Sir Francis Drake. Their raids on Spanish shipping in the New World enriched the English crown and also robbed Spain of necessary monies to finance its Army in Holland. Elizabeth built her new navy and increased her nation's prestige with this stolen Spanish coin and treasure.
I only vaguely followed the scandal about the misdiagnosis of Agent Orange cases by the government....but it certainly sounds like a tragic situation.
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