The Final Cut - Angelina Jolie

Cataclysmically maligned upon its release in 2004, Alexander - whether it deserved it or not - became the first candidate for the decade’s equivalent of Ishtar. It was viewer unfriendly, overly convoluted, and hard to get through. It was instantly dismissed and critically abused. It was director and co-writer Oliver Stone’s epic telling of the life of Alexander the Great, but so complex is his story, so varied the influences on the empire builder’s life, that when the film was edited into a practical theatrical runtime, it seemed incomplete and inaccessible.

Alexander’s story is dictated to a scribe by Ptolemy (Anthony Hopkins), a former general of Alexander’s vast armies and now a sitting Egyptian pharaoh. We learn of Alexander’s childhood. He’s encouraged by his ambitious mother, Olympias (Angelina Jolie in a role more suited to an older actress) and diminished by his dismissive father, Macedonian King Philip (Val Kilmer). We trace the influences on his development and watch Alexander (Colin Farrell in a remarkably unconvincing blonde wig) as a young adult lead a military sweep across the Middle East and beyond. We learn of his bisexuality and his generosity with defeated enemies willing to pledge and maintain allegiance. It is a cradle to grave epic that cried out for a more complete cut to achieve cohesion, and to help us understand the man more fully.

Stone tried once before to re-edit the film into a more satisfying form when he created the director’s cut for the 2005 DVD release. But that 167-minute version was actually eight minutes shorter than the theatrical release. The flow had been improved, but the subtext and clarity still hadn’t been achieved fully. To paraphrase Mike’s reaction at the time, “No, it’s not the kind of movie that those with distinct tastes will be able to stomach, and no, those who want their historical epics to come with the same old alternating history lesson and set piece structure will never make it past the half-hour mark, but for those interested in seeing a big-ass Hollywood movie made in a sometimes unsuccessful, always captivating way, Alexander is your ticket. And even if you think I’m full of hot air, consider this: it’s nowhere near as bad as you heard it was.”

Despite the critical drubbing the film received upon its theatrical release, it managed to earn $167 million at the box office worldwide and previous DVD releases sold nearly three and a half million units. That motivated Warner Home Video to give the director, who must have been a bit obsessed with the film, the opportunity to edit it once more and create the definitive version. Says Stone, “Over the last two years I have been able to sort out some of the unanswered questions about this highly complicated and passionate monarch -- questions I failed to answer dramatically enough. This film represents my complete and last version, as it will contain all the essential footage we shot. I don’t know how many filmmakers have managed to make three versions of the same film, but I have been fortunate to have the opportunity because of the success of video and DVD sales in the world, and I felt if I didn’t do it now, with the energy and memory I still have for the subject, it would never quite be the same again. For me, this is the complete Alexander, the clearest interpretation I can offer.”

The film now runs a whopping 214 minutes and it’s spread across two discs. An intermission, similar those found during road show presentations of epic films like Lawrence of Arabia and 2001: A Space Odyssey, ends the first disc at about the two hour mark. It’s a logical break and most welcome, although I fully expect this extended film to fit within the confines of either one HD DVD or Blu-ray Disc when it’s released in HD later this year. The film’s structure still shifts back and forth in time, but the non-linearity is thematic, linking events, influences, and historical background.

I did not see the film in either of its two previous forms, but for a reviewer, that may be an advantage. I was not burdened with previous impressions or expectations. I was simply free to react to Stone’s creativity. So I may not be able to answer the question of whether or not Stone succeeded in improving the film. What I can say is that I found the film to be a worthy epic, entertaining speculation on the life of an iconic historical figure. Many of the deficiencies cited in previous cuts have been resolved. Alexander’s influences and motivations are clearer. His bisexuality is addressed more specifically without being exploitative. I cannot know how thoroughly previous version explored disaffection during his brutal and costly campaign of conquest that lasted nearly a decade, but this version makes clear Alexander’s tortured psyche and its effect on his generals.

Stone has chosen to make major structural changes as well. By beginning at the end and then taking the audience through the events that led to that end must be more poignant than found in the former cuts. But a 214-minute investment is substantial, so as I watched, I was always somewhat aware of a need to be sufficiently observant to spot sequences that could be excised or trimmed without having an impact on the final cut. And while I felt that some of the sequences could be considered a little self-indulgent, I really never found myself becoming impatient. This may not be a great film, but it is certainly a good film.

The Video: How Does The Disc Look?

The film’s 2.35:1 aspect ration is presented in an excellent anamorphic transfer. The disc contains no supplements whatsoever. There is only one audio track. There are only English subtitles and Closed Captions. So virtually all the bit budget on the two double-sided discs could be dedicated to the video. As a consequence, typical MPEG-2 artifacts have been greatly suppressed or eliminated. Halos are virtually nonexistent. Those that are visible are extremely subtle and never intrude. I didn’t notice any mosquito noise. And only in highly dynamic scenes that contained very high visual density of many small objects did I seem to notice some subtle macroblocking. Color reproduction is excellent, from the bright red armor adornments to the dramatically colorful Babylon, I was never disappointed. Flesh tones and Angelina Jolie’s mesmerizing eyes have hues that are very natural. The video dynamic range is quite good. I saw no white crush, but I cannot say the same about the other end of the video. Black levels do not reach down to the darkness of the letterbox bars. The deepest black is sometimes an exceptionally dark blue; sometimes black is an exceptionally dark brown. In either case, the transfer (or perhaps the original film - I cannot say) suffers from black crush that frequently masks shadow detail. For example, when Alexander is wrestling with his voluptuous nude bride, Roxane (Rosario Dawson), her hair becomes an amorphous black blob; all texture and detail are gone. Regardless, this is a much better than average transfer that should satisfy the demanding viewer.

The Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?

The Dolby Digital 5.1 track is a bit bipolar. Most of the time, the mix is very front-centric, focusing the viewer’s attention on the dialog. But during the battles or during a forced march through jungle or forest, the mix opens up and envelops the viewer. I did not notice any sounds emanating from my center surround, so I’m forced to assume that EX decoding will neither help nor hinder. This may have been before the age of gunpowder and explosives, but that doesn’t preclude a satisfying bottom end. The footfalls of elephants in the Indian jungle or the hooves of horses galloping across the desert reach deep into the bass region. I did not care for the score by Vangelis; I felt it to have insufficient gravitas and dramatic punch for such an epic story. I wasn’t particularly impressed with the musical presentation, either. But the spoken word remains crystal clear throughout.

There is no alternative language track and the only optional subtitles are in English. You’ll also find English Closed Captions.

Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

Oliver Stone spends a few minutes explaining his reworking the film in an optional introduction. That is the only supplement on this 2-disc set. Perhaps Warner Home Video and Stone believe that the Final Cut should be a companion to the more feature-rich Extended Edition release.

The 214-minute film is organized into forty-seven chapters.

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Exclusive DVD-ROM Features: What happens when you pop the disc into your PC?

None are included on this disc.

Final Thoughts

Alexander has immerged in a new form with what I have to assume is higher entertainment value. Readily available for under $19, it’s a very good value for those who have not yet purchased a previously released DVD. But for those who have, you should be a fan of the film or an admirer of the director to consider the investment. For all, if you do pick up the discs, you may be pleasantly surprised.