Synopsis

Alexander follows the rise of the Macedonian king who unites Greece and leads his armies across Persia, Egypt and India. Told through the recollections of the aging Ptolemy, the film explores Alexander's ambition, military genius and increasingly strained relationships as conquest carries him farther from home. His achievements become inseparable from personal loss, political tension and the burden of pursuing a limitless dream.

Factoids & Trivia

• Oxford historian Robin Lane Fox's biography Alexander the Great was a major source for the screenplay. Fox also served as the film's historical consultant and rode on horseback during the large cavalry sequences filmed in Morocco and Thailand.

• The production was filmed across three continents, with major location work in Morocco and Thailand and studio work in England. The shoot lasted roughly three months and involved about 20,000 costumes.

• The armor department produced thousands of battlefield props, including 9,000 arrows, 3,000 shields, 3,000 swords, 4,000 bows and 200 cavalry lances.

• Cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto used six types of film stock, varied filtration and selective bleach-bypass processing to give Macedonia, Persia, Babylon and India distinct visual identities.

• The theatrical release ran 175 minutes, but the film was later re-edited several times. Home-video versions included the 2005 Director's Cut, the 2007 Final Cut and the 2014 Ultimate Cut, which runs approximately 206 minutes.

• The battle at Hydaspes combines elements from two historical events: Alexander's battle against King Porus and the later siege of Multan, during which Alexander was wounded.