Obituaries of 323 B.C.
Musing I:
Has it really been 2,333 years since Alexander the Great died? I thought that Oliver Stone had embarrassed Alexander to death just six years ago.
I started watching Stone’s travesty “Alexander” but I gave up faster than a Persian. (Will anyone here explain to me the appeal of Colin Farrell. He seems like a scrofular pub lout–which by a remarkable coincidence he is.)
Tell me, when did the Greeks have Irish accents? Given Stone’s pathological reinventing of history, I was surprised that we didn’t see James Joyce tutoring the young Alexander. And with computer graphics doing the casting, imagine Barry Fitzgerald as Ptolemy and Victor McLaglen as Philip. Furthermore, Maureen O’Hara is still available for the role of Olympias. If only John Ford had made the film….
However, I don’t think that Ford would have been comfortable with Alexander’s libido. Scrolling through my papyrus editions of Asia on Five Denarii a Day I see that Alexander ‘s favorite bar was called The Hung Gardens of Babylon.
Musing II:
Chicago again has a championship team. (The Capone Gang is still the sentimental favorite.) In honor of the Blackhawks winning the Stanley Cup, I will afflict you with this lecture on the Stanleys.
https://finermanworks.com/your_rda_of_irony/2008/10/25/the-dubious-derby/
Colin Farrell quickly rose to stardom because producers were trying to create a crop of leading men that came without huge salaries. Bankable A-list stars like Tom Cruise were demanding just too much money. Matthew McConaughey is another example of a star that was pushed into the limelight. I agree that Stone’s travesty “Alexander” is not one of Colin Farrell’s shining moments, but you might want to check out Colin’s good work in a film like “In Bruges.”
I did enjoy “In Bruges”. Who would imagine Ralph Fiennes intentionally funny?
Eugene
The Hung Gardens is a skanky dive. The girls are low life, the bartenders unpleasant. Colin Farrell should be traded for Will Farrell. Colin has done turns in some really stupid productions, Will has too, but Will is occasionally amusing, which Colin hasn’t the capability of being. Colin’s standard persona is that of a plank of wood with eyebrows. I’m not sure what the box office appeal of that is, but for some reason these days, planks of wood get jobs. Colin did a turn in a buddy film version of Miami Vice (I am not Irish now, I’m American), and violent dental work without Novocaine would have been far more pleasant.