Anyone think the Greeks are a little touchy about the whole "gay" thing?
The makers of Colin Farrell's upcoming epic Alexander are facing the threat of lawsuit, for claiming warrior Alexander The Great was bisexual. A group of furious Greek lawyers insist the legendary conqueror was heterosexual, and they're now looking into suing film studio Warner Bros and director Oliver Stone for claims to the contrary. Yannis Varnakos, spokesman for the 25 lawyers, tells Reuters, "We are not saying that we are against gays, but we are saying that the production company should make it clear to the audience that this film is pure fiction and not a true depiction of the life of Alexander." The group has sent an extrajudicial note insisting that the studio include a reference in the credits saying the movie is fictional. While Varnakos and his group of Greek attorneys haven't actually seen the epic, they say they have gathered enough evidence to know there are "inappropriate references" to Alexander's sexuality.
I have seen it. Are there "references" to the contention that Big Al preferred the company of men? Absolutely. Alexander is one of the gayest movies I've ever sat through, and I saw Batman and Robin twice.
Yet it's all implied. For all the searching looks and tender hair stroking, there's more hot man on man action in BASEketball than Alexander. I could - maybe - understand some outcry if half the film featured Alexander giving Hephaesteon the ole reverse cowboy, but Stone's so coy about the subject I don't really see the point of getting all worked up about it.
Varnakos says that Stone has the right to freely express himself - but the audience has the right to know the director is tampering with history. He adds, "We cannot come out and say that (former US) President John F. Kennedy was a shooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team and so Warner cannot come out and say Alexander was gay." Alexander opens in America on November 24.
Gee, that's swell that Yanni is respecting Stones' right to free expression, but the reason he can't claim JFK played for the Los Angeles Lakers is because its demonstrably false. The historians Plutarch, Curtius, and Diodorus all agree that, at the very least, Alexander preferred men to women. So does Peter Green, author of Alexander of Macedon, and the majority of modern-day Alexander scholars.
I guess we shouldn't bring up Socrates.
Not that I'm sure Stone won't appreciate the publicity. After the critical pounding I feel pretty sure Alexander's going to get, every little bit of press will help. And regardless of your feelings regarding bisexuality, there are plenty of other things in this film to get pissed off about.
Whoops! "When," not "then." Damn...fingers...can't function...
Oh, please tell me there was a scene with olive oil and the use of strigils! Two strapping men rubbing and scraping oil off each others bodies. There's nothing homoerotic about that. If they want to keep the movie realistic olive oil was the bathing ingredient and skin softening agent of choice.
Sorry, Colin Farrell wearing Brad Pitt's discarded headgear (Troy) just doesn't appeal to me. Besides, I couldn't care less whether Alexander was bi, homo, or hetero. He was an incredibly gifted leader, tactician and politician. *That's* the story I want to hear. Not some sexed up pseudo-historical film about who boinked whom. Anyway, I think the Greeks are still a little testy over the Trojan Horse thing and now this! Man, they sure know how to hold a grudge!
Sorry, Colin Farrell wearing Brad Pitt's discarded wig (Troy) just doesn't appeal to me. Besides, I couldn't care less whether Alexander was bi, homo, or hetero. He was an incredibly gifted leader, tactician and politician. *That's* the story I want to hear. Not some sexed up pseudo-historical film about who boinked whom. Anyway, I think the Greeks are still a little testy over the Trojan Horse thing and now this! Man, they sure know how to hold a grudge!
You saw Batman and Robin TWICE?
Good God man, what the hell's wrong with you? That's the only movie I've ever seen where the audience was downright pissed at the quality of the film. When 14 year old mall kids can tell your movie is a half-assed piece of shit, you know something's very wrong. Although it was funny to see moviegoers chuck popcorn at the screen for the almost the entire movie.
John Kennedy played third base for the Washington Senators.
PROOF THAT ALEXANDER THE GREAT WAS NOT GAY
“When Philoxenos, the leader of the seashore, wrote to Alexander that there was a young man in Ionia whose beauty has yet to be seen and asked him in a letter if he (Alexander) would like him (the young man) to be sent over, he (Alexander)responded in a strict and disgusted manner: “You are the most hideous and malign of all men, have you ever seen me involved in such dirty work that you found the urge to flatter me with such hedonistic business?” (From Plutarch’s On the Luck and Virtue of Alexander A, 12)
“But as for the other captive women, seeing that they were surpassingly stately and beautiful, he merely said jestingly that Persian women were torments to the eyes. And displaying in rivalry with their fair looks the beauty of his own sobriety and self-control, he passed them by as though they were lifeless images for display.” (From Plutarch’s Parallel Lives: Alexander, 21)
“When Philoxenus, the commander of his forces on the sea-board, wrote that there was with him a certain Theodorus, of Tarentum, who had two young men of surpassing beauty to sell, and enquired whether Alexander would buy them, Alexander was incensed, and cried out many times to his friends, asking them what shameful thing Philoxenus had ever seen in him that he should spend his time in making such disgraceful proposals.” (From Plutarch’s Parallel Lives: Alexander, 22, 1)
In light of the evidence above, CONSIDER the following questions and DRAW your own conclusions:
If Alexander was a homosexual, would he have reacted in this manner to Philoxenos’ proposals?
If Alexander was a homosexual, would he have ruthlessly and disgustingly dismissed Philoxenus?
If Alexander was a homosexual, would he have “drooled” over Persian women who were “torments to the eyes”?
A NEW BOOK WHICH DEMOLISHE STHE MYTH THAT HOMOSEXUALITY WAS ACCEPTED BY ANCIENT GREEKS
Debunking the Myth of Homosexuality in Ancient Greece BY ADONIS GEORGIADES
http://www.grecoreport.com/debunking_the_myth_of_homosexuality_in_ancient_greece.htm
Proof that Homosexuality was UNNATURAL by Ancient Greeks:
“And whether one makes the observation in earnest or in jest, one certainly should not fail to observe that when male unites with female for procreation the pleasure experienced is held to be due to nature, but it is AGAINST nature when male mates with male or female with female, and that those first guilty of such enormities were impelled by their slavery to pleasure.” Plato Laws 1.636c
“If we were to follow in nature's steps and enact that law which held good before the days of Laius, declaring that it is right to refrain from indulging in the same kind of intercourse with men and boys as with women, and adducing as evidence thereof the nature of wild beasts, and pointing out how male does not touch male for this purpose, since it is unnatural,--in all this we would probably be using an argument neither convincing nor in any way consonant with your States.” Plato Laws 8.836c
“I maintain that our regulation on this head must go forward and proclaim that our citizens must not be worse than fowls and many other animals which are produced in large broods, and which live chaste and celibate lives without sexual intercourse until they arrive at the age for breeding; and when they reach this age they pair off, as instinct moves them, male with female and female with male;” Plato Laws 8.840d
“We might forcibly effect one of two things in this matter of sex-relations,--either that no one should venture to touch any of the noble and freeborn save his own wedded wife, nor sow any unholy and bastard seed in fornication, nor any unnatural and barren seed in sodomy,--or else we should entirely abolish love for males” Plato Laws 8.841d
“When Zeus created humans and their other soul properties, he ingrained them in every human being. However, he left SHAME out. Since he didn’t know where to insert it, he commanded that it (shame) be inserted in the anus. Shame, however, complained about this and was very upset. Since shame was profusely complaining, shame said: “I will only agree to be inserted this way (i.e., in the anus) and whoever is inserted after me, I will come out.” From this day on, may every sexually inclined person who chooses this method be SHAMEFUL!” Aesop’s Fables, Zeus and Aeschyne (Shame)
The assertion was never that Alexander was gay, but that he was bisexual, Sooth.
An interesting comparison. Many men who have engaged in male-on-male sex in prison do not consider themselves homosexual, and most likely would defend their 'honor' quite viciously if so called. It is not too far fetched to believe that in between victories where many raping and pillaging could and usually did occur, there might be some dalliances between a veteran warrior and an apprenticed youth. If you read the Illiad you will definitely see homoerotic overtones between Achilles and a certain young man.
Also, there seems to be a lot of quoting of Plato in this so-called proof listed above. I would suggest that views of one man do not constitute proof, but merely an opinion on the subject. I would suggest that there is quite a lot of difference in the way that Alexander lived his life and how Plato lived his. They come from very different backgrounds and engage in entirely different occupations. It would be interesting to see the audience Plato was actually writing to, or whom his current benefactor was when he wrote Plato Laws.
This reminds me a little bit of a minor flap that erupted then the movie Gandhi was released. Many Hindu organizations were all pissed off because in the film, Ben Kingsley played Mohandas K. Gandhi, whereas they felt Gandhi should have been represented by an incandescent ball of light.