 The film, directed by Oliver Stone, portrays the life of Alexander the Great in an epic style that is also reflected in the score.Alexander was a king ("basileus") of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon who expanded the Hellenistic civilization with his conquests on the 4th Century BC; Vangelis, himself a Greek, was already famous for his scores to "Chariots of Fire", "Blade Runner" and "".He was directly approached by Stone.