Jolie good show

With a humiliating defeat behind them at the U.S. box office, the stars of Alexander were taking no prisoners last night.

The movie's big names turned on a charm offensive at the London premiere, spending 45 minutes signing autographs and chatting with fans in Leicester Square.

Colin Farrell and Angelina Jolie, who were accompanied by the film's director Oliver Stone, had their work cut out for them.

The £80million epic about the life of Alexander the Great has been branded a turkey in the U.S., where it opened five weeks ago, taking a mere £18million.

Stone and his cast are pinning their hopes on European audiences to prevent the movie becoming one of the industry's biggest flops.

Critics have focused on 28-year-old Farrell's hair, dyed blond for his role as Alexander, more than his acting.

And Jolie, 29, who plays his mother, has been criticised for looking the same age as her son and her strange accent.

But the movie's premise that Alexander, one of the ancient world's most powerful military leaders, had male as well as female lovers caused the most outcry in the U.S. 'I was quite taken aback by the controversy and fierceness of the reviews about a character we don't really know too much about,' Stone said last night.

'From day one audiences didn't show up. America also doesn't understand ancient history in the way Europeans do.'

At the Odeon West End last night, about 1,000 fans seemed won over to the cause. 'It's mad out there,' Farrell said. 'Some of the fans have been waiting for seven or eight hours.'