Tonight We Dine In Hell....
Consider yourself warned. The following is the Prez’s official review of the Film “300” after two viewings. Spoilers and descriptions abound.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gfZnWVoqZ8
For millions of Americans March 9th had long been marked on the calendar. Due to several amazing well placed trailers, “300” seemed to on the surface have a little bit of everything. A warrior epic depicting the famous standoff during the Battle of Thermopylae, the film comes to us from the graphic novel by Frank Miller of the same name. Like Miller’s last project “Sin City”, “300” includes many similar CGI blue screen techniques that enable the graphic novel to come to life in a visual spectacle.
The ability of director Zack Taylor to blend the visual and the storyline is very impressive. Even for crazy over analytical historians like me, it is easy to get wrapped up in the actions of the strong determined characters. It is an excellent movie.
It is certainly not perfect. The fact that all the Spartans, “The good guys”, are all light skinned while all the Persians, “The bad guys”, are dark skinned provides a racist undertone many will call ridiculous, me included. The image of Persians (Modern day Iranians) as sadistic mutants with a freaky streak for orgies may ruffle more then a few feathers. The viewer easily roots against them even though you know they win the battle against the “300”.
Historically the film is told from the Spartan perspective. This perspective is lost to history. Thus, the many inaccuracies can be set aside if you see it as a Spartan retelling, as opposed to that of the victorious Athenians who we now know and love. The Spartans may have somehow justified their actions, but “Freedom” and “Equality” were certainly not them. This was crucial to the storyline, but seemed so remarkably lazy to me.
Hey Hollywood, If every ancient or medieval war was fought for freedom, wouldn’t if have been actually been established and disseminated prior to 1776?
The Thespians never ran away. A thousand of them fought and died along with the “300”.
Spartan life actually celebrated inequality, something that was hinted at during the retelling of the early life of King Leonidas. The Spartan life also celebrated war. The warrior nature is depicted nicely, but its modern day resemblance to fanatical religious D-bag martyr-wannabes left this viewer with an uneasy acceptance of the Spartans, as a nessessary evil before the victory.
The Prez has always accepted the postmodern historical perspective, that the Athenians brought the critical thinking to the table, while the Spartans fashioned a fascistic obsession with combat that pushed along humanities ability to conquer mother nature.
This idea has always added to my dislike of Michigan State, which is nice.
However, somewhere along the way none of this matters. Maybe it is the sight of thousands of arrows blotting out the sun, or the creation of a wall out of the dead Persians, but the jingoism and nihilism at the heart of the film adds to the action of the film. Fake violence works when done right, and the “300” has it and then some.
Leonidas is portrayed as a fearless leader, not a D-bag. Thus, any comparisons to anyone in the current American administration should only be used for the purpose of satire. Can you imagine Cheney in leather underwear? Or Bush going to war under false pretences?
naaaa.....me either.
So go see "300". Then go to Hooters. Make an evening out of it.
Then snap back to reality, recognize it is 2007, and get back to the business of avoiding eviction.
Prez Out
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gfZnWVoqZ8
For millions of Americans March 9th had long been marked on the calendar. Due to several amazing well placed trailers, “300” seemed to on the surface have a little bit of everything. A warrior epic depicting the famous standoff during the Battle of Thermopylae, the film comes to us from the graphic novel by Frank Miller of the same name. Like Miller’s last project “Sin City”, “300” includes many similar CGI blue screen techniques that enable the graphic novel to come to life in a visual spectacle.
The ability of director Zack Taylor to blend the visual and the storyline is very impressive. Even for crazy over analytical historians like me, it is easy to get wrapped up in the actions of the strong determined characters. It is an excellent movie.
It is certainly not perfect. The fact that all the Spartans, “The good guys”, are all light skinned while all the Persians, “The bad guys”, are dark skinned provides a racist undertone many will call ridiculous, me included. The image of Persians (Modern day Iranians) as sadistic mutants with a freaky streak for orgies may ruffle more then a few feathers. The viewer easily roots against them even though you know they win the battle against the “300”.
Historically the film is told from the Spartan perspective. This perspective is lost to history. Thus, the many inaccuracies can be set aside if you see it as a Spartan retelling, as opposed to that of the victorious Athenians who we now know and love. The Spartans may have somehow justified their actions, but “Freedom” and “Equality” were certainly not them. This was crucial to the storyline, but seemed so remarkably lazy to me.
Hey Hollywood, If every ancient or medieval war was fought for freedom, wouldn’t if have been actually been established and disseminated prior to 1776?
The Thespians never ran away. A thousand of them fought and died along with the “300”.
Spartan life actually celebrated inequality, something that was hinted at during the retelling of the early life of King Leonidas. The Spartan life also celebrated war. The warrior nature is depicted nicely, but its modern day resemblance to fanatical religious D-bag martyr-wannabes left this viewer with an uneasy acceptance of the Spartans, as a nessessary evil before the victory.
The Prez has always accepted the postmodern historical perspective, that the Athenians brought the critical thinking to the table, while the Spartans fashioned a fascistic obsession with combat that pushed along humanities ability to conquer mother nature.
This idea has always added to my dislike of Michigan State, which is nice.
However, somewhere along the way none of this matters. Maybe it is the sight of thousands of arrows blotting out the sun, or the creation of a wall out of the dead Persians, but the jingoism and nihilism at the heart of the film adds to the action of the film. Fake violence works when done right, and the “300” has it and then some.
Leonidas is portrayed as a fearless leader, not a D-bag. Thus, any comparisons to anyone in the current American administration should only be used for the purpose of satire. Can you imagine Cheney in leather underwear? Or Bush going to war under false pretences?
naaaa.....me either.
So go see "300". Then go to Hooters. Make an evening out of it.
Then snap back to reality, recognize it is 2007, and get back to the business of avoiding eviction.
Prez Out
Labels: 300, Frank Miller, Hollywood, President Bush, Sparta
posted by The Dude at
9:05 PM
1 Comments:
I went to see the film last night. What made it all the more meaningful to me was that when I had to teach my practice lesson for my Dream Job, I taught the Battle of Thermopylae.
And this movie was like my lesson turned to life, but as you outlined, it sometimes strayed from real life.
I talked about the Spartan culture (A+ job by the movie), the Athenian culture the Spartans were defending, the massive Persian army with all their waves, including the Immortals. I talked about the Greek who betrayed Leonidas (not disfigured). I talked about Leonidas going to the Oracle at Delphi (for the love of God, the ephors were not mutants).
I am shocked that the movie left out all the fellow Greeks from a dozen city-states who fought alongside the Spartans but were told to go (Yes, 700 Thespians stayed!) home to warn the Athenian navy.
The movie gets an A- from me. All the inaccuracies I chalk up to TRT and Spartan legends persevering (fighting the giant man or the giant rhino) as it was told from the Spartan perspective.
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