Flickgrrl

This is why pseudo-intellectual film critics drive me nuts. First off, the graphic novel that the film is based on was written in 1999, well before George Bush, 9/11, the War on Terror or the War in Iraq. Any comparisons or allegories that are read into it belong soley in the mind of the viewer/reader.

Secondly, just because something depicts things in black and white, does not necessarily make them jingoistic. I will leave it to Victor Davis Hanson, author and classicist, to handle this point:

"Why—beside the blood-spattering violence and often one-dimensional characterizations—will some critics not like this, despite the above caveats?

Ultimately the film takes a moral stance, Herodotean in nature: there is a difference, an unapologetic difference between free citizens who fight for eleutheria and imperial subjects who give obeisance. We are not left with the usual postmodern quandary 'who are the good guys' in a battle in which the lust for violence plagues both sides. In the end, the defending Spartans are better, not perfect, just better than the invading Persians, and that proves good enough in the end. And to suggest that ambiguously these days has perhaps become a revolutionary thing in itself."

Bill,

Call me pseudo-intellectual. Whether or not "300" was conceived before the Iraq war or not, the film is released in the present climate where it does have that jingoistic resonance. I can appreciate its visual and kinetic beauty -- it's like a "Gladiator" gen-spliced with "Matrix" -- but can not help but see it as a political commentary. Can you? BTW, for all the talk about Sparta's democracy, I believe that they were a slaveholding city-state.

Thanks for the comment,

Carrie,

I apologize for the snarky comment. I am used to posting over at Attytood, where the back and forth is a little more, shall we say, firey.

That being said, I still take issue with your assumption that the movie must be viewed as modern political commentary. Frank Miller adhered rather closely to Herodotus and other ancient sources, even taking much of the best lines from the original authors. The movie is political, but in the context of the ancient world. Herotodus et al. did see it as democracy versus empire, freemen versus slaves, good versus evil. While the Battle has been used throughout history as an example of freedom v. tyranny, that doesn't mean it has to be interpreted that way. (My favorite reference, apropos of the season, is in the Irish rebel song "A Nation Once Again"). I am wary of anyone on either side of the issue using it in the arguement on what to do in Iraq.

As to the comment about Sparta being a democracy, within the context of the ancient world, the Greeks, and later the Romans, were as close as you got. Slavery existed, as it did everywhere in the ancient world, but that is judging history through the benefit of 20/20 hindgsight.

While not the more perfect republic that we belong to, it still represented a much more deomcratic society then the Persian Empire. Although oligarchic in tendencies, its rulers were elected and any citizen could run for office. Whether this was a better system that the more cosmolpolitan Persian empire is a debate for people much more schooled than me.

But what does Lena Headey do in this movie?

So the Persians come out looking bad with their orgies and weird mystical beliefs? But the Spartans are fine with their worship of Zeus and the gang and advice-taking from the Oracle? Before they oil each other down in preparation for death that is.
Everyone was a weirdo back then. Anyone reinvigorated on the war in Iraq after seeing this is a moron, but people will take from it what they want, just like every other movie.

The movie is too stupid to be taken as any kind of commentary except one about the ineptitude of the filmmakers and the vapidity of their story.

Carrie:

OK, you're a pseudo-intellectual. Call me a cab.

Tying this movie to Bush is just a cheap way of trying to ruin my cinematic experience. The next time, save the Bush comments for whatever Jim Carrey or Adam Sandler are doing - then you won't ruin the movie for me.

I Love this movie! It´s Fantastic!!!

Firstly, Bill is right. Judging the past with our standards not only places the historian and their analysis in the wrong context, it places a new meaning and untruthful meanings on things that existed before.

(i.e., stating that Britain's use of propaganda in the World Wars was devious is a judgement we would make today. That is, their definition of "propaganda" is much different to today's. The meanings of words change (oh bite me post-modernists, so I agree with you this once).)

I would like to add that reading the ancient art from our modern world is our right and duty (IMHO); each generation should have its own interpretation of the classics. We can give new senses to the ones said by those who came before us.
The fight between democracy and empire is falacious, being Sparta a diarchy (that is, they had two kings).
Miller follows very lightly Herodotus' words: no mention to the 2 slaves each spartan soldier brought with him; no trace of the armor in the Spartan army which makes them look sexyer, if you like half-nude men, but not realistic at all; the "this-is-Sparta" part is not in the Greek writer, in fact the "boy-loving" athenians where the ones who mistreated the Persian ambassadors; rhinoceronts were never domesticated; to mention just a few.
Art must be placed in 2 contexts: (1) where it's been produced, and (2) from where it's been observed.
Just my two euro-cents.

I don't agree that 300 is anything other than a kick-ass story created to give life, character and rememberance to perhaps one of the bravest and well-know 'last stands' in history.

I doubt it was created with the intention of causing the viewer/reader to think about anything that relates to modern affairs and politics. It is simply a story that is made with heavy reliance on fiction to make the story more fantastic. As stated, the Spartans don't wear any armour in the book/film (simply because this shows them to be twice as menacing), the elephants are massive, and to top it off the immortals are given a fearsome - entirely monsterous - look.

Another little-known fact is that the Spartans were a very small race of people (generally only 5 foot 6 on average); giving greater testament to their memory.

300 was created simply to tell a story in a glamorous way to a modern audience. Little has been changed from the graphic novel which was written before the invasion of Iraq and the events of 9/11. Frank Miller just wanted to create a work of fiction with elements of fact to commemorate one of his favorite historical events.

I don't agree that 300 is anything other than a kick-ass story created to give life, character and rememberance to perhaps one of the bravest and well-know 'last stands' in history.

I doubt it was created with the intention of causing the viewer/reader to think about anything that relates to modern affairs and politics. It is simply a story that is made with heavy reliance on fiction to make the story more fantastic. As stated, the Spartans don't wear any armour in the book/film (simply because this shows them to be twice as menacing), the elephants are massive, and to top it off the immortals are given a fearsome - entirely monsterous - look.

Another little-known fact is that the Spartans were a very small race of people (generally only 5 foot 6 on average); giving greater testament to their memory.

300 was created simply to tell a story in a glamorous way to a modern audience. Little has been changed from the graphic novel which was written before the invasion of Iraq and the events of 9/11. Frank Miller just wanted to create a work of fiction with elements of fact to commemorate one of his favorite historical events.

See, I felt so strongly about this that I had to post it twice...

... sorry!

Why do movies always get analized as though they were a patient laying on a couch with some european guy (who was a coke addict) making judgments about them. It was a great movie pure and simple with no "deep meaning. Just great entertainment!!!!!