<p>300 Spartans get sucked into a war they did not want to be involved in and save western civilization from Persian (Iranian) autocracy by fighting asiatic horde of a half a million or so. Are there any political overtones to this comic book gladiator film?</p>
<p>“political overtones to this comic book gladiator film?”</p>
<p>Only if you want them to be, but go ahead people see the virgin mary in slices of toast…</p>
<p>It’s one fan of the orginal movie perspective that I too really enjoyed as a youngster. I actually will wait to see this one, because I will compare it to the original inspiring movie and how I saw it as a kid. If my thoughts are different, I may not enjoy it as much. </p>
<p>I miss those old 50 cent matinees at the neighborhood movie house. </p>
<p>Sometimes a movie is just a movie and pass the popcorn.</p>
<p>Expect more of the same. Actors beware–you are not needed.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/r-rated-300-makes-huge-numbers-25-mil-friday-for-expected-60-mil-wkd/[/url]”>http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/r-rated-300-makes-huge-numbers-25-mil-friday-for-expected-60-mil-wkd/</a></p>
<p>I don’t really see some sort of deep message, except that the studios think faux history is more interesting than the real thing.</p>
<p>Maybe it is.</p>
<p>Well the “graphic novel” upon which the movie is based was published in 1998-99, so it seems it is unrelated to Gulf War II. The theme of few standing against many, death before dishonor, no retreat, no surrender, and the glory of dying in battle are all themes that have been explored in hundreds of movies. I saw the movie last night with my son and his friends and it was cinematically interesting, but the acting was not great (okay, just not great). It is historically flawed and the character of Xerxes is a joke, but it was an interesting way to spend a post-SAT Saturday night. BTW, the “graphic violence” is just that - graphic. When limbs or heads are severed there is a lot of red ink spilled, not blood. It is very similar stylistically to “Sin City”.</p>
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<p>Better yet, the history book that the graphic novel is based on was written between 434 and 425 B.C. by Herodotus. </p>
<p>However, I suppose one could legitmately ask whether the producers thought that retelling the story of a war in which bold Westerners triumphed over evil Persians bent on invasion and conquest might sell well at a time when modern western society is having doubts about the modern Persians who are bent on acquiring nuclear weapons.</p>
<p>Never even heard of this 'til yesterday, but S went with some friends to see this in an IMAX theatre today! I’ll have to ask him about it…</p>
<p>Technically, the words
should never appear in that order.</p>
<p>higherlead,</p>
<p>Wow, thanks for educating us on the Persian/Iranian synonym – who’da thunk it?! Are you next going to tell us that they speak persian?</p>
<p>I thought that order would be OK as I hear the movie makes Leonides out to be a tad homophobic.</p>
<p>“Wow, thanks for educating us on the Persian/Iranian synonym”</p>
<p>Well on the whole Americans are not noted for either their grasp of ancient history or modern geography. I know the head of the House Foreign Affairs Committee can’t tell a Persian from an Arab or a Shia from a Sunni. Sorry if I insulted your intelligence.</p>
<p>Thank you.</p>
<p>I have not seen the movie but I’ve just read a review that claims this is the gayest movie in a long long time. When we translated Plato’s Republic in high school, the text we used was bowdlerized so that all allusions to homoeroticism were deleted.</p>
<p>I think I’ll skip the movie and go back to Herodotus. Maybe in time for the Boston Marathon.</p>
<p>Oh, I like Herodotus. I don’t trust him, but I like him.</p>
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<p>Herodotus is great, which unfortunately casts a lot of doubt on the whole marathon runner story, because Herodotus never mentions it. He told a different story of a runner who ran to from Athens to Sparta (a lot farther than the distance from Marathon to Athens) to request the aid of the Spartans. And then he ran back to tell the Athenians that the Spartans said no – because being the pious people they were, they had to finish some religious obervances first.</p>
<p>The earliest accounts of the messenger, who ran from Marathon to Athens to announce the victory and then dropped dead, date from over 200 years after the fact. It’s as if the first accounts of Paul Revere’s ride didn’t appear until about 1980. It might make us question whether the ride really happened. Today many people conflate the runner who ran to Sparta and the one who ran from Marathon to Athens, combining them under the name Pheidippides. But that is actually only the name of the runner to Sparta. The Marathon messenger is never named.</p>
<p>Herodotus was born only a few years after the battle of Marathon and was able to read recent accounts and interview veterens for his own book. Moreover, Herodotus loved a good tale. So if the story of the Marathon runner was current in his day, it’s unlikely he would have missed it.</p>
<p>Coureur: We were taught both versions. Thalassa, thalassa!</p>
<p>Tarhunt: Yeah, that’s why you need critical reading and thinking.</p>
<p>^^I was taught both versions too, but unfortunately most people don’t realize that one version (the Herodotus version) is far more likely to the closer to the truth than the one that came two centuries later.</p>
<p>“…but go ahead people see the virgin mary in slices of toast…”</p>
<p>That’s easy to do: <a href=“http://www.mcphee.com/items/M6160.html[/url]”>http://www.mcphee.com/items/M6160.html</a></p>
<p>And weren’t there 1,000 Thebans (Thebians? Thebites? You know, men from Thebes.) right there with those 300 Spartans? I mean, sheesh, what does a Thebiotian have to do to get some historical credit?</p>
<p>Taking “300” seriously as a historical film is like taking “Pirates of the Caribbean” seriously as a historical film. It’s not meant to be historically accurate.</p>
<p>Look at the source material. It’s a Frank Miller piece-- this means blood, guts, manly men, womanly women (who are strong and independent AND bodaciously hot), and tons of fighting. Take it for what it is, not what it might be. To be fair, it’s not like the film carries any pretenses as far as I can tell. I, for one, look forward to being entertained by it like I was entertained by “Sin City.” In other words, brainlessly. :D</p>