Posted on 03/02/2007 3:01:09 PM PST by MARKUSPRIME
A useful thing to keep in mind. For those interested in the actual historical record, Wikipedia has a good summary here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_ThermopylaeI saw the original movie on TCM or AMC about two years ago. I still remember one scene where the Spartans explained that they wore red cloaks because they did not show blood and thus the enemy would not know which of them was wounded or not.
I hear you loud and clear. Do you think it can correctly be said that King Leonidas, with his force of 300 Spartans and 700 Thespian volunteers, chose to stay behind fight and die at least in part to preserve a chance for victory by the Greek forces as a whole, some of whom enjoyed "individual freedom" in their city-states as we know it today?
The Wikipedia article cites J.B. Bury and Russell Meiggs, A History of Greece to the Death of Alexander the Great, 4th Revised Edition, Palgrave Macmillan (July 2000), page 271 for the following proposition: "Though they knew it meant their own deaths, they held their position and secured the retreat of the other Greek forces. The Persians succeeded in taking the pass but sustained heavy losses, extremely disproportionate to those of the Greeks. The fierce resistance of the Spartan-led army offered Athens the invaluable time to prepare for a naval battle that would come to determine the outcome of the war."
A "mind my Tag line" BTTT
That's because you keep using that uber French tagline mon ami!
BTW how are my microwave and mini food processor doing?
I still got a nice house for sale..damn market!!!
Try Yahoo movies.
Uh...my history's a little fuzzy but wasn't Sparta a military dictatorship?
I generally don't care about Youtube. I'm just annoyed.
Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)
"Our arrows will blot out the sun!"
"Then we will fight in the shade."
I think they clearly stayed behind to block the Persians with the direct goal of keeping Greece Greek, and further, they did so with the clear knowledge that they themselves would almost certainly die. Truly heroic in every way.
My point was that better historical accuracy makes for better historical understanding (and in my opinion better movies), and Spartans were not freedom fighters as we think of the term. However, they were preeminent warriors and not willing to part with self-rule.
Such historical figures need not be just like us to teach us lessons and deserve our respect.
Very well said, SampleMan. Thank you. To the extent the film manages to teach such lessons (even in part) and induce such respect, it appears to be worth seeing (I simply can't stand most Hollywood offerings).
I think they mean the Athenians were fighting for freedom..... the Spartans fought for ........they were good at it... i guess they fought, because THEY COULD... which doesn't make them bad people...hahahahahahaha
According to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/300_%28film%29):
In an early screening in August 2006, Mark Cronan of Comic Book Resources gave a positive review for the film. Cronan described most of the film as being "a bit of a cross between Gladiator and several scenes from the Lord of the Rings movies". He found the film compelling, leaving him "with a feeling of power, from having been witness to something grand". However, he admitted, "This is a chest thumping, dirty, writhing mass of violence at times... It is all quite stylized and probably less gory overall than Miller's other big screen success, Sin City. Still, it's there, and if you don't want to see men fighting and dying, do not see this movie."[40] IGN's Todd Gilchrist disagreed. Giving the film a score of five stars out of five, he said "Leonidas' relationship with his wife Gorgo offers a rare display of tenderness and devotion that is seldom seen in 'guy movies' like this one". He acclaimed Zack Snyder as a cinematic visionary as well as the visual sensibility of the film.[41] George Rousch acclaimed the film, citing its visual appeal and Gerard Butler's performance.[42]
300 had its world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival on February 14, 2007 and received a standing ovation from its 1700 strong audience.[43] Alex Billington said "Be ready to be blown away on March 9th", calling it a film ahead of its time.[44] Kirk Honeycutt praised it, saying "Those turned off by the sex-and-violence cartoonery of Sin City can embrace 300".[45] Emanuel Levy also praised the film, complimenting Snyder in that he "retells Miller's saga not as an ancient tale (sort of "once upon a time..."), but as a classic and eternal one."[46] Todd McCarthy of Variety gave it a positive review, and praised Lena Headey, though he criticised Butler as he "bellows most of his bellicose lines, which become tiresomely repetitive", as well as the lack of focus on geography.[47] Erik Davis heavily criticised the film, calling it "one of the most overly hyped films in history... a boring, fast-food version of better films, with better scripts, better acting and better battles. 300 men fought to defend their freedom but, in the end, 300 people (including me) wanted their two hours back."[48]
Sounds like a worthwhile film to me.
A brutal military dicatorship that institutionalized mass pederasty. Conan for liberals. I wonder if Obama would have survived a night on the Mountain of Rejection?
No, actually Sparta was the first constitutional democracy, albeit far differently than we know democracy today.
FYI, an image of Lycurgus is in the capital building.
I wonder if that scene is the source of the old brown pants joke. Frank Miller saw that movie and loved it so much he made the graphic novel, now of course his novel is a movie. Something for the "not historically accurate" crowd to keep in mind.
Favorite line from the movie:
"Thea mah taek hour ly'ves! Boot, thae'll nevah taek...HOUR FRAEDOOM!"
You were right, after reading the reviews it sounds like one of the big hits of the year, and with a good message.
The reason I was critical was that from the trailer I got the impression it was going to be one of those modernized, cartoonish type flicks.
Now I'm really looking forward to seeing it.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.