Posted on 03/12/2007 12:51:43 PM PDT by timsbella
Iran on Monday strongly condemned the US film company Warner Bros. over the allegedly "anti-Iranian" blockbuster film 300.
Javad Shamqadri, art advisor to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, told Fars news agency that the film was an insult to Persian culture and in line with the American "psychological war" against Iran.
Zack Snyder's film, based on a comic book by Frank Miller, tells the story of the battle of Thermopylae in Greek history in which 300 Spartan warriors led by King Leonidas heroically fought a massive Persian army attack, delaying an invasion by King Xerxes' forces and giving Greeks time for a counterattack.
Iran's has called foul over what it calls "deviation of history" but also because the Persians in the film were shown as "ugly and violent creatures rather than human beings."
The news network Khabar organised a special programme in which the film was evaluated from several angles by film critics who argued that the film's alleged efforts to expose Persians as violent was a US political plot implemented through Hollywood and the Warner Bros. company.
The state-run network also linked the film to ongoing political differences between Washington and Tehran such as the nuclear dispute.
The film critics further said that after Germans, Japanese, Russians and Arabs, Iranians seem to become the new "villian" in Hollywood productions.
A large number of Iranians abroad have already started a worldwide email campaign to send protest missives to Warner Bros. for having insulted Persian culture and history.
The film reportedly made 70 million dollars over its opening weekend, making it the first official blockbuster of the year.
(Excerpt) Read more at playfuls.com ...
Yes, you will change your mind about Miller a bit when you listen to this....
http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=24146_Batman_Artist_No_Moonbat&only
I think 9-11 impacted him greatly.
And sentimental at times, too.
I saw it the other day, it was amazing! Even somebody like me who typically doesn't watch war movies- being a girl and all- can appreciate it because it's so well done. Saying that it was anti-Iranian is absolutely rediculous; that's like when the Passion of the Christ came out, and people were saying that it was anti-Semetic. People should really stop trying to erase and rewrite history, or we'll all end up in George Orwell Land. Guess what- THESE THINGS HAPPENED, regardless of what is going on now, and who we have to sympathize with so we don't get blown up.
Might not be easy to find, as it was published in 1998...
the infowarrior
Hollywood should do a movie on Vlad Tepes of Romania. The howls from the Mohammedans of his time were also deafening in volume, but not particularly lengthy.
Nor can his methods of dealing with Turkish Mohammedan prisoners be considered *cruel and unusual*- since they were commonplace.

Check out this one sometime. Even with Nick Nolte polaying the very flawed lead character, it's better than most.
That some see such elements in the story speaks of the viewer/reader, not the story.
Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.
The sea battle at Salamis set up the battle of Plataea. Destroying the Persian fleet at Salamis left that massive army isolated, and without supplies, but still a dangerous threat to the Greek city-states. Plataea removed the threat, permanently...
the infowarrior
Might not be easy to find, as it was published in 1998...
It's easy to find. Amazon has it in a hardcover version for under $20, as does the author/ illustrators' site at Darkhorse Publishing.
While I'd like to see Lepanto, I'd like to see Tours (732 AD) first. A double-barreled shot like *that* would leave 'em reelin' in outrage!!
the infowarrior
Some movies need to be seen on the big screen.
Showing my age, I guess... I remember when "The First Kingdom" came out in the 1980's and I didn't obtain a copy at the time, it then disappeared, and I've not been able to find a reasonably priced copy. Figured it would be a similar story for "300", but I'm glad to see it isn't...
the infowarrior
Great movie, the Mrs. and I both loved it, but not suitable for pre-teen boys - at least by our way of thinking.
"Achmadenejad is no Cyrus"
He may well prove to be another Xerxes, however.
Try reading the original account by Thucydides
Happily, it's free. For a more detailed war college study, try the paperback version of Ernie Bradford's Thermopylae: The Battle for the West, which nicely details the naval side of the fight at Thermopylae. But the telling of the Leonidas story by Dr. Paul Carteledge in Thermopylae: The Battle That Changed the World includes better maps.
I can't wait for the direct neural download version to come out!
Just imagine if the Roman Empire had lived up to Trajan's promise and conquered the PArthian Empire and moved eastwards to India? Think of it? There might never have been the growth of Islam. Rome, a Christian Rome might still have been around until the 14th century.
But don't tip her too much, or she'll fall over!
Persia was a pretty impressive culture. Remember that that the Persians pretty much acted as God's army, saving the Jews from the Babylonians and they helped them back to Judaea and helped them construct the second Temple. this phenomenal culture gave us the concept of angels, the messiah etc. And yes, it was completely destroyed by Islam, except for refugees who fled to India
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