So, as many of you know, I am a bit of a Classicist. And I have a very special and particular affection for the story of the battle of Thermopylae.
So I viewed the prospect of 300 with both excitement and trepidation. I had enjoyed the graphic novel (though not as much as Gates of Fire). But I know myself, and so I waited.
I waited until last night, when I arrived back in Durham and to dear Vampirate, another person who knows himself very well. We had both waited; the theatre was nearly empty.
So we didn't bother anyone as we spent the entire movie whispering back and forth: "oh, the crazy sword-armed ogre was my favorite part of Herodotus" and "Spartans wouldn't cry for the war-dead!" and "where's the Eurypontid king in all this?" and otherwise disparaging the historical accuracy of the film.
I think I would have liked it if I hadn't already devoured everything I could find on Lacedaemon. There was action, blood, and lots of hot, swarthy (albeit sadly hairless) man-torso. But the fact is that the battle at the Hot Gates was more inspiring and Spartan culture more fascinating than anything in the film.
As I said to the dude last night before we drifted off, "it's like making a movie about Hitler and making him, like, a necromancer or something!"
I only realized this morning that I was, in a way, describing Hellboy.
So I viewed the prospect of 300 with both excitement and trepidation. I had enjoyed the graphic novel (though not as much as Gates of Fire). But I know myself, and so I waited.
I waited until last night, when I arrived back in Durham and to dear Vampirate, another person who knows himself very well. We had both waited; the theatre was nearly empty.
So we didn't bother anyone as we spent the entire movie whispering back and forth: "oh, the crazy sword-armed ogre was my favorite part of Herodotus" and "Spartans wouldn't cry for the war-dead!" and "where's the Eurypontid king in all this?" and otherwise disparaging the historical accuracy of the film.
I think I would have liked it if I hadn't already devoured everything I could find on Lacedaemon. There was action, blood, and lots of hot, swarthy (albeit sadly hairless) man-torso. But the fact is that the battle at the Hot Gates was more inspiring and Spartan culture more fascinating than anything in the film.
As I said to the dude last night before we drifted off, "it's like making a movie about Hitler and making him, like, a necromancer or something!"
I only realized this morning that I was, in a way, describing Hellboy.
VIEW 25 of 68 COMMENTS
mwdsy:
Gotta say I loved 300. As for any historical inaccuracies, it's already based on someone else's opinion (Frank MIller) so it's probably not going to be the best history lesson.
feyd:
I laughed when Leonidas (in the film) made the joke about the Athenians preferring to "spend their time with young boys". Yah, I noticed Frank Miller left out the part about Sparta's state-sanctioned pederasty.