300

The phenomenally successful
worldwide box office smash ‘300’
earned almost as much globally as it did domestically,
bringing in a whopping total of $323 million dollars so
far in it's first month of release!

‘300’ is based on Frank Miller’s graphic
novel of the same name, and while taking some artistic
license, the story is based on the Battle of Thermopylae
in 480 B.C. in Greece, between the Spartans and the Persians.
Many of you (myself included) are probably not involved
in the graphic novel world, but may recognize Frank Miller
as the one who wrote the graphic novel Sin City, which
was made into a hit film in 2005.

As a massive army of Persians, led by the megalomaniacal
Xerxes, nears Sparta, Xerxes sends an emissary asking
for the submission of the city-state to his will. Xerxes
is a self-declared god and wants to conquer the world.
In a show of defiance, the Spartan King Leonidas (Gerard
Butler) kills the messenger, inciting the anger of the
so-called “divine leader”, Xerxes.

In preparation for defense of the country, King Leonidas
consults the Greek council, which has been infected with
political opportunism. They do not want to fight but instead
negotiate. To make matters worse, the local oracle, which
he is forced to seek permission from, consists of a young
drugged woman, held by corrupt priests that do not allow
the release of the full army to battle the Persians.

King Leonidas, a true Spartan, cannot take this assault
lying down and rallies together 300 Spartans to take on
the impossible task of putting themselves at odds with
250,000 plus of the Persian army. It is interesting to
note the definition of the word Spartan in the dictionary
states that they are “rigorously self-disciplined…
courageous in the face of pain, danger, or adversity.”

King Leonidas takes his army of 300 professional soldiers,
to fight off the advancing Persian army, choosing a strategically
advantageous position in a narrow mountain canyon 12 meters
wide, a corridor set in the steep cliffs off the Aegean
Sea that the Persians would have to pass through. This
place is referenced in the movie as “the Hot Gates”
(the literal translation of "Thermopylae"),
where the large army trained to fight on Asia’s
open plains, cannot take advantage of their full numbers,
giving an advantage to the Spartans. The hope for reinforcements
is always there, but they stand their ground with no certainty
of any relief, until death if need be. These Spartans
possess courage, practice self sacrifice, and have camaraderie,
so they are not fighting as an individual but as a unit
for a common purpose – their country.

Back home King Leonidas’ equally strong wife, Queen
Gorgo (Lena Headey), navigates the home front perils of
crooked politicians and backstabbing. This story is decently
wedged in, giving females in the audience more of a reason
to see this film (besides the shirtless men with muscular
superhuman abs on display throughout most of the film).
As the Queen’s husband fights the foreign invaders,
she struggles to get the backing at home to send the entire
army and keep Greece free. The scene in the film’s
beginning when the King and her part ways is fascinating,
with the Queen handling his leaving to almost certain
death with a real stoic strength and resilience. She knows
to spend a moment on sorrow would be a tax on her energy
which she must save for the fight ahead.

The famed Battle of Thermopylae, the focus of this film,
is said to have inspired all of Greece to band together
against the Persians, and help usher in the world's first
democracy.

"It's a place where great and glorious things happened,"
Frank Miller describes. "We are talking about the
crucible, the epicenter of the battle for everything that
we have, for everything that is Western civilization.
There's a reason why we are as free as we are, and a lot
of it begins with the story of 300 young men holding a
very narrow pass long enough to inspire the rest of Greece."

The texture of the film is not meant to create the reality
of the historical event, but to make the bare essentials
of the story explode on screen in an entertaining fashion.
This is not history verbatim, rather an artist’s
interpretation on those actual events. So you have fiendish
monsters, and tinted landscapes that are so beautifully
designed with CGI your jaw drops as if seeing a large
painting suddenly come to life right before your eyes.

‘300’ does stay away from being campy, because
of the display of real grit and conviction in each actor.
The glory of Greek stories such as The Iliad, which seem
far fetched, is suddenly mounted up on the wall of your
local cinema screen on a glorious widescreen canvas! This
is the stuff of legends, one of the most famous rallying
stories in history, of a stubborn group of fierce warriors
who engage a massive army, at the expense of their lives.

You are so effectively thrown into this world Frank Miller
created, that you almost want to reach for your shield
as a spear flies through the air, pick up a fallen comrade,
and bare your own sword against the oncoming enemy. The
fast and slow motion camera effects warp reality, adding
an enjoyable twist to the film.

The film was shot in 60 days on three small sets. Ten
visual effects vendors contributed to the film spread
over three continents. The script demanded that most of
the male cast spend the majority of their screen time
bare-chested, so in order to adequately present themselves
as the most well-trained and marshaled fighting force
of the time, the entire principal cast underwent a rigorous
and varied training regime for 6 weeks prior to shooting.
If you watch the behind the scenes of the film, you can
see that the exaggerated physically fit physiques of the
actors playing the Spartans were not digitally enhanced
– that is all real.

‘300’ is the most thrilling visual cinematic
experience of the year, do not miss this one.