Obviously, we are arguing about a movie and not reality here.
Big Stick diplomacy
The Persians were threatening to invade if they weren’t satisfied in their demands. In other words: They were threatening the Spartans with a gun to their heads. If you have the capability, you remove the gun. They did that first with the Persian’s Diplomat. Now, I’d have sent him back with the bit of land they had asked for and then gathered my army. Once done, I’d have tweaked Xerxes nose and then goaded him into his attack at the place of my choosing, not force it sooner like Leonidas did.
But his act demonstrated the forthright and action-oriented nature of the Spartans.
The movie on its own was okay, but God, I hated it whenever I thought of the original book it took its name from.
That’s just it – the writers get to make sure their characters are absolutely right. But then people interpret this trumped up righteousness as having something to do with real life. Notice that the show 24 is just a story, and we can get catharsis from watching Jack Bauer delve into the darkness in his artifically created ticking time bomb scenarios and note that it’s just fiction, but in real life the military fears that soldiers are getting the idea from 24 that torture is okay. But the situations that supposedly justify it in the show are artificial. In real life there is almost never an actual ticking time bomb scenario – not one you know about with enough warning to torture the right people. The artificial situations that justify behavior in fiction really are applied to much less one-sided scenarios in real life.
Loved it – especially the point about murdering envoys. If I recall my readings in history correctly, that sort of thing has in most periods been considered despicable conduct. Honorable men should not do violence to envoys under a truce flag. (A sentiment, it’s true, honored in the breach at times – Iif I recall correctly, the young then-Prince Alexander of Macedon murdered Persian envoys after they’d offered offense to the women of the royal household.) The trailers I’ve seen for this movie positively wallow with delight in the well-kicking of the Persians.
That’s a bit of the movie that lots of people miss - early on, when Nameless asked the King about his future plans, he answered that after uniting China he would look outward and start adding foreign lands to his empire. But the at the very end of the movie, we see a card saying that the King - now Emperor -was the one who built the Great Wall, bringing peace and turning China’s attentions inward .
To me, that was the whole point of the film- the King’s conversation with Nameless brought about the epiphany that the ultimate use of strength was in not using strength, and that unity must lead to peace.
For the record–and that article doesn’t mention this–Sparta really did throw the envoys into a well. Athens? Just killed 'em. If I remember correctly, it’s recorded in Book VII of the History of Herodotus. So, that part isn’t some neocon fantasy. And while the Spartans had their faults and were generally seen as crazy hillbillies by the rest of the Greek peoples, their military expertise and sacrifice has been lauded from ancient times on up. Portraying them as heroes requires no agenda whatsoever.
Seriously, this movie isn’t making the Spartans out to be heroes. They already were. Their sacrifice defined heroism for a long, long time. The movie actually does damage to that heroism, by making it so cartoonish.
Thanks for the historical correction. The well-flinging isn’t mentioned in Pressfield’sGates of Fire either – a novel that’s highly sympathetic to the Spartans.
I agree their heroism stands as a shining example. Which doesn’t prevent people with an agenda from appropriating it to further their own message. Since I haven’t seen the movie, I can’t say whether that’s been done in this case.
I don’t think the filmmakers had an agenda aside from some chest pounding manly-manness, but I can easily see how others could appropriate the imagery of the film. It’s extremely xenophobic, making the “other” so very other that it ceases to be human. But, then again, Brokeback Mountain could be used by some people to reinforce their homophobia.
My feeling was that 300 was essentially action porn. There is no point, no substance to it, beyond getting one specific, visceral reaction: adrenaline. For what it is, it succeeds magnificently. For a piece of fascist literature…eh. As I said, it has about as much substance as a pornographic film. It’ll get a visceral, emotional response, but it’s only going to reinforce what’s already there. It can’t convert anyone. It lacks the depth to do so.
Incidentally, anyone who prefers extreme *left-*wing gay action porn (btw, it actually admits it’s gay, and porn) should try to locate Bruce LaBruce’s Raspberry Reich.
Personally, I’m amazed anybody (let alone so many people) found this film entertaining. TETO I suppose, but usually, even if I don’t like something, I can “get” why some people like. Here, I’m genuinely confounded.
