Essentially a shot-by-shot adaptation of Frank Miller’s graphic novel, sporting fighting sequences similar to a video game, witty one-liners, and CGI blood splatter accompanied by surprisingly aerodynamic flying limbs, Zach Snyder’s 300 intentionally appeals to our thirst for bloody, yet dance-like and perhaps elegant, big screen violence. Variety Magazine called it a “blustery, bombastic, visually arresting” [1] account of the Battle of Thermopylae, and Mark Cronan, describes 300 as “the kind of movie that you leave with a feeling of power, from having been witness to something grand.” [2]
As recounted by Herodotus, the Battle of Thermopylae is one of history’s most famous last stands in which three hundred Spartans (and their allies; Herodotus counts seven thousand) fought with their lives to defend the narrow mountain pass against an invading Persian army. Even though the Greek soldiers – who were vastly outnumbered – eventually perished, betrayed by a Spartan-reject, they bought their allies valuable time to prepare their defenses.
The 2007 movie was considered a hugely successful film; not only did it set a record for IMAX cinemas, but its opening weekend gross of approximately $71 million – which beat Transformers (2007) – was the 24th highest weekend gross in box office history and covered the $65 million cost of production. 300 ultimately made over $450 million worldwide, of which 46% was generated in the United States and 54% was generated abroad. Even so, the movie received mixed reviews from domestic and international critics, and particularly critical reviews dealing with the movie’s social and racial polarization of the West (good guys) versus the East (bad guys).
In the New York Times Review Battle of the Manly Men: Blood Bath With a Message, A.O. Scott calls 300 “as violent as Apocalypto and twice as stupid” and jokes that while the Persians, “pioneers in the art of facial piercing, have vastly greater numbers… the Spartans clearly have superior health clubs and electrolysis facilities.” A.O. Scott also reminds us that “unlike their mostly black and brown foes, the Spartans and their fellow Greeks are white.” [3]
Snyder’s death-dealing Spartans, epitomized by King Leonidas (Gerard Butler), are depicted as an army of perfect warriors, fighting for freedom, loyal to their people, dedicated to their code of honor, and exceptionally courageous. They carry a shield and spear, wear “rich, warm earth tones” [4], and a red cape that likens them to “figures out of a myth… as though they were super-heroes” [5]. Snyder’s heroes are also gloriously bare chested, and one critic writes: “Possibly nowhere outside of gay porn have so many broad shoulders, bulging biceps and ripped torsos been seen onscreen as in 300… it’s not even certain Steve Reeves, the original “Hercules,” would have made the grade here.” [6]
Snyder even goes so far as to convey the merciless born-to-be-warriors as kind-hearted family men; in the scenes below, Leonidas thinks of what’s at stake – his wife and son – before kicking Xerxes’ emissary into a seemingly endless pit and again before casting his spear at Xerxes, the self acclaimed God-King.
Moreover, in contrast with historical claims substantiating Sparta had a totalitarian regime and practiced slavery, particularly to gather food and resources for combat, Snyder’s romanticized Sparta proposes to align with our values of democracy; there are no slaves, or harlots, no objectified people at all, whereas Herodotus claims there were “seven times as many slaves as free Spartans”. Spartan society in 300 is fair, and Spartan women have a say amongst men, even in parliament. While this is true to a degree, since Spartan women were respected for “giv[ing] birth to real men” [7] (in landlocked Sparta, training warriors was the primary profession and means of earning), Persian women actually had more freedoms and influence than Sparta in the Achaemenid days. In portraying the Spartans in positive light, Snyder also fails to emphasize, but briefly, the Spartan tradition of very literally killing their ‘unfit’ newborn children; if “it was puny and deformed, they dispatched [the child] to what was called ‘the place of rejection’… considering it better both for itself and the state.” [8]
On the other hand, characterized in stark juxtaposition to the Spartans, is the Persian army led by Xerxes. Unlike the Spartans, who fight for their freedom, the Persian army is portrayed to make up of Xerxes’ slaves – like pawns on a chess board – who are more afraid to die at the hands of Xerxes than the enemy. One by one, the small Spartan army clashes with beasts and primitive savages of all kinds, and fends against a barrage of weaponry and wizardry. If you had not known of Sparta or the Battle of Thermopylae, you would have thought these creatures were a figment of the imagination!
“The Persian army flashes peacock colors, exotic greens, blues and purples with gold” [9]
Xerxes’ super-elite guard, known as the Immortals, are literally depicted as otherworldly; once they remove their masks, we see that their faces are creature-like, dark as a shadow, and dysmorphic.
There are also a number of beasts and eerie creatures in 300, all of which are associated with the East. The Persian warriors ride mammoth elephants and have charging rhinos, not to mention a seriously heavyset ‘man’ with blades for arms, apparently sewed into his bones, as well as a giant who scarcely flinches when Leonidas stabs him in the eye. Even if we take into account that the narrator, Delios, maybe exaggerating his story, Snyder’s visual depiction of the Persian army is received with muted enthusiasm by historians, and particularly by the Middle East.
Xerxes himself, evocatively performed by Rodrigo Santoro, is made to look dangerously wicked and quickly becomes the repelling Other. The facial piercings, dark eyeliner, thin eyebrows, gold chains and ornaments hanging around his head, neck and body, make Xerxes appear primitive and oddly epicene. With the use of CGI and camera positioning, Santoro is also darkened and enlarged to look unworldly; in this scene, the contrast between the two men – East and West – is noticeable as the androgynous Xerxes towers over Leonidas like a giant.
Xerxes enters the scene on a lustrous golden throne which is propped up on the hurting backs of dozens of slaves.
With the stark juxtaposition between Snyder’s characterization of the strong-willed, valiant, and photogenic Spartan army versus the barbaric, dark-skinned, power-hungry Persians threatening Spartan sovereignty, viewers can’t help but cheer for a Spartan victory. Consequently, the brutal and bloody deaths of thousands of Persian servicemen appears to be for good reason, even to the extent that we, as viewers, feel that they deserve to die.
Whether consciously or inadvertently, Snyder’s misrepresentation of the Spartans as our clear-cut goodies and Persians as the repelling Other – perhaps if only for entertainment value – has stirred controversy among individuals, social and political groups, and even international governments. Especially in 2007, amidst US-Middle East tensions, reviews in mainstream media attest to the extremely polarized political climate of the time; some critics have chastised the movie for its “reductionist East-versus-West conflict”, promoting political and ideological messages about the Orient which we, as a people in modern society, associate with racism. One critic even called it “fascist art”, which “glorifies surrender, exalts mindlessness, and glamorizes death.” [10] Moreover, the Iranian government also publicly denounced Snyder’s 300 for its characterization of the Persian people as “bloodthirsty, demonic zombies.” [11] In fact, top officials and parliament have scorned the film as though it were a matter of state! [12]
These images incapsulate and seem to elevate the discourse of the Orient [13], and according to Time Magazine, Iranians “buzzed with resentment at the film’s depictions of Persians, adamant that the movie was secretly funded by the U.S. government to prepare Americans for going to war against Iran.” [14] As Edward Said reveals, many of the ideologies and impressions of the East were socially constructed, and present day inequalities are a consequence of historical social, economic, educational and political circumstances [15]. Even though a social construction, it nonetheless remains very real; ideas of race are terribly relevant to life outcomes, and the implications of racial thought exist powerfully in the world.
by Shaz Lal
Sources
[1] Todd McCarthy. Review of 300 (2007), Variety Magazine (March 9, 2007) http://variety.com/2007/film/reviews/300-2-1200509812/
[2] Mark Cronan. Review of 300 (2007), Comic Book Resources (CBR) http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&old=1&id=8202
[3] A.O. Scott. Battle of the Manly Men: Blood Bath With a Message, New York Times Movie Review (March 9, 2007) http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/09/movies/09thre.html?_r=0
[4] Herodotus. Histories, Book XII.
[5] Holland, Tom. Mirage in the Movie House. Arion (2007) p177
[6] Todd McCarthy. Review of 300 (2007), Variety Magazine (March 9, 2007) http://variety.com/2007/film/reviews/300-2-1200509812/
[7] Zach Snyder. 300 (2007).
[8] Futter, D. Plutarch, Plato And Sparta. Akroterion (2012) p27
[9] Herodotus. Histories, Book XII.
[10] USA Today. Iranians Outraged by ‘300’ Movie.
[11] Dan Hassler-Forest. The 300 Controversy: A Case Study in the Politics of Adaptation. http://www.uwosh.edu/filmandhistory/controversial_films/films/300.php
[12] Azadeh Moaveni. 300 Sparks an Outcry in Iran. Time Magazine. http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1598886,00.html
[13] Edward Said. The Discourse of the Orient.
[14] Azadeh Moaveni. 300 Sparks an Outcry in Iran. Time Magazine. http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1598886,00.html
[15] Edward Said. The Discourse of the Orient.
UR Ancient World In Cinema 