Blog #2: The Heroic Portrayal of King Leonidas in Zack Snyder’s 300 (2006)

The movie 300 directed by Zack Snyder and released in 2006 is a modern sword and sandal film based off of a Frank Miller comic series of 1998 and the ancient Battle of Thermopylae (Kiger). While the action film is not fully historically accurate, it does contain a great deal of legitimate information regarding the Spartan soldiers and their conflicts during that time. The film’s protagonist, Leonidas, a true character, is seen as the leader of the Spartan army throughout the film and is continuously presented to the audience as a man of great courage and loyalty. The film was similar to a lot of our previous movies as it heroically portrayed the protagonist mostly through combat and battle scenes.

Leonidas Early Life, 300 (2006)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uH2M5rh1gvE

In the beginning of the movie Snyder visually shows the audience Leonidas’s background and early life. Leonidas is put to the test at a very young age where he has to pass challenging tests of loyalty and toughness in order to become a Spartan solider. In a History.com magazine titled How Ancient Sparta’s Harsh Military System Trained Boys Into Fierce Warriors, Patrick Kiger, the author, “talks about early Spartan training and how they would begin at the age of seven” (Kiger). The scene begins with the judgment of the boy as a baby seeing if he has the genes accustomed to become a Spartan man (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uH2M5rh1gvE). The boy is then put into the Spartan training camp at a young age where he is constantly being tested of his bravery. The clip then ends with the boy taking out a monstrous looking wolf with nothing but a spear in his hand. While this clip above is somewhat accurate it does exaggerate the Spartan training process a bit in order to intrigue the audience. Snyder developed this scene for his movie in order to show where the heroic traits and values Spartan men have stem from, specifically Leonidas’s.

Leonidas Speech 300 (2006)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8B_hLUPhaE

As the movie develops Leonidas seems to only become stronger and more fearless then any Persian man or army. The clip above exhibits one of the battle scene the Spartans have against the Persian army. Snyder begins the scene with a terrifying shake of the earth with the sound and look of an earthquake (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8B_hLUPhaE). Leonidas then reveals that it is the noise of the vast Persian army. Incredibly outnumbered, Leonidas fearlessly smirks seeing the army and prepares his men with a glorifying speech that motivates his men for battle. Snyder uses this scene to show Leonidas’s charismatic side which is something new as we are used to visually seeing him be brave through physical combat. This scene was similar to the speech in the movie Spartacus where the protagonist speaks a phenomenal speech to his army before the time of combat. Similarly, in both scenes the directors focus on the man talking, but also express the army being talked to at the same time which reveals the army’s trust and loyalty towards the speaker.

After two days of holding the army the Spartan Allies began to loose hope as the Persians were gaining ground on them. In Herodotus’s Histories Book 7, Herodotus talks about this time during the battle and says,

“Leonidas himself sent most of his allies away as he worried that all of them  might otherwise be killed. But he felt that for himself and the Spartans with him, it would not be decent to leave the post that they had originally come to guard” (7.220).

Knowing his fate, Leonidas courageously sent his allies back to their families and held his ground with his men for Sparta. Herodotus then mentions the history of a “Spartan oracle” and how it says that ” Sparta will be saved if a Spartan King were to die” (7.221). Whether the oracle was true or not Leonidas held his ground for the love of his Country and his people.

Ending Fight Scene, 300 (2006)https://www.flickr.com/photos/lifes__too_short__to__drink__cheap__wine/2321195425

The battle scene in the movie ends pretty similarly to the historical account Herodotus mentions in his work. Hit with arrows and scraped up Leonidas is still seen fighting courageously using all of the energy he has left. Leonidas dies a very heroic and glorious death in the movie where he is seen as the last Spartan standing fearing nothing but the powerful will of himself. Snyder portrays Leonidas’s death as he the leader is seen dead with all of his soldiers laying in the middle of all of them visually expressing his rank as their ruler.

From the Birth of King Leonidas all the way to his glorious death Snyder expresses extreme loyalty and traits of heroism within the character. Through scenes of combat and violence, and through scenes of speeches and charisma, Snyder attracts the audience to this character of power and courage. Seen not only in the movie, but heard from the ancient writing’s of Herodotus, Leonidas is known to be a man of great strength and bravery.

Works Cited

Herodotus. Herodotus (Book 7) : the Histories. London, Eng. ; New York :Penguin Books, 1996.

Kiger, Patrick J. “How Sparta Used Harsh Training to Produce ‘Perfect’ Warriors.” History.com. A&E Television Networks, September 8, 2020. https://www.history.com/news/sparta-warriors-training.

LeeMajors. “300 Final Battle Scene.” Youtube, 5 Oct. 2013, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8B_hLUPhaE

Snyder, Zack. “300 The Movie.” Flickr. Yahoo!, March 9, 2008. https://www.flickr.com/photos/lifes__too_short__to__drink__cheap__wine/2321195425.

SpartaChannel. “Leonidas was a Kid.” Youtube, 11 Mar. 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uH2M5rh1gvE

Blog #1: The Common Use of Color and Costumes in Hollywood Film to Portray Social Rank and Status in Both Quo Vadis (1951) and Cleopatra (1963)

Hollywood Directors throughout the 20th century repeatedly incorporate the use of certain costumes and color to symbolize one’s status in ancient society. Specifically in the two films Quo Vadis (1951) and Cleopatra (1963) this technique is perceived. In the film Quo Vadis, directed by Mervyn Leroy, there are numerous scenes connecting the Emperor, Nero Claudius Caesar, with vibrant colors like purple and gold as well as long extravagant robes. Similarly, in Cleopatra, the director, Joseph L. Mankiewicz portrays both Cleopatra and Caesar in an analogous fashion. Cleopatra’s first entering of Rome along with the scene of Nero getting his feet massaged are two significant depictions of this use of symbolism we see with color and clothing.

Quo Vadis was the first film where color and costume production seemed to be two very important factors for the director. During the film, the setting is in Rome and the social class shown is either highly ranked Roman officials and soldiers, the emperor, or common class people mostly being early Christians. Roman soldiers are portrayed with very bright red and gold costumes of armor. Leroy here is connecting these soldiers with strength and power through the depiction of their costumes. Roman officials and especially the emperor are seen wearing long robes and cloaks. These outfits not only portray power, but also wisdom and knowledge. Nero’s cloak differs however as it is bright purple and gold which reveals’ his obnoxiousness and uncontrollable power. Lastly, the Christians and common folk are seen wearing rag like worn out clothing that consists of plain colors. Christians are seen here as poor struggling civilians of the empire.

Nero’s Omnivorous Power Song, Quo Vadis (1951)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4Q_DCgbEz0

In this clip (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4Q_DCgbEz0) the audience can see the great Emperor Nero dressed in a lavish purple cloak laying on a golden couch accompanied by a golden harp with highly ranked officials by his side. The depiction of Nero in this scene is filled with color and costume clearly symbolizing his power and love for riches. The soldiers standing up covered in gold armor represent Nero’s own personal guard. These soldiers have their own unique costumes that portray their specific role different from the common Roman soldier. Nero was a man who loved riches and especially the color gold. In The Life of Nero, the author, Suetonius Tranquillus, talks about Nero’s love for riches and talks about Nero’s “Golden House” saying ” In the rest of the house all parts were overlaid with gold and adorned with gems and mother-of‑pearl. There were dining-rooms with fretted ceils of ivory, whose panels could turn and shower down flowers and were fitted with pipes for sprinkling the guests with perfumes (Tranquillus, Chapter 31). Suetonius here talks about a fist hand account of Nero’s desire of elegance and specifically his desire for gold. The Director of Quo Vadis does an excellent job expressing Nero’s addiction not only through character, but through his use of rich colors and costume pieces.

Similarly to Quo Vadis, the film Cleopatra connects it’s portrayal of costume and color to social rank and power. In Cleopatra, the protagonist, Cleopatra, constantly wears different elegant dresses almost always in a different color. In Daisy Woodward’s article celebrating Cleopatra’s release, she mentions that during the film Cleopatra had a total of “65” costume changes (Woodward 1). This crazy number of costumes for only one character shows how dedicated the director was when it came to displaying Cleopatra. Early in the movie when Caesar first goes to Egypt, Egyptian civilians are seen on the docks and like Quo Vadis they too are dressed in noticeably dull beat-up clothing. The higher Egyptian class is dressed in different styles when compared to the Roman’s however, both cultures have that same natural look of elegance and class.

Cleopatra’s Entrance to Rome
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGnJWrG7fTw

Cleopatra is seen here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGnJWrG7fTw) covered from head to toe in gold with her son. The director could not have clothed her more elegantly and powerfully. The color gold plays a major role when determining one as the wealthiest and most powerful. Caesar is also portrayed in a purple cloak that is almost identical to Nero’s. James Powers reviews this scene in his magazine review titled, Cleopatra: THR’s 1963 Review saying, “There is, unforgettably, Cleopatra’s entry into Rome, sheathed in cloth of gold, a living Isis, perched high on a mammoth ebony Sphinx, preceded by writhing troupes of exotic dancers of many races and few clothed” (Powers 1). Here, James mentions Cleopatra’s stunning entrance as she portrays the god Isis, but he also mentions those who marched before the queen and how they had “few Clothes.” This scene really depicted the difference of power within these cultures as Cleopatra and her son are fully clothed in gold, meanwhile the majority of other Egyptians are practically naked. The Egyptians carrying Cleopatra and her son are also seen barely clothed which overall symbolizes their individual ranks in society.

Incorporating color and specific costumes in film opens a whole new depiction of how the audience can view certain characters and their social rank. Whether it is the glorious purple cloak the Roman Emperor wears or the vast assortment of outfits Cleopatra exhibits, the audience will connect with these cinematic character a lot easier knowing the the physical appearance they like to portray.

Works Cited:

TheQuirkyCharacter. “‘Omnivorous Power.’” YouTube, YouTube, 6 Dec. 2013, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4Q_DCgbEz0.

Wheelmanstan. “Cleopatra 1963 Epic Entrance.” YouTube, YouTube, 27 Feb. 2020, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGnJWrG7fTw.

Tranquillus, Suetonius. “ The Life of Nero.” Suetonius • Life of Nero, 1914, penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Suetonius/12Caesars/Nero*.html.

Woodward, Daisy. “Top 10 Facts about Cleopatra’s Costumes.” AnOther, 12 July 2013, http://www.anothermag.com/art-photography/2865/top-10-facts-about-cleopatras-costumes.

Powers, James. “’Cleopatra’: Thr’s 1963 Review.” The Hollywood Reporter, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 June 2021, http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/cleopatra-1963-movie-review-754694/.