Comments on: 300 http://www.yatterings.com/2007/03/25/300/ Blogging about books, graphic novels, art, film, TV, genre and having fun... Sat, 22 Nov 2008 11:41:18 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: Iain http://www.yatterings.com/2007/03/25/300/#comment-891 Iain Wed, 28 Mar 2007 07:38:45 +0000 http://www.yatterings.com/2007/03/25/300/#comment-891 Fair enough. It'd be intriguing to revisit this conversation in 5 or 10 years time and see how t shakes out. Perhaps I've read too much into the current conversation. You mention the number of reviews about 'defending democracy'. Isn't this what the current grand narrative is saying? Fair enough. It’d be intriguing to revisit this conversation in 5 or 10 years time and see how t shakes out. Perhaps I’ve read too much into the current conversation.

You mention the number of reviews about ‘defending democracy’. Isn’t this what the current grand narrative is saying?

]]> By: Ariel http://www.yatterings.com/2007/03/25/300/#comment-741 Ariel Mon, 26 Mar 2007 15:19:25 +0000 http://www.yatterings.com/2007/03/25/300/#comment-741 Bah! The film is an almost word-for-word adaptation of the original graphic novel, which was first published back in 1998 so unless the critics want to ascribe a Middle East political agenda to Frank Miller's original script, at a time when things were relatively quiet on that front (with Clinton still in the White House) then I reckon they're on pretty shaky ground there... Having said that, there is a side-plot in the movie that doesn't appear in the original - a slimy politico-type sells out to the Persians and helps prevent reinforcements reaching Leonidas in time to save the day, which could feasibly be given a modern spin. But I think that was just added to give Queen Gorgo something else to do. One thing that has annoyed me though is the number of reviews that have the Spartans 'defending democracy' - which just isn't true. The word isn't uttered anywhere in the film and in the graphic novel it's only mentioned a couple of times and is mocked as a trait of the weak and womanly Athenians. Freedom is what the fictional Leonidas fights for - specifically the freedom that involves not being made a slave by the Persian king - alongside Reason and Justice. But it's giving things a totally modern (and arguably overly-optimistic) spin to equate any of that with democracy... Bah! The film is an almost word-for-word adaptation of the original graphic novel, which was first published back in 1998 so unless the critics want to ascribe a Middle East political agenda to Frank Miller’s original script, at a time when things were relatively quiet on that front (with Clinton still in the White House) then I reckon they’re on pretty shaky ground there…

Having said that, there is a side-plot in the movie that doesn’t appear in the original - a slimy politico-type sells out to the Persians and helps prevent reinforcements reaching Leonidas in time to save the day, which could feasibly be given a modern spin. But I think that was just added to give Queen Gorgo something else to do.

One thing that has annoyed me though is the number of reviews that have the Spartans ‘defending democracy’ - which just isn’t true. The word isn’t uttered anywhere in the film and in the graphic novel it’s only mentioned a couple of times and is mocked as a trait of the weak and womanly Athenians. Freedom is what the fictional Leonidas fights for - specifically the freedom that involves not being made a slave by the Persian king - alongside Reason and Justice.

But it’s giving things a totally modern (and arguably overly-optimistic) spin to equate any of that with democracy…

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