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(More customer reviews)'The 300 Spartans' holds a special significance for me. I first saw this film as a young boy (I'm now 46), and it sparked an interest in ancient history that remains with me to this day. It would be interesting if someone saw fit to remake the film, with modern visual effects enhancements-but I wonder if it would have the same impact as the original.
Much of the movie is very close to the actual events, which took place in 480 B.C. A huge Persian army, led by the Great King Xerxes, had crossed the Hellespont from Asia to conquer the impudent Hellenes. The disparate, quarreling city-states of Greece had banded together to repel the invader, but could not agree on just what strategy to take. It was decided that a force of Spartans and Allied Greeks would undertake a holding action at what was then a narrow pass between the mountains and the sea. It was known as 'Thermopylae', or 'Hot Gates'. The firmly religious Spartans were unable to send their full contingent of soldiers due to a holy festival (they were curiously tardy throughout their history in such situations). However, Spartan King Leonidas' 300-strong personal bodyguard was not subject to this restriction, so he marched with them to the pass. Along the way, he was joined by an estimated 7,000 or so Allied Greeks. This tiny force went to confront a Persian host estimated by modern historians at around 100,000.
The battle itself is the stuff of legend. Superior weaponry, armor, and tactics (the famed Greek Hoplite phalanx), combined with the narrow pass that favored defense, enabled the Greeks to repel several frontal Persian assaults with tremendous loss. It appeared that the Greeks would be able to hold Thermopylae for a considerable time-until a traitor showed the Persians a goat path through the adjoining mountains which they could use to turn the Greek position. Once this was accomplished, the Greeks were doomed. Leonidas sent most of the Allied contingent to safety, and made plans for his last stand. He along with his entire bodyguard and about 1,700 allied Greek troops were slaughtered to the last man. Even though the Battle of Thermopylae was a Greek defeat, it punctured the myth of Persian invincibility, and served as a powerful inspiration in the future defense of Greece. A simultaneous naval engagement at nearby Artemisium produced similar results: the Persian fleet suffered serious loss due to storm damage and effective Greek action.
Eventually, the Greek navy all but destroyed the Persian fleet near the island of Salamis (near Athens). In 479, an Allied Greek army annihilated the last remnants of the vast Persian land host at Plataea (the greater proportion having crossed back to Asia with Xerxes after the loss of their supporting navy at Salamis), forcing the enemy from Europe for good.
The film adheres pretty closely to this narrative-with some 'Hollywood'. The love story is pure fiction (surprised?); there is some evidence that a Greek contingent may have attacked the Persian camp (possibly an attempt at killing Xerxes, thus circumventing the whole Persian expedition). The Greek army was larger than portrayed in the film-but I'm sure this was due to budgetary constraints. Mardonius, Hydarnes, and the Immortals-10,000 strong-really did exist (Mardonius commanded the Persian forces at the battle of Plataea, and was killed there). Themistocles (played in the film by Ralph Richardson) was the driving force behind the creation of the Athenian navy-and commanded the Greek fleet in the crucial action at Salamis. Unfortunately, the major role he played in the victory over Persia is largely absent in this film.
The actual Sparta was a far cry from the liberal land portrayed in the film; weak or sickly Spartan children were thrown from a cliff at birth, or left to die from exposure. Sparta was a harsh oligarchy, a military society where males were trained to be soldiers from birth. The entire population of Messenia, a nearby city-state, was enslaved so the Spartans could devote their all to military training. Sparta greatly feared a revolt of these 'helots', and many historians quote this as a main reason the whole of the Spartan army was reluctant to leave the homeland when their assistance was requested.
In spite of these inaccuracies, this is indeed a great film to watch-and no one can dispute just what the stand of Leonidas and his 300 mean to democracy in the modern world. See it-you won't be disappointed.
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Studio: TcfheRelease Date: 07/31/2007
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