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DVD The 300 Spartans
The futile yet inspiring stand of 300 Greek soldiers against the hugest army ever assembled in the ancient world inspired this typical example of Hollywood epic movie-making. King Leonidas of Sparta (Richard Egan, Demetrius and the Gladiators), prevented by political squabbling from sending his entire army to defend the narrow pass of Thermopylae, sets out with his personal bodyguard to fight off the ambitious Persian king, Xerxes. Along the way are a pair of young lovers, scantily clad dancing girls, and treachery though a secret mountain path. The 300 Spartans, made in 1961, has an overstated cold war subtext--there's much talk of freedom vs. slavery--and there are a few too many shots of armored men marching through the Greek countryside, but the historical conflict has a fundamentally stirring quality. Also featuring Sir Ralph Richardson (Dr. Zhivago, Dragonslayer) as a wily Athenian politician. --Bret Fetzer
They COMPLETELY destroyed any sense of who the Spartans really were, they made the Spartans Americans who are going off to defend for the greater good, for peace and liberty etc etc.
In reality the Sparta was a supremely military society, all males strong enough were trained from birth to be soldiers, those not WERE THROWN OFF OF A CLIFF. They did no agricultural work themselves, they had enslaved a neighbouring nation to do all the agricultural work for them and declared war on those slaves (Helots) each year so it was not a crime to kill them.
The finer work was done by workers (Perioikoi or 'Neighbours') but the Spartans still considered them inferior to themselves. They couldn't care any less if they lived or died, they were purely there as labourers and were sub-humans to them.
They had brutal religious festivals wherein often several participants died.
Honor went above anything, Spartans would rather die then loose their honor. A tale about that is that a boy stole a fox from someone and to keep it hidden kept it under his cloak, the animal bit and scratched him and he bled to death but he never flinched and had kept his honor till death, which was the most important of all. When something was stolen the crime was not the theft itself but being caught, and considered weak and a disgrace (and those people became outcasts)
Women would rather their husbands die in battle then come back defeated (with his shield or on it)and homosexual relationships between the men was strongly encouraged to strengthen the bond between them during battle to make them even more fierce and loyal to each other. Marriage and love was also long not as important as showed in the film, homosexual relationships were in-fact considered a higher form of sexuality then heterosexuality.
The events during the battle were portrayed correctly in the film but the Spartans were portrayed as a UN force or something like that, totally butchering their controversial, brutal, yet interesting society.
The movie shows a classic 'the Persians are the bad guys, but you can't have bad fighting bad and then one win so lets just make the Spartans nice, cuddly and good' while by our standards today the Spartans were just as much barbarians living in something you could compare to a Hitler regime as the Persians were.
Now I'm not saying it's not a good watch, it's a fun movie, even though it's old, the battle sequences were well done. But knowing what the Spartans were really like and having researched it and seeing Hollywood portraying them like this is just pain-full. I hope that they learn to keep history intact and not butcher it and Americanise every civilization (Troy anyone?)
Unfairly Neglected Epic Retelling Of A Memorable Moment In Greek History
The late 1950's and early 1960's where a boom time for both Hollywood and international film makers when historical epics based on the stories from ancient civilizations were all the vogue. The country of Greece with its rich and wonderful historical background provided many of the subjects for these films ranging from those based on the Greek myths and legends as seen in "Jason and the Argonauts" through to ones that used actual historical incidents as the basis for their story as in this effort, the superbly put together, "The 300 Spartans". Often dismissed as simply another entry in the endless cycle of "sword and sandal" flicks common at this time, I believe that is an unfair judgement on this film which has so many worthy qualities about it in terms of both surprisingly high production values through to sterling individual performances. The defence of the pass of Thermopylae by 300 brave Spartan soldiers against the onslaught of the huge Persian army in 480 B.C. is one of the most unforgettable moments in ancient Greek history and in "The 300 Spartans", this incident which proved so important for the continued existence of Greece as a free state is treated with the respect and dignity that it richly deserves. While still managing to be a rousing spectacle this film always preserves the vital human element of this inspiring story and spends important time exploring what motivated these men to sacrifice their lives for their country and never simply sacrifices these story elements to become simply another typical "sword and sandal", action story. .........
Old movie; it is what it is.
This is an older movie, and that means a few things. It may come off as a little campy to younger viewers. There are no big special effects, no CGI, no elaborate sets. The acting and direction is typical of movies 40 years ago - not slick, and lacking in the intensity you would might find in a movie like Gladiator The Spartans looks surprsingly un-athletic in comparison to the buff actors you's find in Troy or Alexander. It's a little like watching a play that was filmed.
All that said, it is what it is: an old movie about the battle of Thermopylae. And if you love watching any movie you can get your hands on about Ancient Greek history, you'll probably get a kick out of it. And I'm not aware of any other film adaptation of the battle, so it may be all there is out there.
Maybe it was Steven Pressfield's Gates of Fire or Frank Miller's 300 that got you interested in learning about Sparta, but the thought of delving into Herodotus, Thucydides, or Plutarch appeared a bit too daunting. Luckily you don't have to brave the classics in order to get a rich education of the ultimate warrior city-state of ancient Greece. PBS's The Spartans is a well-researched, well-paced three-hour documentary telling you everything an armchair Lambda-wearing Hoplite would ever want to know about Greece's legendary warriors. Classical historian Bettany Hughes does an amazing job of exploring all aspects of life and history in the utopian city-state, including their rise to power, battles, discipline and training, thrifty existence, ideals of equality,... More Info about this DVD Director(s): David Portlock DVD Release Date: Released the 27 April 2004 Special Order
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Cartoonist Hal Foster's medieval hero, the Scandinavian Prince Valiant, comes to the screen in all his Dutch-bob-haircut glory in this 1954 film directed by Henry Hathaway (Kiss of Death). Robert Wagner plays the title role and does a bang-up job of it, convincingly portraying the heroic prince as he enters the court of King Arthur (Brian Aherne) in England and becomes (with some tutelage from Sir Gawain, played by Sterling Hayden) a Knight of the Round Table. Determined to restore his dethroned family to their proper seat back home, Valiant takes on the Black Knight (James Mason), who plans to do away with Arthur and then finish his misdeeds back in Scandia. Under such pressure, the prince, quite understandably, falls in love with Princess Aleta (Janet Leigh). Hathaway proves to... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Henry Hathaway DVD Release Date: Released the 11 May 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
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First thing first! Peter O'tool would make Mature look like a N.Y. back street boy in disgrace. This character is not even worthy of Mature's tallents. For Hannibal being one the 5 greatest generals in the world over of all time in line with Rommel, Patton, Mcarthur,and Napoleion is made a complete joke when portrayed by Mature. It takes a man of staunch mobility such as Russle Crowe, Charleston Heston or Henry Fonda to take on this awesome character's event.
The film had some ok action sequences. Not very dramatic love scenes. crappy sound and picture quality. Needs Steven Spielburg's attention bad.
Richard Burton stars in Alexander the Great, a middling entry in the 1950s CinemaScope epic cycle. The film boasts excellent production values and a fine cast--including Frederic March, Claire Bloom, Harry Andrews, Stanley Baker, Peter Cushing, Michael Hordern--but rarely comes to life other than as a big fat ancient Greek wedding of the talents of Burton and Bloom. They strike real dramatic sparks together, so much so they would be reunited in Look Back in Anger (1958) and The Spy Who Came In from the Cold (1965). Otherwise the blame must be laid at the feet of writer-director-producer Robert Rossen, who never before or after helmed anything remotely on this scale; his best work would follow with the intimate The Hustler (1961). Rossen simply shows little... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Richard Burton - Fredric March Director(s): Robert Rossen DVD Release Date: Released the 19 October 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Among the most exciting of MGM swashbucklers, Richard Thorpe's 1952 Ivanhoe stars Robert Taylor as the medieval hero of Sir Walter Scott's novel. Returning to England from the Third Crusades, Ivanhoe is steadfast in his determination to raise the ransom for the captured King Richard (Norman Wooland), but the effort is full of peril. First is Ivanhoe's reunion with his estranged father (Finlay Currie), a Saxon who hates the Norman king and refuses to give his son the money. Then there's Ivanhoe's unpopular rescue of a wealthy Jew, Isaac (Felix Aylmer), from anti-Semites, and the subsequent decision by Isaac's beautiful daughter, Rebecca (Elizabeth Taylor), to pay Ivanhoe's entry fee in a tournament. (The strapped knight seeks the tourney's cash prize.) Wait, it gets worse: two of... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Robert Taylor - Elizabeth Taylor - Joan Fontaine Director(s): Richard Thorpe DVD Release Date: Released the 11 January 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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