300 and counting
I found the following article from NY Times to be a very nice reflection of why the making of 300 the movie, was inappropriate. I liked the following paragraphs from it:
The 'Battle Of Thermopylae' has been the single most powerful wedge, which has divided East and West for over 2 millennia. In a time when East and West should be reconciling their differences, along comes the movie '300' to drive that wedge even deeper.
What is most disturbing about this movie is not that it lacks historical accuracy. It is not that Xerxes, the Grandson of Cyrus The Great and loving husband of Esther, is shown as an oversized drag queen. It is not even the outdated racist cliché of casting the Persians as Africans and the Spartans as white, blue-eyed 'Chippendale dancers,' when in reality the roles may well have been reversed.
What is so distressing about this movie is the realization of the tremendous power Hollywood wields in determining a people's identity. It is the same nightmare Native Americans endured during the whole 'cowboy-movie' genre.
So this was a nice article. I still haven't seen it, refuse to see it. My uncle went and saw it and he is someone who can like things just for the way the movie is made etc. Anyway he said even the action scenes were not great - most of the movie was battle scenes and blood and gore and... not nice.
ok finally some interesting points which were made to argue why we shouldn't get upset about the movie:
- most Americans don't associate Persian with Iranian
- Iran also has stereotypes of Americans and they are not particularly nice stereotypes. When Iran stops using these stereotypes they can point the finger at US and Hollywood.
still I think the movie was inappropriately made. Hollywood has power... and with great power, comes great responsibility. :-D
7 comments:
just re-reading this, not sure about the first sentence from the quote - that is, calling the Battle of T. the greatest wedge between the east and west just might be an exaggeration! :-P
The battle at Marathon? (Mention in the movie :D)
The Crusades?!?! Like Hello!!!
Fall of Constantinople. I dunno, there are several to pick.
I really don't know what is going on... until I read your post I never thought there was anything wrong with the movie (socially)... much less some racial discrimination or insult.
OK, first of all the Persians as Africans????? That was only the emissary... look at the rest of the generals and such... they are not Africans... And the first wave of the Persian army was pretty Persian looking ... they resemble the ones I see in Rome Total Realism, so I believe them :P (Later on I know the immortals are just a work of art than REAL immortal units of Persian army ... but let the art of movie/comic aside)
Did that guy really saw the movie?
The issue is how some people seem to be so focus on racism that can't see anything else. Probably like me everyone participating in the movie just wanted to relive such a great battle and never thought that a few will exaggerate any minor-non-totally-fact thing about the movie as being totally racist and insulting.
But I guess you are right and with great power comes the great responsibility. It is just now going to obsessive extreme.
I have my Persian family and I tease with lame jokes about racial stereotypes, and yet I never imagine you could read so much from the movie.
This is a bout 300 amazing warrior against and army... the great dead of OLD time when a courageous charismatic smart leader can guide his people to achieve the impossible.
I saw the movie, and I enjoyed it a LOT (Totally biased for me since I love everything about epic battles and good virtues of old time).
And the blood is clearly oriented to emulate the comic art...and I think they did that quite well... but yeah, if you are sensitive to see fake blood flying in unbelievable ways...then skip it, it is not the greatest movie ever made so you are not missing that much.
Only once I saw an image about the Persians that could be taken as insulting... yet I thought it was kind of cool because it made the bravery of this 300 warriors WAY WAY more impressive. When you guys don't mind spoiler I can tell you which one was... actually now that I remember this scene... it just more of an insult for the rest of Greece... what a bunch of boy-lovers fearful weaklings (Why isn't Greece up in arms after this?)
Ok, enough defending the movie... all of this aside the only thing I didn't like was the Theme they put as if the Spartans are fighting for freedom... COMMON, Spartans had TONS of slaves, yet they resort to this ideal as if it was Spartan Ideal. Apparently they did this to make the movie more meaningful than the comic, but I didn't like it.
If they had kept it just about a warrior code of HONOR, Courage, DISCIPLINE (you know, those virtues that have been forgotten now), and kept freedom fake propaganda aside, the movie would've been perfect.
In the end, I wish when they make movies about Colombian stereotypes,they made then at least 1/10 as cool as this one.
MAAAAN... what a loooooong post.
Just to make things longer...
How do you feel about that article when it says something like this:
"Today, no other country resembles ancient Persia as closely as does the United States. If any country should sympathize with, rather than celebrate, Persia's quagmire in Greece, it is the United States. Few events in history mirror America's war on terror as closely as Persia's war on Greece."
EEEWWWW
wow - this is the sort of commenting I am talking about. Juanito you win!! :-D
ok but seriously. about the comparison of Persia with USA, it just might be right. Persia was an empire and well, USA thinks it is an empire right? :-D
About your other comments, the fact that the persians were depicted as Africans is not really that big an issue. I think what i have an issue with is rather the "freedom" idea - that the 300 spartans represented freedom and the persians were oppressors. What I have a problem is that given the political climate right now, instead of making movies to reduce the divide, this kind of movie is made where the country we are trying to get closer to is shown to be the great big bad. It is just like the Evil Russian movies that they made during the cold war and they made a hell of a lot of them - only worst because i think Iran and the middle east already have a bad image in the "unworldly" western countries. Can you deny that when some backward person watches this movie in the current climate, the patriotic feelings are not made any worst and in their minds more justified? and when i am talking about this person, take into account the president of this great nation. Can you imagine how this movie will effect someone like Bush?
The problem is that if all the audience of 300 were like you, then I wouldn't care so much about it. They would be well read and versed in the histories and the current climate. However, I don't have half the confidence I have in the knowledge of the average movie goer as you. That is what is worrisome.
Finally i think the comic book itself is a problem or more like its right leaning creator Frank Miller. His conservative views are widely accepted, especially since 9/11. Did you know he is next going to make a comic about Superman fighting against Al Queda?
Jeez why doesn't he make something about the stupidity of the current government and its stupid administration?!!
Why is it that only shows like South Park and Daily Show show this? I was watching this episode of South Park where the kids try to build a ladder to heaven and then the government inteferes by claiming Saddam is in heaven trying to make a weapon of mass destruction using the flimsiest proofs.
Just to summarize, i think it is harder to create things which make sense as opposed to thoughtless art.
Wow, very long and compelling articles. I do understand the nature of the problem, but I do also think that you are being overly sensitive about this issue. After all the movie is making people talk and find out more about this topic. The movie might be seen as a catalyst for people to be motivated to learn more about this subject, since it is obvioulsy a very fictionalized adaptation. I also really dislike the comment of the NY times on "the single most powerful wedge" jeez! the burning of the Athenian temples, or the burning of Persepolis alone during Alexander's conquests, the battle of Poitiers anyawys, I don't know where this guy got his history lessons from, but he has earned my incredulity for a lifetime!
About Frank Miller leaning right... it is one of the most difficult things for me to believe... Have you actually read "The Dark Knight Returns"? The whole premise of the last book lies on the revolution against an absolute state embodied by a figure eerily resembling Ronald Reagan! This was probably the first place I read, someone who questioned the authority of the government of the U.S. from within, and where the hero was against it! I haven't read any news about Superman vs. Al Qaeda, but I am sure I will have to read the book before creating an opinion (the same as with the movie) Perhaps it is a sarcastic book.
Wasn't it a book about HOLY terror Batman? Not superman... or am I confused.
And I dunno, but if there is so little faith in the avarage movie goers, then just think that those people will come out of the theater saying
"Awesome inmortal unit from the persians DUDE"
"I know ... the were like ... Coool"
No harm whatsoever.
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