Fact or Fiction? ....(Victor Davis Hanson: 300 gets the big ideas right)

NRO ^ | March 22, 2007 | Victor Davis Hanson

[IrishMike]

Crowds are flocking to see the film 300 about the ancient Spartans’ last stand at the pass at Thermopylae against an invading Persian army. Yet many critics, in panning 300, have alleged that the film is essentially historically inaccurate. Are they right?

Here are some answers. But first two qualifiers. I wrote an introduction to a book about the making of 300 after being shown a rough cut of the movie in October. And, second, remember that 300 does not claim to follow exactly ancient accounts of the battle of Thermopylae in 480 B.C. Instead, it is an impressionistic take on a graphic novel by Frank Miller, intended to entertain and shock first, and instruct second.

Indeed, at the real battle, there weren’t rhinoceroses or elephants in the Persian army. Their king, Xerxes, was bearded and sat on a throne high above the battle; he wasn’t, as in the movie, bald and sexually ambiguous, and he didn’t prance around the killing field. And neither the traitor Ephialtes nor the Spartan overseers, the Ephors, were grotesquely deformed.

When the Greeks were surrounded on the battle’s last day, there were 700 Thespians and another 400 Thebans who fought alongside the 300 Spartans under King Leonidas. But these non-Spartans are scarcely prominent in the movie.

Still, the main storyline mostly conveys the message of Thermopylae.

A small contingent of Greeks at Thermopylae (which translates to “The Hot Gates”) really did block the enormous Persian army for three days before being betrayed. The defenders claimed their fight was for the survival of a free people against subjugation by the Persian Empire.

[Dudoight]

As a classics professor, Hansen ought to know!

[agere_contra]

Indeed, at the real battle, there weren’t rhinoceroses or elephants in the Persian army.

Oh man I feel such a fool. The writers of 300 betrayed my naive, childlike trust.

[FreedomPoster]

Hanson ping.

[mainepatsfan]

I was looking forward to his take on the movie.

[ChessExpert]

I will accept his article as authoritative. He knows his history, both military and cultural.

Of course, there is violence in this war movie. It is not entirely accurate historically. No movie is. It is stylized. Nothing really new there. I think the greatest resistance among movie reviewers is ideological, whether they admit to it or not. Does one see anything noble in soldiers fighting and dying for their country's freedom? Many of us believe the answer is "yes." Many in the news/entertainment industry would rather not consider the question.

[Dead Corpse]

I've read Herodotus' The Histories and even some of Thucydides work.

I've also read Frank Miller's Sin City graphic novels and even 300 many moons ago.

This movie was Frank Miller's mythic vision come to life. It wasn't meant to convey an accurate portrayal of history, it was meant to carry the central themes into a new medium. Much like the old Irish folk tales moving from oral tradition to the written word.

A superb movie that was beautifully crafted. But no, it won't be for everyone.

[carolinablonde]

Why isn't accuracy required for movies that claim to be "documentaries" (Farenheit 9/11, An Inconvenient Truth) but for a movie that only claims to be entertainment, if it doesn't exactly stick to historical facts somehow that makes it bad?

[Dudoight]

Isn't that the truth! Well stated!

[IrishMike]

Much like the old Irish folk tales moving from oral tradition to the written word.
A superb movie that was beautifully crafted. But no, it won't be for everyone.
.
.
.
I really enjoyed it, twice.

[Dead Corpse]

Saw it yesterday. Taking my Father-in-Law to see it tonight. My 33rd week pregnant wife is not happy that she can't see it until it hits DVD.

[Bommer]

WHAT? Hollywood not telling the true story as it happened??? i'm shocked and dismayed. i feel i've been lied to.

[Colorado Doug]

Evidently, there was just not enough homosexuality for the news/entertainment industry. If only they could have followed Oliver Stone's formula in Alexander, the critics would have loved it, well, maybe if they could have eliminated the violence and thrown in a few gay scenes they could have won an Oscar or two, even if the movie did flop.

Oh well, I guess they will just have to take solace in the mere popularity of the film and hope that the millions of dollars they are raking in will help to ease the pain at the awards.

[The Pack Knight]

He took the words out of my mouth. I explained the more fantastic aspects of the movie the same way to the friends I watched 300 with. I actually would have been disappointed and even a bit insulted by a dry "History Channel" depiction of Thermopylae. It simply wouldn't have done justice to one of the most extraordinary events in human history.

[Tolik]

    Victor Davis Hanson Ping ! 

       Let me know if you want in or out.

Links:    FR Index of his articles:  http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=victordavishanson 
            His website: http://victorhanson.com/    
                NRO archive: http://www.nationalreview.com/hanson/hanson-archive.asp
New Link!    http://victordavishanson.pajamasmedia.com/

[Tolik]

Thank you for the ping!

[listenhillary]

Because it doesn't trash America? That is the first thing that came to mind.

[Billthedrill]

Their king, Xerxes, was bearded and sat on a throne high above the battle; he wasn’t, as in the movie, bald and sexually ambiguous, and he didn’t prance around the killing field.

Well ruin the whole movie for me, willya? I bet he didn't have an iPod either. Dang historians...

[RedStateRocker]

The movie was probably pretty true to how the Greeks would have liked to have it portrayed.

[DogByte6RER]

Thanks for the ping.

This is an excellent read.

I actually met VDH last year at an ISI seminar...I think there are some pics posted here at FreedomWorks.org:

http://www.freedomworks.org/informed/issues_template.php?issue_id=2612

VDH signed both my books; "Mexifornia" and "A War Like No Other"

I haven't seen 300 yet...I'm not much into going to movie theaters anymore. I'll probably just wait until it comes out in DVD and watch it on the home theater.