I'm disturbed.
Sergey went to 300 opening weekend and he (surprisingly) didn't like it. When he told me about it, I was even more disturbed by it than he was. Rather than being loyal to historical fact ... even by Hollywood standards ... they tried to be loyal to a comic book. The result is a film more like The Lord of the Rings than I Claudius.
The Persians are coded racially as black and brown and physically as either weak, handicapped, deformed, or monstrous--always inhuman and objectively evil. This takes any complication out of the battle, and also removes any real potential for literary value from the film. Of course, this is a necessary part of war. Soldiers and civilians alike can't commit and support the atrocities it takes to win if they define the enemy as fellow humans. This is why ideologies of racial and ethnic superiority are so important in war times. It's also why we always have a name for our enemy other than "people:" gook, commie, jap, jerry, rag head ... whatever is in vogue this year.
In direct contrast, the Spartans employ the rhetoric of freedom fighters. They are shown as the saviors of Western civilization (debatable) and as supporters of democracy against a tyrant (definitely false). There was a reason Spartans had such a reputation as warriors. They trained constantly out of fear. Spartan society was totally dependant on slave labour, more so than other Greek city states. The hollow speeches about freedom in the film are much like a Polish oligarch's speech before the Long Sejm about guarding their "golden freedom" against the interests of the serfs. The Spartans were aristocrats living in a monarchy who trained in violence to suppress any revolt mounted by the slaves upon which their economy depended.
It's not the historical inaccuracy that really gets me. As you can no doubt already see, this is a politically charged film. Every war seems to start with oligarchs making speeches about freedom, and the current war/s is/are no different. What's most distressing is that, at a time when an already over-extended America seems determined to invade Iran, the most popular film in the country dehumanizes Iranians.
That was my gut reaction first hearing about the film, and I now know I wasn't alone. About half the critics world wide who have reviewed it have found it lacking and in poor taste. The Iranians are really upset about it. And the director and producer say again and again that it has nothing to do with modern politics. Of course, they've also praised themselves for its "accuracy."
So, here's my conclusion, I'm certainly not going to spend money on that movie. And I invite you to avoid it as well if you haven't already seen it. I realize the filmmakers won't notice my little boycott, but I will know I had no part in this travesty.
If you'd like to see a truly excellent film that can simultaneously makes you think and restore your belief in humanity, I suggest you watch Amazing Grace. It's a fairly accurate telling of William Wilburforce's fight against slavery in the British Empire. He was a man who truly represented freedom. I can't express in words how good that movie is, so you'll just have to see it for yourself.
Labels: film, pop culture, Serhiy quote
