...300 Jonathan Hewitt ENG 225 Cicely Denean-Cobb October 2, 2012 The film I have chosen to do my critique on is Zack Snyder’s 300. 300 is a film about King Leonidas, the King of Sparta, and his 300 Spartan warriors who all stood up against the God-king Xerxes and his massive Persian army from annihilation. After watching the film very closely for my critique I believe there is a serious underlying theme that everyone has the right to be free and sometimes you have to stand up and make sacrifices to keep your freedom. Standing up for freedom is never an easy task as shown in 300 but, everyone deserves to be free. In discussing the storytelling, acting, cinematography, editing, sound, style and directing, the impact of society on the film, genre, a formalist approach to analysis, and the overall textual theme of 300 I will attempt to back up my belief. Storytelling 300’s narrative structure is the first-person point of view of Dilios, a Spartan solider under the command of King Leonidas. The film is presented in chronological order and takes place in Sparta and Thermopylae, Greece. The major conflict in the film is that the Persian army has come to Sparta and requests their submission or will kill them and enslave their women and children. King Leonidas makes the decision to stand up to the Persians but; is not allowed to go to war with the Xerxes, the Persian God-king, because the Ephors deny him the right. The Ephors are later found out to be traitors. Unfortunately,...
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...300 tells the story of the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 B.C. Persians, under the rule of King Xerxes, have already taken over some of the Greece city-states, and now threaten Sparta and Athens. King Leonidas of Sparta is left with two options: he will either have to sacrifice himself for the well-being of Sparta or watch it burn to the ground. The plot revolves around King Leonidas played by Gerard Butler, who leads his best 300 Spartans into battle. One of my favorite lines in the film is from King Leonidas. He is approach by a Persian messenger with an offer from King Xerxes to surrender. Leonidas rejects the offer and yells "This is Spartans" before killing the messenger. At that moment I truly connected with the character King Leonidas. Leonidas plan is to form a human shield in order to block the narrow passage of Thermopylae where King Xerxes intends to use in order to invaded Hellas (all so known as Greece). King Xerxes leads a Army of well over 170,000 men to Greece. Leonidas and his 300 are only accompanied by a few hundreds Arcadians. Out numbered King Leonidas still hold his ground and confronts King Xerxes and his army. Xerxes waited for a few days for King Leonidas to surrender or withdraw, but he didn't. Leonidas and his men taunted Xerxes. Killing his messengers and provoking and forcing the king to strike. Wave after wave of Xerxes men fell at the hands of the Spartans. For days the Persians fleet suffer in great loses, falling from 170,000 to about 100...
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...Sami Masri Dr. Knapp HUM 160-003 2/23/10 Assignment 2 In the beginning of this scene there are several effects that are used to magnetically drawthe viewer into the scenario. The sound effects to this scene are defining because there is practically no sound here except for a very tinny, eerie and foreboding wind sound. This shows the importance of Leonides’s decision and how much is at stake upon it. The fate of Sparta rests upon this decision. It is the most dramatic moment in the movie and the one with the most tension. Will the freedom and individuality of the Greeks be left intact? Or will he sell Sparta out to the Persian army? If he chooses for the Greeks, all the warriors will surely perish, if he chooses to join with Zurkzies, all freedom and individuality will be lost. The camera zooms in on Leonides face at eye level and the viewer is immediately drawn to his eyes. You can see the intensity of the moment through his gleaming eyes as if he is deep in thought. The scene then changes to a childhood flashback. He is shown during his warrior training preparedto fight a wolf. This is almost cryptic for Leonides as it could be construed as his life flashing before him,before he sacrifices his life. The camera then looks downward at Leonides as he looks up to the sky in search of the heavens and sees two seagulls circling around his warriors. This can again be construed as foreshadowing the fate of the Spartans. The camera view snaps to a close up of Leonides...
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...“With reference to the source below from Plutarch and other evidence, asses the accuracy of the modern portrayal of the agoge in films such as “300”. The Spartan education system for boys consisting of rigorous training is known as the ‘agoge’. The people of Sparta have been interpreted as very violent and warrior like and a fierce and brutal society has since been represented in modern times due to the portrayal of Spartans in graphic films such as “300” and “Spartacus”. Zack Snyder’s “300” depicts the young boy’s process of training to become a man and Spartan citizen to then the harsh brutality of fighting and war. As the movie is shaped on the comic series “300” by Frank Miller and Lynn Varley in 1998, the film recounts a fictionalized...
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...n light of Frank Miller's latest sensible novel, Xerxes and told in the staggering visual style of the blockbuster "300," this new section of the epic saga makes the move to another battle zone on the sea as Greek general Themistokles (Sullivan Stapleton) tries to unite all of Greece by driving the charge that will change the course of the war. It pits Themistokles against the monstrous striking Persian powers drove by mortal-turned-god Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro), and Artemisia (Eva Green), wild force of the Persian oceanic force. After its triumph over Leonidas' 300, the Persian Army beneath the command of Xerxes walks towards the major city-states of Greek. The Democratic city of Athens, first on the method for Xerxes' furnished power, manufactures its quality regarding its naval force, drove by maritime officer Themistocles. Themistocles is urged to an unwilling association together with the customary rival of Athens, oligarchic Sparta who may live with its overwhelming infantry troops. However Xerxes still guidelines overwhelming in numbers over sea and range. While coming to the historical accuracy of this movie, we be clear of one thing right from the saying go: this is not in any helpful sense an authentic film. It references several noteworthy verifiable occasions yet is not keen on 'getting them right'. It utilizes authentic characters yet misuses them for its own sensational, generally techno-visual finishes. It wilfully submits the grossest chronicled goofs. This...
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...Fate and the movie 300 According to many past and present cultures, fate determines one's destiny. The social status in which one is born into serves as a preconceived prophecy of that particular life and course of events that will take place throughout it. Throughout history, personalities have not been believed to form from particular life experiences or the culture in which one was raised in. Instead, personality traits and the ultimate success of life were thought to be set in stone and predetermined. Often known as the first historian, Herodotus, author of The History, displays the importance of genetics and inborn qualities through his in depth narratives of 5th century B.C. empires: the Persians, Egyptians, and Scythians. As the majority of members in this time era believed, one's entire identity was already established at birth. Identity was formed at the hands of fate which served as a self-fulfilling prophecy, foreshadowing people's traits, interests, and actions, causing this predicted identity to in fact, become true in the future. The famous story of “Cyrus the Great” provides a clear example of how and why certain characteristics of one's identity were believed to be genetic and formed from nature instead of nurture. In this particular story, Astyages, newfound Median king, had two strange dreams about his daughter Mandane which the Magi (dream interpreters) prophesied as an end to his rule. In Astyages' first dream, he saw Mandane “making water so greatly that...
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...The explosive movie “300” garners a wide range of praise and criticism from fans and critics alike. The overall movie stays true to the real-life story of the battle of Thermopylae and even has minor details depicted accurately, but it also leaves out major parts of the story. This contradiction of historical accuracy is the main reason for critics to give the movie a thumbs down. However, most of the fiction involved in the movie is pretty obvious and not meant to be taken literally, which, therefore, allows the viewer to enjoy the movie for its visual appeal and not necessarily for its historical teachings. In the end, the opinion of the movie is based on personal preference, but it is still worth mentioning some of the fiction involved in the movie and some of the factual depictions. Before the historical accuracy is discussed, a little information is needed. The movie “300” is an American historical action film made in 2007 and directed by Frank Miller. The movie is based off the graphic novel by the same name and has Gerard Butler in the starring role as the king of the Spartans, King Leonidas. The plot of “300” tells the story of King Leonidas as he leads 300 Spartan warriors in the battle of Thermopylae. This battle took place in 480 BC between a group of allied Greek soldiers, led by the 300 Spartan warriors, and the invading Persian army. Leonidas is only allowed to take 300 soldiers due to religious customs in Sparta going on at the time...
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...Film Critique ENG 225 Introduction to Film Instructor: Lynette Cahill Abstract This essay is a critique on Zack Snyder’s movie, 300. This is a film on Leonidas, who is the Spartan King alongside 300 Spartan Warriors that willingly volunteered to stand up against a Persian army, which were almost ten times as many as they were. After a careful look at the film for the following critique, it is clear that there is a general theme prevailing in the whole movie that, sometimes one has to make sacrifices to gain freedom. Film Critique The movie “300” finds its roots from a graphic novel named 300 also, that was written by Frank Miller in 1998. The movie is based on one of the fierce Persian Wars in 492-449 BC in a battle known as the Thermopylae Battle. This battle went down in the historical books as a war that was characterized with plenty of bravery. The Spartan King, who was known as Leonidas, was the leader of 300 Spartan warriors who engaged the Persian Army in a war, which intended to block them from going into Greece via a two-meter wide pass in the Thermopylae Mountains. In as much as the Persian Army greatly outnumbered the Spartan soldiers, they were held back for two days, and in those two days they encountered major losses, which outweighed that of the Spartan warriors by far. However, on the third day, all was lost when a traitor informed the Persian King of a Path...
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...HUM 111 The movie 300 was based off of a graphic novel, but both are just cultural and artistic expressions of a historical event. Though both are exaggerations of what actually happened there are many parts that are based on actual events. Over the course of this paper a handful of aspects of both 300 and The Battle of Thermopylae will be compared. There are many stories and retellings of the Battle of Thermopylae of varying facts, the main focus will be of key components that show up in both items. The largest aspect you see in both the movie 300 and the Battle of Thermopylae is the number of Spartan hoplites. The number of Spartan hoplites came to 300 in both the movie and history. Another likeness between the two is the leader of the Spartan hoplites, Leonidas. He was also the one that essentially kick the war off. Of these first two items they are probably among the most recognizable to anyone that knows the story of the Battle of Thermopylae and have seen or know of the movie 300. Other similarities between the movie 300 and the Battle of Thermopylae is the deal that Ephialtes made with Xerxes to show his army the way around the Spartan soldiers using a mountain path used for herding goats. This betrayal by Ephialtes was what brought the downfall of Leonidas and the 300 Spartan hoplites. Ephialtes betrayal of his homeland earned his name an everlasting stigma where his name gained the meaning “nightmare”. One of the most exaggerated between the movie and history is...
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...Vincent Widiaman Professor Daniel Weller English 101 7 October 201 300 A viciously- intense movie “It’s a gore - blood drunken movie.” That is what people say about the movie. True indeed, this movie shows an abundant amount of blood splattered throughout the film. 300 is a movie that most of the part contains blood- filled scene. But it doesn’t necessarily diminish its core value, as the movie says, “Freedom is not free, it comes with the highest cost, the blood of our men.” Even though the movie is critiqued to be too barbarous, 300 is still able to catches readers’ attention with its refined graphic along with the intense actions. 300 is a 2006 American action- war film directed by Zack Snyder. It is based on a 1998 comic series of the same name by Frank Miller and Lynn Varley. The movie takes place in ancient Greece, recounting the battle of Thermopylae, between Spartan and Persian. The story revolves around King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) and Queen Gorgo (Lena Heady). The movie lasts for 117 minutes and spends 65 million dollars for the budget. The movie begins one year after the main story, the famed battle of Thermopylae, as Dilios (David Wenham) starts talking to his fellow warriors. As the character and also the storyteller, Dillios is able to frame the story with his interesting narrative technique. Dillios starts depicting the journey of a child (Leonidas) who is born under Sparta’s doctrine, from childhood until he reaches kingship. As a child, Leonidas is portrayed...
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...Tyler Faldet Extra Credit: Film Review Assignment Professor Debauche 11/12/2012 300 Review Over the weekend I happened to rent a few movies to watch with friends at my home back in Iola Wisconsin. I also had hopes that one of them would give me a lot of information, along with motivation, to write a review on using the different concepts that we have talked about in class. So way back in 2007 the American film 300, directed by Zack Snyder, and staring popular film stars such as Gerald Butler, and Lena Headey, brought millions and millions of mainly young and old men to the theaters. I personally remembered when it came out because everyone at school was talking about how amazing it was and quoting some of the lines from the film. And even with its popularity, I never did get the opportunity to watch the film, until this weekend. The General Plot of the movie is narrated by a Spartan soldier Dillios, who narrates the story from king leonidas's boy hood through the sacrifice of the 300 Greek Spartan soldiers, which sparked the war against the advancing Persian "immortals". Previous knowledge of the movie from what I had heard from others who had seen it was that it is a war movie based on a true Greek story many hundreds of years ago. Soon into the movie I realized it was completely different from what I had envisioned it would be in my mind going in. This difference was definitely for the better and my expectations were completely blown away. The whole style of...
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...he graphic, gory, vile, and intense movie called 300 is about two opposing armies constantly battling each other. On one side is the sinister Persian army with thousands of soldiers ready to clobber any foe. On the other side are the audience's heroes, the Spartans. The Persians, led by Xerxes wish to conquer all of Greece. However, the city of Sparta is in their path and the soldiers of Sparta are known for their extraordinary performance on the battlefield. With the Persians wanting to conquer and destroy Greece and the Spartans ready to defend their city, many gruesome battles take place in what is now known as the Battle of Thermopylae. I believe this movie is accurate according to the historical event that took place in 480 B.C. The film gives a good impression of how much more massive the Persian army is compared to the Spartan army. Also, the Spartan army is known for their strong army and this is greatly expressed through out the movie. The strongest characteristic about the movie are the special effects which enhance the reality of the battles. Some of the scenes are so strongly portrayed such as disembodied body parts, obscene pictures, and disgusting images of facial expressions that it is hard to watch at times. There is one view about the movie that does not compliment the past historical battle. There were actually many Greek city-states that united to fight the Persians. In the film 300, the plot revolves around primarily on the Spartan soldiers and a little...
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...I would like to start off with the title of the movie “300.” The fact that movie insinuates that there were 300 Spartans that went up against 300,000 Persians is not 100 percent true in itself. In the film it is omitted that the Spartans were also accompanied at Thermopylae by as stated by Herodotus in his Histories - “500' (men) 'from Tegea, 500 from Mantinea, 120 from Orchomenus in Arcadia ... from Corinth there were 400, from Philus 200, and from Mycenae 80. In addition to these troops from the Pelopennese, there were the Boeotian contingents of 700 from Thespiae and 400 from Thebes. The Locrians of Opus and the Phocians had also obeyed the call to arms, the former sending all they had, the latter one thousand.” I think the reason it was made to look like just 300 men took on an army of 300,000 Persians and was almost successful, because this was a Hollywood movie and 300 vs 300,000 sounds that more dramatic and interesting. Another thing that I noticed is that the movie never really established why Xerxes has set out on this massive conquest in the first place in the film. The Ionian revolt is not mentioned at all and neither is the First Persian War which is strange in the fact that some aspect of background is usually incorporated into a film as to give the viewer a more in depth understanding of the nature of the film and its themes. Personally, I assumed he was trying to expand the Persian Empire. However this is fairly understandable as the film can be perceived as a...
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...Criticism-Why is it typically thought of as negative? Most times when we think of the word criticism, we think of it in a negative way. However, there are many different ways that one can critique something. For example, Siskel & Ebert “Halloween” (1978) film review expresses that you can create a gruesome, but still entertaining movie. Criticism can also be a favorable praise (Siskel and Ebert); which is what they give the entire film. The mother played in the movie is independent, intelligent, spunky and interesting.” She is not portrayed as being the typical, clumsy female in average horror films. It shows that the writer is appreciative of women and film (Siskel & Ebert). They were not knocking horror films, just a certain kind and addressing...
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...300: Battle of Thermopylae The film “300” is based on the battle of Thermopylae, which was the first battle between the Persians and Greeks during the Persian attack. The battle began because Persia wanted to rule the entire world because owning Asia Minor, Lydia, Mesopotamia, Judah, and Asia was not good enough. The Greeks had a very small army but they were determined to do whatever it took to stand against the Persians, who had a huge military. When all of Greece heard about this outlandish decision, they all had a tremendous amount of fear, especially when they knew that the army of the Persian king Xerxes had commenced its attack. The Thessalians, an area of east-central Greece, had gone over to the Persian side in the early states of the attack. Some Greek cities had formed together and forgot about their usual conflicts so that they could stop the Persian invasion. The cities that had formed with each other decided together that Sparta would lead the Greek army because its status in war was supreme over any other Greek state. When the Greeks went on their way, they had chosen to guard a narrow pathway among the mountains of central Greece and the sea, called Thermopylae. The pass that they were defending, led its way into Greece from the north. At this location, the Greek force waited, which was made up of only three hundred Spartans ruled by their king, Leonidas, and about six thousand soliders from other Greek cities. These nine thousand men were about to face a Persian...
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