300

I saw the move 300 last week. It was an excellent visual spectacle. It is the story of a group of 300 Spartans meeting the Persian hordes somewhere in Greece in battle.

The fact that I am taking the trouble to post something about this movie means that it has done something to my sensibilities.

Outright we are told that this story is one of protecting freedom against the dark forces of the east. Such assertions get my goat. The movie shows the Persian envoy to Sparta being lectured about how men and women are free citizens in that republic compared to the life of tyranny under Xerxes. This from a people which literally threw away babies they deemed unfit for their martial lifestyle.

The movie then proceeds to glorify Leonides, the king of Sparta who led this band of 300. In the process it also glorifies all the values which - surprise surprise - also happen to be very American ones, or at least the ones appropriated as American.

The director obviously thought every viewer was a fool, so thinly veiled was the attempt to draw parallels with the current Iraq war. There was the small brave force with the "right" set of values, greatly outnumbered by the mystical, tyrannical, even evil east. There is this dilemma whether to go back home when they all know the situation is hopeless.

Oh and the caricatures. All the Spartans are magnificent looking men with chiseled bodies, and conveniently naked to show them off. The Persians are all featureless, dark and downright weird who make use of all kinds of witchcraft to subdue our valiant heroes.

Now I understand that it is necessary to take artistic liberties to tell a gripping story. Does it need to be offensive or untrue?