Wolf creek trailer This stark dichotomy is unfortunate

Wolf creek trailer

This stark dichotomy is unfortunate. It is an unnecessary misrepresentation of both Persians and Greeks to have set up both sides in unrelieved black and white: the East as sordid, evil, and dark, while the West represents beauty and light. I do not read into this, as some have, a subliminal commentary on current events, but Ill bet that this film will not be shown in Tehran. Indeed, the racist implications of the film have already been condemned by Iranians who have not even seen it. And Leonidas dramatically portrayed by the Scottish actor Gerard Butler became more single-dimensioned as the film wore on. There were early sparks of humanity in Leonidas relationship with his wife and son, and in his efforts to persuade both men and gods of the importance of his mission, but he eventually became transformed into a simple killing machine. This is to be regretted, as Butler is a skilled actor encumbered by a pedestrian script. Only occasionally did the cardboard characterizations yield to some humanity: at the conclusion of the initial phase of the struggle at Thermopylae-which resulted in huge Persian losses-one Spartan turned to another and remarked, A helluva good start. And there was a touching moment when a Spartan officer, having witnessed the decapitation of his son in the struggle, commented that his grief was compounded by the fact that he had never told his son how much he loved him. The film would have benefited from more such human touches. There is the answer Leonidas gave to Xerxes demand that the Spartans lay down their arms: Come and take them. The screen writers did their homework in preserving many famous sayings attributed to the Spartans, who were noted in antiquity for their laconic style of speaking. Plutarch, the Greek writer of the Roman period, wrote a long essay, Sayings of the Spartans, and the films writers appear to have read through these. For example, on two occasions when the sky was darkened by the dense shower of Persians arrows, Spartans quipped Well, well just have to fight in the shade. Spartan mothers are said to have instructed their sons to Come back carrying your shield, or being carried upon it. In the film Gorgo thus enjoined Leonidas. And there is the answer Leonidas gave to Xerxes demand that the Spartans lay down their arms: Come and take them. In Greek the phrase is molon labe. It is part of an inscription that adorns a colossal statue of Leonidas that can be found near the center of modern Sparta. The screenwriters put the words into Leonidas own mouth when the Persian envoys demand surrender, even though Herodotus has the exchange between Xerxes and Leonidas in written messages. For dramatic reasons I rather liked the film version. In sum, 300 cannot be taken seriously as an historical epic. It reveals no insights into the history of the long-term struggle between Greeks and Persians beyond the well-known fact that the Spartans were excellent fighters. It tells us nothing about the relationships among the Greeks themselves. It is inaccurate in its depictions of myriad details. And it does history and the Persians a real disservice in portraying the Asians entirely as degenerates. The standard disclaimer in the final credits tells us that any resemblance to real persons living or dead is coincidental and unintended.