Movie Review: The 300 Spartans

This movie was made in 1962 and is another one of those 60s sword-and-sandal epics with an enormous amount of extras. It is an adaptation of the Battle of Thermopylae fought in 480 BC. This movie does more to capture the culture of this era Greece and is more historically accurate in terms of details and politics than the recent Frank Miller / Zack Snyder movie adaptation of this particular conflict. But then Miller and Snyder's 300 is told by the fanciful Spartan storyteller Dilios.This 300 character relates the account of the battle, but he embellishes (exaggerating the physical appearance of the Persian Immortals to make them monsters), depicts events that he was not present for (in Xerxes tent for example), and plays up the events of the story to motivate the Greek soldiers before the Battle of Plataea in the closing scenes of the movie. The 300 Spartans is told in a more realistic, objective narrative. The Persians are introduced early in the film and though depicted as more hedonistic than the respectable Spartans, no attempt is made to portray them as inhuman brutes.

While the last stand of the Greeks at Thermopylae is focused on, The 300 Spartans also mentions the important naval battle between the Athenians and Persians that is omitted from 300 and many other depictions of this famous battle. During the end of the Battle of Thermopylae, as the Greeks were being beaten by the Persians, there was a running fight for custody of Leonidas's body. The 300 Spartans touches on this. The man is killed by Persian arrows and the other Spartans attempt to defend his body.

Though the movie is set over twenty five hundred years ago, it still feels like the 1960s. Women wear what look like sundresses and naturally the movie includes a tale of two young lovebirds (how many movies made in the 60s don't?). Many of the Persians, including Xerxes himself, are played by white people. In this movie, the retort, "Then we will have our fight in the shade," is attributed to Leonidas instead of its original speaker. This may be an attempt to make the character look even better by giving him the witty lines.

The 300 Spartans is an entertaining movie that, unlike 300, does not try to over fantasize to events of the Battle of Thermopylae. And like 300, it's certainly no documentary, but it adapts the events and presents them in somewhat of a more frank and historical manner that is quite enjoyable.