... and While I'm on the Subject of Film Critique .....

Those of you who know me in the actual world know I have the gift - the curse? - of gab, and will talk at length on just about any subject .....

Yet, when I walked out of a showing of "300" last week, all I could say was, "Wow!" At the time, I felt as if my brain was still processing all that I had seen and heard over the previous two hours, and it would be a while before I could put my impressions into words .....

The first word that comes to mind is "sensational" ..... meaning the impact the film's stunning audio and visuals had on my senses ..... it is a truly beautiful film to look at, and what you see is complemented by what you hear, a near-perfect mix of words, music and sound effects .....

Another word that comes to mind is "historical" ..... don't be quick to dismiss a film adapted from a comic book! The creator of the comic book, Frank Miller, was inspired by the story of King Leonidas and his 300 at an early age, and has devoted A LOT of time in researching both the history and the legend of that story. While some of the details of his story - battle rhinos, for example, and the deformities of the Spartan traitor - are creative license on his part, the fundamentals of the film are firmly established in the historical record .....

In talking to a friend and co-worker of mine, who attended the afternoon matinee with me, I noted the similarity between one scene - that of a Spartan soldier, in profile, striding and fighting his way through of host of Persian attackers - and the images that have come down to us from ancient Greek pottery ..... not a coincidence, we decided .....

Another word that comes to mind, especially in light of some of the criticism that has been leveled at the filmmakers, is "apolitical" ..... this is a story that has endured and grown for 2,500 years, without the aid of current political affairs and policy-makers ..... no, I don't see it as a struggle to preserve democracy in the face of an onslaught by ancient Iraqis and Iranians, but something more fundamental, more timeless, more universal ..... rather, I see it as a fight for self-determination against an invader - and that's something all free peoples should understand ..... Leonidas and the Spartans would have resisted any invasion, under any banner, whether it was by Xerxes and the Persian Empire, or George Bush and the Coalition of the Willing .....

Also apolitical - politically-incorrect? - is the decision by Leonidas' wife to, quite literally, 'sleep with the enemy' in order to gain that enemy's support for sending the entire Spartan army north in support of her husband and his 300 men ..... has she indeed, as Eric has suggested, sacrificed her honor for political gain? Or has she thrown life and limb into the fray - as her husband has done, but in the only way a woman can - in defense of Sparta's freedom ...... think about the role of women in ancient Spartan society before you answer. Personally, I think that political opponent's fate would, ultimately, have been the same, regardless of the stand he took on the council floor, or the outcome of the Battle of Thermopylae .....

I will close with one last word that comes to mind as I consider this film ..... "recommended"