The 300

[Seattlefungus]

One of the things left out of the movie was how the Persian army got there... Here is was 480BC and Xerxes the Great used old ships tied to each other to form a 1 mile long pontoon bridge at the straight between Greece and Turkey to move over 300,000 troops and calvalry, supplies and everything an army that size needs.... Xerxes, was trying to make war on the City state of Athens over a "wrong" done his father almost 20 years before and he'd planed the attack for ten years. He knew the Spartans were at war with the Athenians more often that not so he thought he could convince them that their deaths would be a waste of their life’s. As Spartans live to fight and die in battle... Big mistake.. The rest, as they say is history. Fighting over ancient wrongs seems a big past-time in that part of the world... Still..

[Grasshopper]

Yes, good impresion of the movie.
Molon Labe!:America:

[Seattlefungus]

I got to get out and see it... when I was in college, I did a paper on Thermopolis. Interesting culture, those Spartans…

[hunter_la5]

Interesting culture, those Spartans…

anybody who likes stuff about Thermopalaye or the Spartans should read Gates of Fire, it's a great book, and alot more historically accurate than the movie 300

[Seattlefungus]

I'll have to look for it...

[tanstaafl4y]

Hunter beat me too it. Gates of Fire by Stephen (Steven) Pressfield is a great book. It's primarly based on the writings of Herodotus rather than more "modern" accounts. He takes some liberties to make it a better read but definatly fun to read historical fiction.

[wandering_ronin]

Gates of Fire is an excellent book. The 300 Spartans was on the Fox movie channel this evening. Much more historically accurate, but the fighting was the usual 60's slo-mo, un-coreographed stuff. Still not a bad movie. I agree about Xerxes' movement is interesting, but the focus of the movie was not on the Persians, but rather the Spartans. I look at it like a Civil War class I took that was taught from the Southern point of view...the teacher made the point up front that he was not going to mention the Federals until he had to.

[SteelCore]

"the teacher made the point up front that he was not going to mention the Federals until he had to."
-->Heehee. classic!

"Civil War"
-->Uhm don;t you mean 'the war of northern aggression?" ;)

I've lived in the north all my lie, and I have to marvel at how the lead up and lead out of the Civil war is tainted by simplifying and fudging a few facts to make it all look so righteous. I see it as one of the most tragic wars we've ever fough, for lotsa reasons. The socipolitical and economic implications of it are felt even today, with the rise of super-corps as powerful as governments...

Oh, sorry, OT there....wrong war.

I saw 300 last night, an thought it was an awesome interpretaion of the Frank Miller graphic novel (fancy way of saying comic book). I was able to overlook various minor historical fudgings and added character drama, and had a really good time!