Yasukuni Plutarch, the Greek

Yasukuni

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. Rarely has a disclaimer been more accurate. The film is technically exciting and dramatically dumb. It may deserve recognition for its combination of live action with computer-generated virtual reality. But it fails as a film because so many competent actors are hindered by a mediocre script derived from comic book-graphic novel lines and by the constraints of the live-plus-digital format. It is a bold and dramatic concept, and probably appeals most to those interested in video games and fantasy stories. It is one-dimensional, and in that sense is true to yasukuni graphic novel origins. Several commentators have suggested that the hybrid technique is the wave of the future. I certainly hope not, except as a niche category of film making. Their greatest crime is that they reduced to a dehumanized video game one of the most moving events of Greek history. In the end I leave it to others to determine whether it is good entertainment. Clearly the public thinks that it is. Its opening weekend in the produced the third highest box office receipts for any R rated film in history, and during the first ten days of release in Greece a half million tickets were sold. That is about five percent of the total population!. I am informed by an Athenian friend that the film is being shown in all the theaters in multiplexes and that theaters in small towns are offering midday and midnight performances. It has already become a cult item among a certain segment of the population, perhaps the videogame and graphic novel crowd. One can only speculate about the sociological and political implications of that kind of response. In the opinion view of this reviewer, however, those who created this film were so immersed in technological innovation that they lost sight of the human values that made this such a good story in Herodotus. Their greatest crime is that they reduced to a dehumanized video game one of the most moving events of Greek history. It is perhaps a mark of my devotion to the Archaeological Institute of America and this ARCHAEOLOGY web site yasukuni I sat through the entire two hours of 3