Film: Zach Snyder's "300"

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that Zach Snyder's "300" is a highly stylized depiction of the Battle of Thermopylae, which a small handful of ancient historians recorded as an epic against-the-odds battle between an enormous army of Persian invaders and a vastly smaller force of Greek Hoplites. The author points out that, unlike fantasy films, "300" is based on a real historical event with a real place and the names of real people; therefore, the literal on-screen actions are much more likely to be interpreted in symbolic terms. The paper relates that the comic-book style of the film, which is populated by a set of strange and bizarre creatures on both sides, further suggests that this film should not be taken too seriously. The author compares this problem of representation in "300" with D.W. Griffith's 1915 "The Birth of a Nation" and Edward Zwick's 2006 "Blood Diamond". This paper includes illustrations and an annotated bibliography.

From the Paper:

"The film was widely criticized even at the time of its release for its intensely negative stereotyping of African-Americans. Examining The Birth of a Nation through the two questions posed above provides a significant counterexample to 300. By placing the story in a real, and relatively recent, time period and place, by directly referencing real people and social issues, and by using relatively realistic staging, the film asked viewers, in a sense, to view it as a meaningful historical document, a sort of tinted window into the past. The literal action clearly lends itself to a symbolic message."

Sample of Sources Used:

• BBC News, "Iran Condemns Hollywood War Epic," March 13, 2007, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6446183.stm.
• Digg.com, "The 300 Controversy: Fact vs. Fiction", comment by user "Halenthal," http://digg.com/movies/The_300_Controversy_Fact_vs_Fiction
• Hunter, Stephen. "300: A losing battle in more ways than 1." The Washington Post Online, March 9, 2007. (In Print on Page C1) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/08/AR2007030802188.html?nav=hcmodule
• Moaveni Azadeh, "300 Sparks an Outcry in Iran." Time Magazine, March 13, 2007. http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1598886,00.html?cnn=yes.
• Morning Oregonian, September 1, 1915. As cited in Mangun, Kimberly, "As Citizens we Must Protest: Beatrice Morrow Cannady and the African American Response to D.W. Griffith's 'Masterpiece'" The Oregon Historical Quarterly, Vol. 107, No. 3, Fall 2006.

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