What’s your favorite movie, and why? For me, it’s The Alamo, the original, with John Wayne and his cast of hundreds, because of the absolute sense of duty in the face of tyranny. 300, as you might imagine, fits that bill nicely.
Let’s get one thing straight before we talk about this movie: it’s not historically accurate. It’s based on a comic book. Which was based on the classic The 300 Spartans, also about this famous battle. If you want the historical view of the battle, read Herodotus. If you want to see a movie that treats honor and duty as serious concepts, then go see 300.
Let me tell you what this movie is: an unapologetic movie about duty and honor in the face of tyranny. Leonidas, the king of Sparta (played perfectly by Gerard Butler), knows that the tribute the Persian messenger demands would not be the end; appeasement of a tyrant (especially one who thinks he’s a god) never works. The act of killing the messenger (a huge blasphemy in Greece, even for Spartans, that ran afoul Zeus himself) might be imprudent, but it also indicates the truth that there is no negotiation with tyrants.
Honor and duty (and glory) are probably the most spoken words in the movie. Leonidas knows he has no choice but to face the enemy at the Fire Gates, to stem the tide and hope that his people will realize the threat; it is his duty. Certainly, he wants to achieve glory in battle, he wants to be honored for his heroics, and that drives him as well; but it is clear that honor is only gained in service to Sparta. So, he fights.
Why 300 men? Well, historically, each king of Sparta (there were actually two, and they were elected) was entitled to a bodyguard of 300 men, under his direct command. So, when the Council refused to send the Spartan Army, Leonidas was well within his right to take his 300 and leave. Again, perhaps imprudent, but a necessary action. So, 300 men (with a few allies, who eventually leave) stand and fight against millions. For glory, for honor, for Sparta, for freedom. It boggles the mind.
The movie is not always serious; there are some amusing moments. We all know the famous Spartan one-liners (where did you think the word “laconic” came from?), including my favorite (“Then we will fight in the shade!”). There is also a funny scene where a Spartan starts laughing when he sees the millions of the Persian army. When a non-Spartan (Theban, I think) asks why he’s laughing, he tells him that he might finally fight someone who could kill him in battle. You laugh at his remark and his attitude, but it is a little off-putting, to say the least. Another amusing moment occurs after the first battle; Xerxes demands (he never asks) to see Leonidas (after the 300 Spartans killed thousands of Persians). When his officers warn him from going to negotiate, standing amidst the thousands of dead, Leonidas states, “there’s no reason we can’t be civil!” Humorous, yes, but also a lesson: even the warrior king, raised to consider death in battle as the only true way to die, is willing to end to speak to his opponent.
Again, I liked this movie because it took seriously the notions of honor and duty. You never submit to tyrants, and you protect what you should hold dear (country and family) at all costs. It’s been a while since Hollywood has made a movie like that (most war movies nowadays, as far as I can tell, are about trying to get out of harm’s way, duty and honor be damned), and it’s absolutely wonderful. This is perhaps the one time that I hope a movie has a serious impact upon our pop culture; honor and duty are forgotten notions, and the boys of this generation could stand to re-learn what out ancestors held so dear.
And if you still aren’t convinced that this movie is awesome and that you need to go see it, it’s broken the record for box office earnings during the month of March. In the market is truth.
