Alright! You guys choose it! 300 is the movie that we shall be discussing for the next month, so get crackin'!

From what I've read and thought about this movie, I gather that there was some certain speculation about a hidden message within this movie. With the thought in mind of an East and West conflict, do you think there is a possible parallel between the movie and current day affairs over in Iraq? I think this kind of an interesting take on the movie. Discuss.

I liked it alot but at the end how the army of 300 loses through me off, I thought that they were going to succede, but I gues not, they still went really far though.

Yeah I love dat movie I think the best part in it is when the Spartans throw the Persians off the cliff that was AWESOOOME!!!!!!!!! lol

Danger, i see what you're getting at. Since it's 1:30 AM in my area, however, my mind isn't straight. I'm sorry that i can't indulge in the subject right now.

ComputerDude, the 300 Spartans at Thermopylae was actual history. It really happened. There were really 300 Spartans that held off the Persian Army at the small pass, and of course they lost. And it is most definitely possible that Spartans were capable of holding off that massive army, as, i'm sure you already know, that they were bred to fight, matching opponents on a 7:1 ratio, if i can recall correctly.

Alas, the movie club falters to the thing that it was supposed to avoid. It's not a discussion of "do you remember the part when" and "my favorite part is." Sigh.

Yes. Thank you, Joad. The rest of you... read some Greek history, please! Prepare for your History lesson for the day.

The God of Wikipedia provides some basic info you might be interested in. Even though, yes, it is Wikipedia, and NO, WIKIPEDIA IS NOT AN ACADEMIC SOURCE*, this article is quite good.

"Thermopylae is primarily known for the battle that took place there in 480 BC, in which an outnumbered combined Greek force of approximately 7,000 held off the advancing Persians under Xerxes for three days before being betrayed. The combined Greek force included 300 Spartans, 4,900 additional heavy infantry from Arcadia, Corinth, Thespiae, Phocis, Tegea, Mantinea, Mycenae, Phleious, and Thebes, an unspecified amount from the Opuntian Locrians and a number of slaves (each hoplite could be expected to have at least one lightly armed retainer)."
^ This is where the movie, of course, imbelishes. Yes, there are more warriors with Leonidas than just his 300 Spartans, but nowhere near 7000. Which makes sense, because the movie is better this way. The infantry as represented in the movie sees very little actual fighting, which during the actual battle of Thermopylae is incorrect -- they are, in fact, the main fighting force, though do not garner the same attention nor results as the 300.

"A local named Ephialtes revealed a mountain pass that allowed Xerxes to outflank the Greeks. Leonidas sent the main army in retreat while a small band of Spartans stayed behind and resisted the advance to the last man. "
^ Represented in the movie by the hunchback. This is of course for dramatic effect.

"Although the Persians were many in number, and their manpower clearly exceeded that of the Greeks, estimates of their actual strength vary widely, from an army as small as 20,000 to as large as 5,000,000 (Greek historian Herodotus numbered the Persian army at 2,000,000); the most widely accepted number is between 200,000 and 300,000."
^ If you have seen the movie "The Last Samurai", Tom Cruise's character says that there were a million. Tom Cruise has never led me wrong before, so I call it at a million. And in the movie, it looks that way by comparison.

"The Athenian naval commander Themistocles protected the fighting Spartans from approaching Persian warships in the undecided naval battle of Artemisium, north of Thermopylae, by ramming his ships into the Persian warships."
^ Now HERE'S some symbolism for you. In the movie, this naval battle is represented by the Gods bringing the terrible storm to destroy Persian ships. There's some pretty hefty Greek Nationalism in those scenes.


* Pickle-****ing Post-Script: If you ever think about using Wikipedia in an assignment for school... don't. And slap yourself for even considering it. I once put my birthday on there as "Justin Robar, founder of Awesomism", and it was there for four months before it was removed.

When I watched 300, I remember thinking of the Hunchback of Notre Dame. Both hunchbacks just want to be accepted, but they are rejected.

Do you think that movies choose hunchbacks for a reason?

I don't wats wrong wit movies and hunchbacks lol but it's so hard to belive dat this was really wat happend a long time ago I mean imagine if we could send the 300 Spartans to Iraq lol that would be so kool.

They most definitely do. But there's a difference between the Hunchback of Notre Dame story (rejected mostly based on his appearance) and the hunchback as represented in 300 (rejected from Leonidas' 300 because he could not physically protect himself).

A little history of the fighting technique of the 300:
The Greek 'phalanx' (depicted in the attached photo) was built on the premise that, if each member of the group held their shields to help protect the man to their left, they would create a fortress impenitrable by sword, spear or arrow. Since Ephialtes was not strong enough with his left arm to raise the shield enough to help protect a man to his left from chest to knee, Leonidas could not use him lest he risk the phalanx falling apart.

I feel smart already knowing all the stuff about this (phalanx included). THanks for the lessons on the fighting style and history.

Some may dispute the the Leonidas could've sent him on his own, straight into the army, kill maybe a single Persian before dying. And he could've. But, Leonidas, proud as a spartan, didn't do that.
It would be a disgrace to send a retarded (physically) Spartan to get himself killed. It shames Spartan blood, if you will. Some Spartan retard, part of the army, gets killed. Not good for they're "awesome soldier" image.
C'mon, if you didn't get the clue after watching the part where they meet the other army on the way (leonidas asks what his Spartans are, they roar and shit, says he has more soldiers), then you need to pay attention.