Frank Millers Graphic Novel/Film '300' Getting Rave Reviews

And now, Iranians are pissed at their depiction in 300. As we all know, nothing bad can happen if Iranians are angered.

Iranians outraged over hit movie ‘300’
Blockbuster depicting Persian siege called an ‘obvious insult’
The Associated Press
Updated: 6:27 p.m. ET March 13, 2007
TEHRAN, Iran - The hit American movie “300” has angered Iranians who say the Greeks-vs-Persians action flick insults their ancient culture and provokes animosity against Iran.

“Hollywood declares war on Iranians,” blared a headline in Tuesday’s edition of the independent Ayende-No newspaper.

The movie, which raked in $70 million in its opening weekend, is based on a comic-book fantasy version of the battle of Thermopylae in 480 B.C., in which a force of 300 Spartans held off a massive Persian army at a mountain pass in Greece for three days.

Even some American reviewers noted the political overtones of the West-against-Iran story line — and the way Persians are depicted as decadent, sexually flamboyant and evil in contrast to the noble Greeks.

In Iran, the movie hasn’t opened and probably never will, given the government’s restrictions on Western films, though one paper said bootleg DVDs were already available.

Still, it touched a sensitive nerve. Javad Shamghadri, cultural adviser to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, said the United States tries to “humiliate” Iran in order to reverse historical reality and “compensate for its wrongdoings in order to provoke American soldiers and warmongers” against Iran.

The movie comes at a time of increased tensions between the United States and Iran over the Persian nation’s nuclear program and the Iraq war.

But aside from politics, the film was seen as an attack on Persian history, a source of pride for Iranians across the political spectrum, including critics of the current Islamic regime.


State-run television has run several commentaries the past two days calling the film insulting and has brought on Iranian film directors to point out its historical inaccuracies.

“The film depicts Iranians as demons, without culture, feeling or humanity, who think of nothing except attacking other nations and killing people,” Ayende-No said in its article Tuesday.

“It is a new effort to slander the Iranian people and civilization before world public opinion at a time of increasing American threats against Iran,” it said.

Iran’s biggest circulation newspaper, Hamshahri, said “300” is “serving the policy of the U.S. leadership” and predicted it will “prompt a wave of protest in the world. ... Iranians living in the U.S. and Europe will not be indifferent about this obvious insult.”

© 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

 

I hate it when that bastion of conservatism, Hollywood, pimps their messages on us! Who do they think they are? I did think of Iraq when I heard the "Freedom isn't free" line, but I just don't see how it shapes up as an alagory. Anyway, my take: really good movie. Worth the $10.

 

Oh and this paragraph, taken from the previously posted link: http://www.ruthlessreviews.com/reviews.cfm/id/1279/page/___.html
is just crazy. It makes me feel like this guy could read pro-Bush propaganda into anything from Citizen Caine to Cliffard the Big Red Dog. Methinks someone is a little loony.

"Ostensibly the historical tale of the Battle of Thermopylae, whereby a force of 300 Spartans fought bravely to their doom against a far superior swarm of Persian invaders, the film never lacks the will to play the underdog card whenever the blood needs boiling, but the moral superiority -- the “destiny” of the superior cause -- always belongs to King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) and his chosen few. That Leonidas is a stand-in for Bush is clear from the first scenes, as this man refuses to accept an emissary from Persia, which is obviously itself Bush’s very defiance of the United Nations. Leonidas is a “go it alone” sort, and he hits back at the messenger, which he knows will bring about a great battle. Still, Spartan law requires that the king must secure the approval of a group of mystics (called Ephors) before waging war, which frustrates his manly sense of honor. Yes, folks, the mystics are the U.S. Congress, and once Leonidas screams, “Why must the very law I am sworn to protect prevent me from doing my duty?” the table has been set: Bush will go around Congress (using lies and tricks, brilliantly redefined as “tough choices”), never secure a declaration of war, and send his men to battle, the law be damned. Needless to say, the mystics/Congressmen are ugly, repellant, and literally isolated (they live on a hill, for chrissakes, as in Capitol Hill -- come on guys, don’t make this so easy), which further demonstrates that the king/president is the true guardian of the people. Congress is simpering and weak; Bush is muscle-bound and bold, dashing about with flight suit and codpiece, all in service of the greater good."

Seriously, did anyone watch the movie and think this? It's totally out of left field.

 

The sky is green!

 

Of course, Victor Davis Chickenhawk and the rightist noise machine are arguing exactly the same point.

 

Another one of those Hollywood liberals spouting off.

Now I know where OT gets his nonsense.

 

Snyder's working on 'The Watchmen.'
I hope he takes a little more care with characters and story.
But '300' was a great looking movie.

 

The movie was bad ass, and I wish I could be as bad ass as Leonidas.

THIS IS SPARTA!!!!

 

Would have been interesting if they had chosen to introduce the fact that the Spartan way of life was entirely dependent on slave labor.

 

Matt Cale at RuthlessReviews can get a little carried away at times, but one line in his review hit the nail on the head.

;D

 

I cringe when I think of how "The Watchmen" could be spectacularly fucked up on film.

I also can't read a review on 300 without getting ill. The worst I've read was from Time's Web site. My quick opinion: Reading too much into it, taking the concept of homoeroticism WAY too far, cynical as all Hell, trite. Judge for yourself.

http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1598977-1,00.html

 

I had to chuckle a little when I read that Iran was pissed about how the movie portrays the Persians.
I mean, I seriously doubt the vast majority of the audience for 300 in the U.S. even realize Persia=Iran.