Some people are just stupid.
The upcoming movie "300" is sparking debate and controversy because some people believe it is a veiled swipe at George W. Bush and the United States, or alternatively, that it is an insidious piece of propaganda favoring Bush.
The truth is that it is neither.
For those of you who are not familiar with the movie, it is based upon the Frank Miller graphic novel of the same name, which in turn is based upon the famous story [told originally by Herodotus] of 300 Spartan warriors holding off 250,000 Persian invaders at the narrow Thermopylae coastal pass in Northern Greece in 480 b.c.
It achieved a mythic resonance in the Greco-Roman world akin to the Battle of the Bulge, Rorke's Drift, or the Alamo.
In fact, the Alamo is recognized as the closest analogy.
A small band of warriors fending off the forces of an invading army that is tremendously larger in size -- who subsequently die almost literally to the last man.
Although the cause is doomed, it supposedly gives the defending force a strategic lift both in delaying the advance of the invasion force, and inspiring the defending armies to fight with more vigour.
I won't get into my belief that the strategic value of Thermopylae to the Greco-Persian war was massively overrated. [The Battle of Salamis was the REAL decisive strategic battle of that war].
But, suffice it to say, the Battle of Thermopylae cemented the fierce reputation of Spartan warriors for posterity.
The criticism of the movie, however, is ludicrous. It pretty faithfully tracks the dialogue and plot of Miller's graphic novel, which was published in 1998! One clue that, for certain, it is not intended to be an anti-Bush movie is that noted Neocon Victor Davis Hanson is an historical consultant for the project.
Nor does that mean, incidentally, that it is a pro-Bush movie either. [Read Victor Davis Hanson's essay about "300" to judge for yourself].
There is no way that it intentionally or implicltly supports Bush or opposes Bush. It is depicting an historic event of antiquity, in a highly stylized, mythologized manner.
I can certainly understand why the director of the movie, Zack Snyder, is winking about its meaning. Anything that gets people talking about his movie is good publicity and will generate box office.
If I were him, I wouldn't discourage this kind of speculation either. But, I think any resonance to our current times is due entirely to the universal themes and timelessness of the story itself, and has nothing to do with the intentions of the movie's creative team.
All that being said, Snyder is set to direct the film version of Alan Moore's seminal comic book series "Watchmen." If "300" does great box office, Snyder will have the creative freedom to make the "Watchmen" movie the way he prefers. As he has said on various occasions, he wants the movie to be more "Strangelove" [or "Taxi Driver"] than "Fantastic Four" in tone.
"I don't want to screw [Watchmen] up." -- Zack Snyder