300 Film Analysis

So I noticed that I haven't blogged for a little while. I have just been pretty absent minded all around in the week leading up to Spring Break as well as most of Spring Break itself. I'm back now however.

My Spring Break was pretty good. I got some much needed rest and now feel refreshed and ready to take on the rest of this semester.

Before going on break I looked at the movie "300." Analyzing this film proved to be quite enjoyable as the film is pretty entertaining. This analysis is incomplete; this portion mainly focuses on the purpose of the film.

The main purpose of the film is promoting courage. The film (which is based on a graphic novel which is loosely based on an historical event) tells the story of how 300 Spartan Greeks fought to the death to defend their homeland from a massive Persian army. The Spartans manage to hold out for an extended period of time and although most of them die, their example spurs other Greek armies to come to Sparta's aid. This act of courage prevents the city from falling to the Persians.


The protagonist, King Leonidas, as well as the Spartan soldiers accompanying him are also symbols for courage. One example is the trademark scene in which Leonidas kicks a Persian messenger down a well while yelling "This is SPARTA!" This was an act of great defiance that carried heavy consequences, yet Leonidas acted, turned around, and walked away without looking back. The King knows he will be engaged in a battle with the massive Persian empire.


While the Spartans are portrayed as being courageous and unwilling to surrender, the Persian armies are depicted quite differently. They are portrayed as cowardly and faceless. They are portrayed as a force that wins by numbers alone and retreats when things get tough. Through out the film, there are numerous scenes in which the Persian armies retreat to postpone the battle while there is no scene showing the Spartans retreating. The Spartans stand and fight to the death. It is shown through out the movie that the Spartans knew their fate was inevitable with quotes such as "Tonight we dine in hell."