USA: "300," a new film depicting a famous ancient battle debuts in Los Angeles, draws comparisons to the current war in the Middle East

Record ID: 219850

  • Title: USA: "300," a new film depicting a famous ancient battle debuts in Los Angeles, draws comparisons to the current war in the Middle East
  • Date: 8th March 2007
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (English) GERARD BUTLER, SAYING: "Yeah, probably, probably, but what are you going to do, just not make films because there's a chance that it'll remind people of something? Films would never get made. People can say what they want, but it's not why the film was made. The film was made because it's an awesome story, and if people would just stop and think of it and realise it's just an awesome story, and it's kick ass entertainment, you know?" (SOUNDBITE) (English) LENA HEADEY, SAYING: "Completely, I think it's completely inevitable that people are going to draw comparisons to what's going on today, and of course, that's what we do, isn't it? We're like, 'it represents blah-blah,' but I think it stands alone as a movie, and just a movie that, for your enjoyment, and I think it does that beautifully." (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) RODRIGO SANTORO, SAYING: "Well, I think it's great for the film if it's provoking all that, I think it's a film, and it's a film inspired in a comic book, and it is creating political discussion, and I think it's great because if it's provoking all that, it means that the film has something in there. I wouldn't say the film's message is this or that, or we are trying to say this or that, it's up to you, it's up to the viewer, to interpret or have his own opinion on it, but I think it's great if this is happening."
  • Embargoed: 23rd March 2007 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Reuters ID: LVA5GBH6SMUIABZJEAU6TT39ZNTJ
  • Story Text: "300," a new film depicting the ancient Battle of Thermopylae in 480 B.C. and the valiant efforts of 300 Spartan warriors who went up against the barbarous hordes of the Persian god-king Xerxes and died valiantly defending Greek notions of freedom and justice. Since the film's publicity tour began not too long ago, it has been difficult for the filmmakers and cast alike to dodge comparison's of the film's content to the current war in Iraq, and the seemingly unfaltering policies of Unites States President George W. Bush.
    "Yeah, probably, probably, but what are you going to do, just not make films because there's a chance that it'll remind people of something?" says "300" actor Gerard Butler. "Films would never get made. People can say what they want, but it's not why the film was made. The film was made because it's an awesome story, and if people would just stop and think of it and realize it's just an awesome story, and it's kick ass entertainment, you know?"
    The film is the second of author Frank Miller's graphic novels to make it to the big screen, after Robert Rodriguez's 2005 film "Sin City," and "300" takes on a similar approach to filmmaking; like "Sin City," most of "300" was filmed in front of a greenscreen. While the technical advances in filmmaking will undoubtedly have audiences talking, the question most asked at the premiere was whether or not it was impossible to make a film about war and have no correlation whatsoever to the current political climate.
    "Completely, I think it's completely inevitable that people are going to draw comparisons to what's going on today, and of course, that's what we do, isn't it? We're like, 'it represents blah-blah,' but I think it stands alone as a movie, and just a movie that, for your enjoyment, and I think it does that beautifully," says "300" actress Lena Headey.
    Telling the story of the Greece in the 5th century B.C., "300" delves into the world of the Spartan warriors, who are trained from birth to fight, to never retreat and never surrender. The film's hero, Spartan king Leonidas (Gerard Butler), knowingly leads 300 of his finest soldiers to their deaths to protect their country in the Battle of Thermopylae, which some say is a direct comparison to President Bush's decision to continue occupation of Iraq. At the film's junket last month, a journalist asked director Zack Snyder what his intentions were when making the film, and asked him whether or not Bush is real life's Leonidas, or the film's enemy, Persian king Xerxes, to which Snyder did not respond either way.
    "Look, I don't want people to ignore what's happening in the world, and just go 'I'm gonna go to the movies and shut my brain off,' look, if you come out of this movie and you go, 'hey, you know what? this makes me think this, you know, I think that's good, I think that if people want to talk about it, that's cool, you know? I don't know," says "300" director Zack Snyder.
    "300" author Miller, who first published the original graphic novel in 1998, before George W. Bush was even elected, sees that the story could be interpreted as a political lesson of the day, but asks why one would want to look at it as such.
    "No, it's an eternal story, and actually, you could fit it into contemporary politics, but why start making it boring?" says Frank Miller.
    "300" opens in theaters across North America on Friday, March 9.
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