"The Invisible" preview; "300"
Apr. 1st, 2007 01:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
verushka70Saw "300" w/my bf last night. Before it, during the movie previews, we saw a preview for "The Invisible." No sign of CKR. Booo.
"300" -- well, I haven't read the graphic novel, so I can't say how faithful to the novel it was. I can comment on some historical accuracies and inaccuracies, however. My dad (half Greek) used to drum into our heads that we were Spartan (my grandfather's birth was recorded in Sparti, Greece) so we read about them when we were younger.
First of all, the Spartans did everything naked, from what I read as a kid and teen. (woo-hoo!) They trained naked, fought naked (with shields & spears, of course), etc. So all the cloaks and all that would've only happened if it was cold out. And it doesn't snow much in Greece -- not at sea level. In the mountains, yes. But, ok, whatever -- poetic license.
Second, yes, they did practice infanticide. I remember reading that and being rather horrified. Often they got rid of female infants (no surprise there), but they would also get rid of "defective" male babies. However, I don't recall reading that they would throw them off cliffs. Mainly what they would do is abandon them in the mountains, where they'd die of exposure or be eaten by wild animals.
Third, ALL the men in "300" were WAY TO WAXED and HAIRLESS to be Greeks! Christ, it was a sea of hairless chests and six-pack abs. (Not that I'm complaining -- but the historical accuracy of nude Spartans would've been nice!) Now, anyone who's ever dated a Mediterranean or middle-eastern man (and I have: a couple Greeks, one 100% Italian, one Palestinian guy, and one Syrian guy -- college was so much fun back then!) knows they are hairy as hell. They have hairy chests. Hairy arms. Hairy legs. (There was one shot in "300" where they showed Leonidas' legs and even his legs were hairless! Come on! Even on relatively hairless men, their legs are hairy! wtf!)
So that aspect of "300" was totally unrealistic. It seemed that the characters were based on Greek sculptures and paintings on vases, plates, etc. But the Greeks idealized their artistic representations of themselves! (The Romans didn't; they'd sculpt a guy accurately, down to the mole on his face.) And it's pretty damn hard to sculpt hair into stone, anyway.
I'd like to read the graphic novel. It's too bad they don't teach history with graphic novels. The stuff my dad gave us to read about "our ancestors" was a lot more interesting than any history book I ever had in any history or "social studies" class I had in grammar or high school.
As for the portrayal of the Persians... well, I can see why present-day Iranians are pissed. OTOH, the Greeks considered them "barbarians" (like the Spartan way of life wasn't!?!), and "300" is told from the Spartans' POV. Basically, it's "rational," "Western" patriarchal POV vs. "mystical," "Eastern" patriarchy. I felt that portrayal of the Persians was more than a little inaccurate. I mean, the word "algebra" (al-gebra) is Arabic in origin. The world got a lot of math and astronomy from the Eastern "tribes." The Persians had conquered many peoples, that much is true; they could hardly have done that if they were girly-men. Did they send their conquered people into battle? Yes. Did the Greeks hold out? Yes. But we have to consider the times. It was war, war, war. Men, men, men. Brutality. Glory.
As for the Spartans' disdain for the Athenian "philosophers and boylovers" -- from what I've read, the Spartans were boylovers, too. They just gave it up in adulthood... the Athenians sometimes didn't. Hence Socrates was put to death for corrupting youth.
"300" -- well, I haven't read the graphic novel, so I can't say how faithful to the novel it was. I can comment on some historical accuracies and inaccuracies, however. My dad (half Greek) used to drum into our heads that we were Spartan (my grandfather's birth was recorded in Sparti, Greece) so we read about them when we were younger.
First of all, the Spartans did everything naked, from what I read as a kid and teen. (woo-hoo!) They trained naked, fought naked (with shields & spears, of course), etc. So all the cloaks and all that would've only happened if it was cold out. And it doesn't snow much in Greece -- not at sea level. In the mountains, yes. But, ok, whatever -- poetic license.
Second, yes, they did practice infanticide. I remember reading that and being rather horrified. Often they got rid of female infants (no surprise there), but they would also get rid of "defective" male babies. However, I don't recall reading that they would throw them off cliffs. Mainly what they would do is abandon them in the mountains, where they'd die of exposure or be eaten by wild animals.
Third, ALL the men in "300" were WAY TO WAXED and HAIRLESS to be Greeks! Christ, it was a sea of hairless chests and six-pack abs. (Not that I'm complaining -- but the historical accuracy of nude Spartans would've been nice!) Now, anyone who's ever dated a Mediterranean or middle-eastern man (and I have: a couple Greeks, one 100% Italian, one Palestinian guy, and one Syrian guy -- college was so much fun back then!) knows they are hairy as hell. They have hairy chests. Hairy arms. Hairy legs. (There was one shot in "300" where they showed Leonidas' legs and even his legs were hairless! Come on! Even on relatively hairless men, their legs are hairy! wtf!)
So that aspect of "300" was totally unrealistic. It seemed that the characters were based on Greek sculptures and paintings on vases, plates, etc. But the Greeks idealized their artistic representations of themselves! (The Romans didn't; they'd sculpt a guy accurately, down to the mole on his face.) And it's pretty damn hard to sculpt hair into stone, anyway.
I'd like to read the graphic novel. It's too bad they don't teach history with graphic novels. The stuff my dad gave us to read about "our ancestors" was a lot more interesting than any history book I ever had in any history or "social studies" class I had in grammar or high school.
As for the portrayal of the Persians... well, I can see why present-day Iranians are pissed. OTOH, the Greeks considered them "barbarians" (like the Spartan way of life wasn't!?!), and "300" is told from the Spartans' POV. Basically, it's "rational," "Western" patriarchal POV vs. "mystical," "Eastern" patriarchy. I felt that portrayal of the Persians was more than a little inaccurate. I mean, the word "algebra" (al-gebra) is Arabic in origin. The world got a lot of math and astronomy from the Eastern "tribes." The Persians had conquered many peoples, that much is true; they could hardly have done that if they were girly-men. Did they send their conquered people into battle? Yes. Did the Greeks hold out? Yes. But we have to consider the times. It was war, war, war. Men, men, men. Brutality. Glory.
As for the Spartans' disdain for the Athenian "philosophers and boylovers" -- from what I've read, the Spartans were boylovers, too. They just gave it up in adulthood... the Athenians sometimes didn't. Hence Socrates was put to death for corrupting youth.