The 300 Spartans [Blu-ray]

Great movie, No CGI. Cast of thousands!

Finally after many years this old sword and sandal classic has been re-issued. Like many viewers here I fist saw this film when I was a kid. I liked it then, and I still enjoy it today. For a movie it stays pretty close to the historical events. Sure there is some B-class acting and a silly romance, but the portryal of the Spartans is pretty accurate. The costumes and sets are very good. The film looks like it was shot in Greece, or some locale very similar in appearence. Once we get past the slow beginng the action picks up as the Spartans make their immortal stand at the pass. Both Xerxes and Leonidas are well portrayed in my opinion. This is one movie that does not have to resort to bizarre heroics in order to get the message across that the Spartans were brave. The combat scenes are exciting and well done. The Cold War probably inspired the making of this film, with its obvious overtones to current events at that time. This is one old classic that holds up well over the years. Glad the studios finally got over the legal battle to release this one again.

Obviously, the armchair pundits whose habit it is to dislike any of the 50's or early 60's historical epics will probably go out of their way to demean and discredit this film. However, I find it enormously enjoyable and closer to the historical truth than the comic book remake and its sequel, who we must indeed thank for this unusual blu-ray release. That said, the visual quality of this release is jaw dropping. The battle sequences are nicely presented and the subplots are engaging. But, the real selling point is the incredible clarity and eye-popping color of the brilliant transfer. Kudos to Fox! If this is how some of these 60 year old epics can look and sound, let's have some more of them!

The narrow pass of Thermopalyae is long gone, with centuries of sendiment building a large plain. The location of the statue of King Leonidas of Sparta set up along the highway does provide a sense of how narrow the geography was in 480 B.C. when a small force of Spartans and other Greek warriors held up the advance of King Xerxes and his Persian army (the parallels to the Alamo are palatable). When I visited Greece last week I was glad we were able to stop at the monument for a few minutes, not so much because of what I had read in the history books about the Battle of Thermopalyae but because of the 1962 film "The 300 Spartans."Granted the acting in this film from director Rudolph Maté is wooden, on a par with the Trojan Horse and the ships that turned out to the wooden walls of Athens that defeated Xerxes at Salamis. But there is still something substantial to the battle sequences, as when Xerxes sends his Immortals against the Spartans and when the Spartans make a final valiant charge to kill the Persian monarch. The basic political history of the times is covered in the film; Greece was debating whether or not to send soldiers that far north to stop the invaders and the Spartans decided not to send troops until a religious festival was over. Consequently, King Leonidas (Richard Eagan) left with his personal bodyguard of 300 soldiers. There is a trivial romantic subplot involving a young Spartan soldier and the girl he tried to leave behind, as well as an exiled Spartan King, Demaratus (Ivan Triesault) who tries to educate Xerxes (David Farrar) about the worth of these 300 soldiers. In the end, the Spartans are betrayed by a Greek traitor who tells the Persians of a pass through the mountains where they can attack from the rear. Leonidas learns of the treachery in time to evacuate the rest of the Greek army, but the Spartans will never retreat.This was one of the last films directed by Maté, a respected cinematographer ("Pride of the Yankees," "Lady From Shanghai") who directed movies as different as "D.O.A." and "When Worlds Collide." The battle sequences are the best part of "The 300 Spartans," making excellent cinematic use of the contrast between the Spartans in their gold armor and red cloaks versus the black draped Persians with their wicker armor. Eagan does not do much with the role of Leonidas, but he certainly gives the character the requisite sense of honor and nobility. But perhaps the most memorable part of this film, which is one of the most cherished from my youth, is the marching music of the Spartans written by Manos Hadjidakis. Clearly I am not alone in that regard. "The 300 Spartans" is not a great film, but it has its moments and the tale is worth the telling. Recently Frank Miller ("Batman: The Dark Night") did his own graphic novel version of this story, which may well inspire Hollywood to remake this film. It is certainly a tale worth telling again.

Saw this in the theatre when I was a youngster and it's still one of my favorite movies of all time. More simplistic than 300, but great!

I watched this movie on zoom-I don't like widescreen. Based on actual events occurring in 480 B.C. Greece. 300 Greek soldiers against an overwhelming Persian army in the battle of Thermopylae. Lots of action, glad I bought.

The original and best.

muchísimo mejor de lo que esperaba, realmente muy, muy buena película, con una perfecta y realista puesta en escena y, probablemente mas fiel a la historia que "300"

EXCELLENTE TRANSACTION....EXCELLENT FILM PLUS CREDIBLE,PLUS AUTHENTIQUE ET MIEUX CONCU QUE CE SOI-DISANT REMAKE:300!!!!IL FAUT DIRE QU'AVEC FRANK MILLER A LA BASE DU SCENARIO,ON NE PEUT QUE S'ATTENDRE A TOUT,SAUF A LA VERITE HISTORIQUE...POUR CEUX QUI AIMENT DE VRAIS FILMS,SANS EFFETS SPECIAUX A OUTRANCE,AVEC DE VRAIES ET BELLES COULEURS,DES DIALOGUES,DES ACTEURS HABITES PAR LEURS ROLES,UNE MUSIQUE DE QUALITE,BREF,POUR CEUX QUI AMENT LE VRAI CINEMA...ACHETER LA BATAILLE DES THERMOPHYLES(The 300 Spartans)..UN SEUL REGRET CEPENDANT/QUE LA VERSION FRANCAISE NE SOIT PAS DISPONIBLE(ET POURQUOI,PUISQUE LORS DE SA SEULE DIFFUSION A LA FIN DES ANNEES SOIXANTE-DIX?ELLE LE FUT EN V.F.,AUX DOSSIERS DE L'ECRAN..NOUS REGRETTERONS DE NE PAS APPRECIER JEAN-CLAUDE MICHEL POST-SYNCHRONISANT RICHARD EGAN)...

Wie meine Vorrezensenten schon bemerkten ist dieser Film keine Comic-Verfilmung, sondern spiegelt die genauen (eben so genau wie die historischen Überlieferungen wohl sein mögen) historischen Ereignisse wieder. Auch ist der Film nicht mit dem üblichen Hollywood-Pomp wie man ihn aus den letzten Jahren kennt überladen und Spezialeffekte waren damals noch handgemacht und nicht progrmmiert. Ich würde den Film in einer Reihe mit Cleopatra und Ben Hur und Spartacus u.ä. nennen. In allen Belangen einer der besten Historienfilme der je gedreht wurde (besonders im Vergleich zu seinem neuen Gegenpart "300").