Travis
> To properly understand 300's ideological pedigree, you
> needn't examine the Battle of Thermopylae which
> serves, roughly, only as source material.
>
> You have take a peek into the mind of comic artist and
> writer Frank Miller, creator of the graphic
> novelization of the Thermopylae story upon which the
> new movie is based. Like millions of other savants,
> Miller nurtures a manichean view of modern concerns -
> terrorism in particular.
>
>
> For example, an upcoming Miller work, "Batman: Holy
> Terror" was designed to be, in Miller's words, a
> "piece of propaganda" in which Batman "kicks
> Al-Qaeda's ass."
>
> Because I'm un-fond of exploding buildings and
> generally getting killed while minding my own business
> I don't object to the idea of "kicking terrorist ass".
>
> Trouble is, folk like Miller restrict the list of
> people in need of hindquarters rearrangement to those
> who lack aircraft carriers, laser guided bombs and all
> the other tools of today's top notch, high priced
> terrorism.
>
>
>
>
> I think it's telling that Miller - who, like everyone
> else in the US not living in an isolation chamber, is
> bombarded daily with text, sounds and images intended
> to whip us into a fighting frenzy (or at least, the
> mall shopping, talk radio, blog shouting and 'support
> the troops' bumper sticker equivalent of such a
> frenzy) - felt the need to add even more propaganda
> seasoning to this already over-spiced soup.
>
>
> In other words, I believe Miller to be a bit of a
> political jackass.
>
>
>
>
> One final note about "300", the movie:
>
>
> Thanks to some, er, Jolly Rogerish friends in Sweden,
> I received a private showing. Here's a brief review.
>
>
> Throughout the film, King Leonidas rallies his (few,
> but peerless!) men to fight for "freedom" and
> "liberty".
>
> Sounds good. I can handle a sword and look good in
> shorts. Where do I sign up?
>
>
> But hold on mate, there's a problem; Leonidas is fond
> of making the rules up as he goes along to suit his
> whims at any given moment. All for the greater good,
> of course: Spartan "freedom" (which, must be said like
> so: FREEEEDOMMM!!!!! followed close on by
> SPARRRRTAAAA!!!!!!).
>
> The Spartans are free indeed...to follow orders.
>
> Which, I suppose, is more or less historically
> accurate but, as others have pointed out, the movie is
> being presented (by Miller, the film maker and the
> studio) as a recreation of the stirring moment our
> beloved West, in its cute but resolute diaper stage,
> fought for liberty against tyranny. Strange notion
> of liberty when you've still got a loud mouthed king
> (SPARRRTAAA!!!!) breathing down your neck.
>
> Hilariously, the enemy of freedom is a bizarre and
> innumerable hoard of jewel encrusted, early
> incarnation techno ravers, bondage aficionados, cross
> dressers and men a little too close to their
> (apparently genetically modified) elephants.
>
>
> In short, the movie doesn't depict a struggle of
> 'freedom' against 'tyranny' or, at the little lower
> layer 'East' against 'West' but fundamentally, gym
> buffed normality vs. the effete other.
>
>
>
>
>
> .d.
>
>
>
>
> "You people...your hands are so greasy and slimy...I don't want to shake
your hands."
>
> Andy Kaufman
>
>
> ......................
> http://monroelab.net/blog/
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