The 300 Spartans

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The 300 Spartans is a 1962 film depicting the Battle of Thermopylae. Made with the cooperation of the Greek government, it was shot in the village of Perachora in the Peloponnese. It starred Richard Egan as the Spartan king Leonidas, Ralph Richardson as Themistocles of Athens and David Farrar as Persian king Xerxes, with Diane Baker as Ellas and Barry Coe as Phylon providing the requisite romantic element in the film. In the film, a force of Greek warriors led by 300 Spartans fights against a Persian army of almost limitless size. Despite the odds, the Spartans will not flee or surrender, even if it means their deaths.

The picture was noted for its Cold War overtones, repeatedly referring to the independent Greek states as "the only stronghold of freedom remaining in the then known world", holding out against the Persian 'slave empire'. Historically, ancient Greece also had slavery, although the makeup of the army included freed slaves.

Frank Miller saw this movie as a boy and said "it changed the course of my creative life". His graphic novel 300 is about the Battle of Thermopylae, and was the basis for the 2007 film 300.

Plot

Xerxes I of Persia leads a vast army of soldiers into Europe to crush the small city-states of Greece to fulfil not only the idea of "one world ruled by one master", but to avenge the defeat of his father, Darius I of Persia, at the Battle of Marathon ten years previously. Accompanying him are Artemisia I, the Queen of Halicarnassus who beguiles Xerxes with her feminine charm, and Demaratus, an exiled king of Sparta whose warnings Xerxes pays little heed to.

In Corinth, Themistocles wins the support of the allies and convinces both the delegates and the Spartan representative, Leonidas I, to grant Sparta leadership of the force. Outside the hall, Leonidas and Themistocles agree to fortify the pass at Thermopylae until the rest of the army arrives. After this, Leonidas learns of the Persian advance and travels to Sparta to spread the news.

In Sparta, fellow king Leotychidas is fighting a losing battle with the Ephors over a festival that is due to take place, and that the army should wait until after the festival is over to march, by which time the Persians will have conquered Greece. Leonidas secretly decides to take his personal bodyguard of 300 men to the pass, who are exempt from the decisions of the Ephors and the Gerousia.

After several days fighting, Xerxes grows angry as his army are "slaughtered like sheep" by the Spartans. Leonidas further pressures his men after receiving word that the remainder of the army will only fortify the isthmus in the Peloponnese and will advance no further. The Spartans constantly beat off the Persians, and Xerxes begins to consider withdrawing to Sardis until he can equip a larger force at a later date. Just then, he receives word from Ephialtes of a goat-track through the mountains. Rewarding Ephialtes greatly, Xerxes sends his army onward.

Once Leonidas realises this, he sends away the other Greek allies to alert the cities to the south, whilst he and his 300 men fight to the death, in which Leonidas is killed. The survivors try to take his body away, but are surrounded by Persians and impaled by arrowfire. After this, the Battle of Salamis and the Battle of Platea end the Persian invasion, which could not have been organised without the help of the 300 Spartans who defied the tyranny of Xerxes at Thermopylae.

References

External links

• The 300 Spartans at the Battle of Thermopylae

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Last updated on Wednesday March 12, 2008 at 11:24:14 PDT (GMT -0700)
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