An Ode to the Bravest by Prospero Pulma Jr.

An Ode to the Bravest

By Prospero E. Pulma Jr.


Separating fact, fiction, and myth is an arduous task for viewers of 300, the screen adaptation of Frank Miller’s graphic novel which is loosely based on the Battle of Thermopylae of 480 B.C. An extensive research will solve the problem of segregating the product of a writer’s fecund imagination from an ancient historian’s accurate and impartial account of what is widely recognized as one of the greatest last stand in martial annals. But watching the film leaves one in awe of the Spartans’ fighting prowess, which reaches mythic proportions, against a numerically superior but inept enemy that distinguishing history from myth is promptly forgotten.
Early on in 300, one will witness the molding of a fierce warrior by a people preoccupied with martial pursuits. Passing a close examination for any perceived physical malformation at birth is just the first test that all Spartan males undergo. There will be other battles against man and nature that only the fittest will earn the title of soldier of Sparta. One of these men is Leonidas (Gerard Butler), who becomes king after overcoming the same series of daunting challenges prescribed for all the men of Sparta. His chance to let his name live through the centuries comes when the Persians venture into Greece and demand their recognition of Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro) as their ruler. He executes the Persian emissary, sparking war with Xerxes. Unable to muster the full force of his army because of the Carneia festival, Leonidas marches into battle with 300 warriors handpicked by his Captain (Vincent Regan) and a handful of allies.
At Thermopylae, Xerxes is forced to throw his massive army against the small Greek contingent on a piecemeal basis, accumulating a horrendous body count in several attempts to break the Spartan defense. Unsuccessful in subjugating Leonidas through force of arms, Xerxes offers him dominion over Greece if only he will be obeisant to the delusional Persian who proclaims himself god and king of kings, but Leonidas spurns this generous bribe. The bloodletting resumes with the soil watered more with the blood of the invaders that it seems that the Spartans will succeed in containing the invaders, until the Persians outflank and annihilate the defenders by passing through a goat path revealed to them by a hunchback Spartan named Ephialtes (Andrew Tiernan).
While Leonidas is under siege in Thermopylae, his wife, Queen Gorgo (Lena Headey), is waging a battle to win support for her embattled husband. She has to contend with Theron (Dominic West), a politician who maintains that Leonidas should be sanctioned for his illegal actions, and appeal to the Spartan Council to reinforce Leonidas, all the while exuding the strength and resolve that makes her king turn to her for counsel.
Although it is not touted as a historical film since its creators liberally altered historical facts in spinning a riveting tale of Leonidas and his doomed men, 300 fills the screen not only with computer-polished battle scenes, unseen in other movies and ballet‑like in their execution, but also with interesting characters. Xerxes is godlike in physique and bearing, but it is the fearless and very Spartan Leonidas who emerges as a more credible claimant to the title of god - a war god. Dilios (David Wenham), who losses an eye in Thermopylae , eloquently shares the tale of victory of his comrades, the last task given to him by Leonidas. Stilios (Michael Fassbender) has the athleticism and fighting skills to match his wit and humor in combat. The young Astinos (Tom Wisdom) embodies Spartan valor when he calmly spears a charging rhinoceros without yielding ground to the rampaging war beast. With these men under Leonidas’ command, the Persians’ strength in numbers mattered little as the 300 stood before them, doomed to die on the field but destined to be remembered through their valor.