This post contains spoilers for 300. If you haven’t already seen it, and you like action and libertarianism, go see the movie now.

Last night Phil and I went with a group of SOLOists to see 300, which opened recently in New Zealand. It was a great film: strong acting, cinematography, imagination but most importantly a sense of sweeping importance. This is the story of the Battle of Thermopylae, where a tiny band of free men stood against the largest army that had ever existed – and held.

The film is surprisingly accurate to the comic book mini-series 300. Of course it is easy to turn a comic book into a movie, but the individual shots are lovingly made into scenes amazingly similar to individual panels in the comic, as illustrated here:

The historical details of Thermopylae are also told very true to the tale, right down to specific dialogue. Of course there are differences in the film version, there are a few shockingly depicted monsters which fit beautifully into the film as part of the depiction of the Persian army as the most horrific force on Earth – and a master storyteller gradually making the film into an ancient myth, populated by heroes and larger-than-life monsters.

Of course this is a film about a battle, about men fighting each other, killing and being killed in unbelievable numbers. In fact I think this was the most gory movie I have ever watched. It was also one of the most inspiring libertarian films I’ve ever watched.

The key to the power of the Thermopylae story is its truth: the situation really was that dire. The Persian army likely consisted of between 150,000 to 250,000 combatants, whereas the Greeks totalled just 7,000. And by the end, the Spartans made their final stand with just 1,300, including the 300 Spartan heroes, just like in the film.

The historical story is that the Oracle declared that either Sparta would fall, or a Spartan king would die – an either/or situation which prompted Leonidas and his token three hundred men to set out on a literal suicide mission, so that his death would fulfil the prophecy and save Sparta.

Historians note that before the Battle of Thermopylae, the Oracular prophecies were often in favor of the Persians, perhaps simply because the priests thought it was likely the Persians would win. The either/or prophecy was probably intended to have one of the Spartan kings put to death so that an ex-Spartan king in Persian employ could retake the throne and rule Sparta under the Persians. Leonidas’ heroism wasn’t part of the plan.

Miller’s version of this takes a slightly different tack: the priests are directly bribed by Persian spies to deny Leonidas Oracular favour for military mobilisation. Without the permission of the religious old men he is powerless. But Leonidas is a free man, as are his soldiers. They march to defend Sparta against orders and even knowing the futility of the mission. They march to defend their homes and families, their country, and their freedoms.

This Spartan statement of intent is interesting because at first glance it is Sparta which is gripped by mysticism and tyranny. This is a society which destroys weak children at birth and pushes boys into a brutal system to toughen them into hardened soldiers (tyranny). Women have more freedom than other cultures but still aren’t equal to men. Real Spartan society had a hefty proportion of slaves, so the slavery-vs-freedom angle doesn’t really get off the ground. On the other hand, Greek slaves weren’t so badly treated and could buy their freedom. The Oracle is depicted as an evil hangover from primitive times, and Leonidas must disobey their edicts and religious laws to defend the country. The Spartan soldiers are shown to love their sons, a hardened kind of love perhaps but love nonetheless. Spartan society, then, is no utopia, but its shortfalls do not make its achievements and freedoms any less worthy of defence by free men.

The final scene in the movie is a stirring battlefield speech about defending democracy and rational progress (Western values) against the forces of mysticism and tyranny (the Persian horde). This was both inspiring and jaw-dropping. I simply couldn’t believe that a Hollywood film was making this statement. No equivocation or moral relativism here, just a simple message: freedom and justice are worth fighting for. Why was that simple and worthy idea so surprising to hear from a mainstream movie?

Posted by Luke H on Monday, April 9th, 2007 at 1:27 pm.