So, I was thinking the other day... Quite recently a movie came out called 300 (2006 if memory serves correct). It was quite enjoyable. A lot of fighting, strange fantasy monsters and a lot of men in their underwear... Anyway, from a pod cast, I learned that the movie had gotten some bad reviews due to historical inaccuracies.

First up: the enemy. If I understand it correctly, the Iranian government viewed the movie as a way to make the world hostile towards them. This is because the Persians in the movie later changed names to Iranians. Also they were portrayed as some form of demons or some such. My answer? I'm not good at geography or history. If the Iranian government hadn't told me the movie was hostile towards Iran, I wouldn't have known...

Second: same as the first, the hostile bit... The Persians in the movie are depicted as ruthless and savage. This is because the movie is told from the view of the Spartans. Had it been based on the Persians viewpoint, it would've been different. Every story has to have an antagonist and the more of a threat this antagonist is, the braver the hero will appear. (I wrote something about that in my Hero post, scroll down/turn the page).

Third: historical accuracy. This is where it really gets fishy... Many claims have been made that the fantasy creatures used in the movie are silly and haven't existed. My answer: it's a movie! It is made for entertainment value! If you want to watch historical documentaries, watch the History channel (I would, if I had it).

What it all boils down to is this:
1 Historical battle takes place.
2 Stories about the battle is told, glorifying the 300 Spartans.
3 The stories become legends.
4 Someone makes a movie about it (director Rudolph Maté in 1962).
5 Frank Miller sees the movie and it inspires him in his career as a comic book artist.
6 Frank Miller makes the 300 comic book.
7 Someone takes the comic book and turns it into a screen play.
8 Probably some extra Hollywood "this is what the market wants, let's put it in there" (there usually is).
9 Not a lot has stayed the same over the centuries (millena?).
10 I write this post.

In other words, the movie is not really about the battle. It's about the comic book. Comic books do not, repeat not, have to be accurate. And then they made even more changes for the sake of the movie. All in all: this is entertainment. The trailer tells you pretty much what it is about: men in underwear wielding spears, swords and shields. Nothing more, nothing less. If you want to try and read between the lines and try to figure out a deeper meaning, sure, do that. But just because you interpret it one way, it doesn't mean that it was the directors intent, stop hassling him about it!