Come Back With Your Shield, Or On It
I’ve not yet had time to comment on how much Arsenal has hurt my spirit but I did make time for Sparta.
One of my favorite books of fiction is Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield. Recommended by a friend but given as a gift from my father, I hold it dear. Gates is an epic recounting of the Battle of Thermopylae, as told by Xeones, the lone survivor of the Persian siege. From the first page on, it captivated me.
Initially, I thought my background had something to do with my affection. My father and the generations before him are Chiricahua Apache, a band of warrior people trapped on reservations with nothing to fight other than their own vices. My biological grandfather left the rez to serve as a SEAL in the United States Navy during Vietnam. Though short on love for this country and her government, he wanted to fight and die with honor, as Apache were borne but no longer had the chance to do. Though he didn’t return, my father eventually followed him and my brother after that. I like to think that I would have done the same but who’s to say?
It was for these reasons – this similarity of mindset and my constant wondering of what-if – that I believed I liked the book. But over time, I realized that it went beyond that. I kept going back to Gates again and again because I was mesmerized by a type of manhood, courage, loyalty, honor, and discipline unseen beyond any military’s elite in hundreds of years. So when I caught wind of Frank Miller’s graphic novel 300, I bought it immediately. Miller’s story isn’t dialogue driven but his illustrations were masterful. And when I found out a movie was in the works, I awaited it with baited breath.
So I caught the midnight showing of the 300 last night with a few hundred other dorks, history buffs, and comic book types… a handful wore togas while a few others sported red capes and carried swords, shields, and battle axes fashioned out of aluminum foil and cardboard. Ugh.
From the flash of the title screen until the final credits, 300 was an absolute marvel. Words cannot do this film justice. Taken page by page from the graphic novel, King Leonidas, gleamed both noble and cruel like all hero-kings of old and refused to allow the glory of Greece to fade before a barbarous horde. His defiance and courage were punctuated by breathtaking battle scenes, glorious heroism, and base treachery. I simply cannot express to you how stunning it is without swimming through another ocean of hyperbole. Every word, every movement, every moment was a necessary one. It was beautiful. It was flawless. And I’m going again tonight. You should too.
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I am a jaded, sarcastic girl prone to unreasonable fits of rage. This site is my outlet. I am not classy, nice, or fair. It's best you know that up front.
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I’m mad hyped for this and am goin tonight. Don’t know anything about the story but the movie looks tight as hell.
They could have done some more character development I think but visually yeah you are right, it is top notch.
I think you hit on something by relating to it as a person coming from a warrior culture in a military background. I don’t have Native American roots but my family has been military for 4 generations. And like your dad, mine was in SF and now I am as well (both DELTA). You’re a woman but I’ll bet you were raised no different than me with the addition of Apache ways. Gates of Fire really speaks to the hearts of people coming from our types of backgrounds with the mentality that we were raised with and so on. So you shouldn’t pass it off as being only excited about the honor of the men. There really is a connection. Plus for you as a Chiricahua, your people held off the US Army for 20 years as some of the greatest guerilla warriors in history. If your ancestors 100,000 warriors follow Geronimo against the Army, the way the Greeks did after Thermopylae, who knows what could have happened. I’d like to talk to you more about this if I can.
To Carter: There didnt need to be more character development because the only characters are the Spartans that fought as one mind and one unit and their leader King Leonidis. This movie wasn’t made for back stories and fluff.
This is on my must-see list for sure. Haven’t finished Gates of Fire yet, but I might have to in preparation for checking this flick. Sounds awesome!
Saw 300 last night and simply put, it was a joy to see. I especially loved the “stop & go” motion technique employed in the fight scenes and the acting from the casts were superb especially from the guy playing King Leonidis.
I also see a lot of t-shirts sporting quotes from this movie popping up soon
this was amazing. i don’t understand why all the critics are destroying it.
I’ll take your movie recommendation any day – especially in this area! I’m going tonight!
These retarded critics are bashing it because they didn’t bother to read the book. They probably don’t even know there IS a book. They think this is supposed to be a glossy piece of shit like Troy or Alexander and theyve got no clue where this movie is coming from.
Definitely. The bad reviews are all a result of critics not doing their homework. Even the ones that realize it was taken from Miller’s graphic novel can’t understand that it is page for page in accuracy from the dialogue to the costumes. They want to see a “realistic” version of Miller’s story and now they’re throwing a fit.
300 is AMAZING. I’ve seen it twice already.
Was i wrong in thinking that Ephialtes killed himself in the graphic novel but not the movie? I thought he was supposed to die in the end.
I think (think) you are mistaken, Patrick. He tries to kill himself when Leonidas rejects him, but fails. They skipped that part in the movie, and he goes straight to Xerxes. I think him living makes the curse “may you live forever” more powerful than if he offed himself (on screen/page).
Bad. Ass. Movie.
Why is it that every lame assed dirty leg POGUE always gotta be DELTA of SF online? Were you even in the service? DELTA huh? Did you get that from the Chuck Norris movie? Get real. Where are you posted? What’s your designator? Puh-lease. Thanks for the laugh. Oh and to get on subject, 300 rocked and I just picked up Gates of Fire withthe intent of cracking it open this weekend.