Being such a huge fan of
300; both Frank Miller's graphic novel, and its film adaptation, I decided to go into the movie vault and watch the 1962 "version" (I suppose that's the correct term here) of the Battle of Thermopylae:
The 300 Spartans. Produced in the period of, what's generally referred to as the "sword & sandal" era, it is a highly dramatized telling of the historic battle. As the new version reveled in the battle sequences and the over-the-top, highly stylized visual style of telling its tale, the 1962 version relied very heavily on the acting and script to deliver its drama. Not to say it was bad at all, it was just very different from what I was expecting. Having seen Stanley Kubrick's
Spartacus and Cecil B. DeMille's and William Wyler's
Ben Hur, I was hoping for more grandiose setpiece battles. This plays out more like the drama from movies like
Barabbas or
Cleopatra. I did enjoy this, but in a much different way than I enjoyed
300.
Spartans is a much more cerebral film, giving the audience a much different view of the battle and its consequences.
Richard Egan stars as a beardless King Leonidas, giving the role a large dose of gravitas and drama that was missing from Gerard Butler's over-the-top, superhero interpretation. Egan looks like he knows what this battle means for Greece, and has all the seriousness surrounding that knowledge. Sir Ralph Richardson (of
Dragonslayer fame, for me) is Themistocles, and David Farrar is the villainous Xerxes.
I enjoyed this as both a different version of events from a movie I already love and a blast from the "sword & sandals" past of American cinema. if you're in the mood for an older movie that slipped under the radar getting into your classic lineup, check it out. 7.75/10.
See you tomorrow, and GO WATCH A MOVIE!!
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