The
Battle of Thermopylae is one of history's most celebrated last stands
and has been the subject of three movies, one of which included this
year's rather lackluster affair, 'Meet the Spartans'. Savaged by
critics and viewers alike, this spoof seemed to focus more on today's
glitterati and other topical events than the conflict between the
city-states of Greece and the might of the Persian empire. The
comedy's plot centered around lampooning the subject matter of 2007's controversial Warner Bros.' movie '300', while apparently trying to capitalize on its $400 million worldwide success.
Essentially
an adaptation of the comic book series written and illustrated by Frank
Miller, '300' was highly provocative due to its portrayal of Xerxes the
Great, the Persian and Greek warriors and events of 480 B.C.E.
Interestingly enough, Miller was inspired to write the comics after
viewing the first cinematic and most historically accurate version of
the battle, 1962’s 20th Century Fox movie, ‘The 300 Spartans’. However,
what has unfortunately been overlooked due to the controversy
surrounding the revisionism of '300' is the best-selling novel by
Steven Pressfield entitled 'Gates of Fire'.
Published in 1998, it was considered to be favored over '300' as the
next movie about Thermopylae to be released for the big screen. Before
several of the merits of 'Gates of Fire' are outlined, the series of
events which led to the production of '300' should be mentioned in
order to gain an understanding of why the superior novel wasn't chosen
by Hollywood.
Retracing these steps must
begin with the worldwide success of 'Gladiator' which won several
Oscars and for one brief and glorious moment seemed to revive the
'sword and sandals' genre. In an interview in 2000, George Clooney
professed his admiration of Pressfield's novel by stating that 'Gates
of Fire is an amazing story. Gladiator was my favorite film of the
year, but I think Gates of Fire is a better story.' Clooney's approval
of 'Gates' was confirmed as his production company Maysville Pictures
purchased the rights to the enormously popular novel, which at last
count had sold over 600,000 copies and was in its 10th printing.
Shortly
thereafter, the Hellenocentric movies 'Troy' and 'Alexander' followed
in 2004, to less than stellar results. With budgets of approximately
$175 million and $155 million, respectively, their ticket sales weren't
what was expected. 'Gates' as it was estimated, would have cost
between $170-$200 million, therefore, it may have been too much of a
gamble, especially in light of the uninspiring box office receipts of
the aforementioned movies.
In
comparison,
the budget for '300' was relatively smaller at $60-$70 million as a
result of its liberal use of computer generated imagery. This allowed
the entire movie (with the exception of one scene) to be shot in the
studios, while a small cast of actors and extras were reproduced
exponentially using CGI techniques. Employing sets that were recycled
throughout production, the '300' budget was a fraction of the cost,
therefore, less burdensome financially. Even more ominous was director
Michael Mann's departure, which allowed Warner Bros. to catapult ahead
with their version of the Battle of Thermopylae.
However,
these reasons should not detract from Pressfield’s tour-de-force which
became an instant classic in the category of military novels, in
addition to recommended reading by many colleges and universities
across the world. Extensively researched, Pressfield's sources
included the works of authors whom he graciously acknowledged such as
Paul Cartledge, Victor Davis Hanson, Donald Kagan, John Keegan, J.F.
Lazenby, etc. These academics who had written about Sparta, Persia,
ancient warfare, weapons and armor, etc. were without parallel and it
was the inclusion of their materials, which translated by Pressfield,
provided an extra element lacking in Miller's graphic novel '300'.
What
made 'Gates of Fire' more compelling than '300' was its description of
the fighting which made the reader feel like a participant rather than
an observer of the battle. While it did glamorize war to an extent, it
also described its brutality, fear, anxiety and a myriad of other
emotions which must have been felt by warriors from both the Greek
& Persian armies as they faced off against each other in the narrow
pass of Thermopylae, which approximately 2,500 years ago was only 50
feet wide.
Multidimensional characters added
depth to Pressfield's novel and while the focus was on the Spartan
warriors, the army of Persia was portrayed much more differently than
in '300'. One passage in particular illuminated the vast difference
between 'Gates of Fire' and '300'. This was the initial meeting
between the Spartan envoys and a group of Egyptian marines from Xerxes'
navy on the island of Rhodes, months before they clashed at
Thermopylae. The repartee between these warriors blended a mixture of
respect and admiration, which eventually yielded to the grim knowledge
that war would be inevitable and under other circumstances, these
future combatants may have been friends. The camaraderie and gestures
of goodwill that were extended resurfaced several months later when the
Egyptian captain Ptammitechus, nicknamed affectionately by the Spartans
as 'Tommie', tried to intercede before the battle. It was by his own
request in a last ditch effort to prevent hostilities from beginning,
that he acted as an ambassador to the Spartans whom he had befriended
earlier.
Miller's '300' brought quite a bit of notoriety to the Battle of Thermopylae, albeit for several of the wrong reasons as it was renounced by the Persian and Greek communities, in addition to scholars of the battle. While
its success and highly stylized look has not gone unnoticed, it has
been viewed as quite inflammatory due to its neglect of the other Greek
contingents that heroically fought with the Spartans, as well as the
courage of the Persian army. It is for these reasons that 'Gates'
should be applauded, as it offered a much more balanced and objective
view. Steven Pressfield's book showed that this epic three day battle
where bravery was glorified, didn't need embellishments such as ogres,
a hunchback, an androgynous king, etc. Perhaps one day 'Gates of Fire'
can share the marquee with the other movies about Thermopylae and help
remedy some of the injustices which have recently been perpetrated on
screen.
John Trikeriotis is a financial consultant in the USA and maintains the website 300 Spartan Warriors.
As a member of the Leonidas Expeditions which is comprised of
academics, authors and scholars, he will be traveling to the
battlefield of Thermopylae to locate several areas pivotal to the
battle.
This article was contributed by JOHN TRIKERIOTIS,Special Contributor for PersianMirror.
