While the Warner Bros. movie '300' had garnered much attention towards the Battle of Thermopylae, it also had received quite a bit of criticism by academics and scholars throughout the world. While its author and illustrator Frank Miller, director Zack Snyder and cast members had stated that the movie played loosely with the facts, it still had been criticized due to its lack of historical accuracy in its portrayal of the Greek and Persian armies.
Xerxes I in the '300' movie compared to his depiction in the comics
The most egregious misrepresentation by far was the way Xerxes I had been depicted as can be evidenced in the images pictured above and below. While the movie did in many instances mirror the comic book series which can be seen by these comparisons, it is the androgynous appearance of one of the Achaemenid Persian dynasty's most prominent figures that many found disconcerting.
Xerxes I as illustrated in Frank Miller '300' comics
Rodrigo Santoro as King Xerxes in Warner Bros. '300'
However, it is the 1962 movie 'The 300 Spartans' where a more accurate depiction by David Farrar is seen of Xerxes I. The description by Herodotus is the antithesis to his appearance in the Frank Miller '300' comics and the movie release by Warner Bros. Interestingly enough, it is the original movie which provided the inspiration for Miller to write the series and its manifestation of the Persian king.
David Farrar as King Xerxes in counsel with Donald Houston and Nikos Papaconstantinou as Generals Hydarnes and Mardonius, respectively
Therefore, as can be seen by the side-by-side comparison of the images below from 'The 300 Spartans' and the monument to Xerxes, Major Cleanthis Damianos of the Hellenic Army and Paul Nord in their capacities as military advisor and historical story advisor, respectively, provided a more historically accurate depiction of the Persian king in the above-mentioned movie.
David Farrar as King Xerxes of Persia in 1962's 'The 300 Spartans'
King Xerxes of Persia - Detail of a bas-relief in the Treasury at Persepolis
