The 300 Spartans

I've been rediscovering this fine old film of late. It was one my Dad took me to see as a boy of 7 or so, having been released in 1961. At that age, in Sparta, I'd have been eligible to start military service. They drafted 'em mighty young back then.

So anyway, The 300 Spartans is about the Battle of Thermopylae, between the Greeks(Spartans, Thespians, Thebians et al)and Persians back in 480 B.C. Thermopylae was a narrow area, the only known area through which to pass into Greece.

Ordinarily the 1200-or-so total Greek soldiers would be no match for Persia's 20,000+ troops on an open field, but given the fact that they were fighting in such a small area, the Spartans had great advantage. Being much more ferocious in battle, they could demolish the Persian forces at in-fighting.

As a kid we had one pet, a beat-up old tomcat, who utilized this principle in his battles with a possum. He'd get the possum(who was twice his size)underneath the car where it couldn't move and then just wail its ass--all toenails n' fur..So every day with the possum was his Thermopylae.

Pretty simple, really. If you're a little guy fighting a big guy, you want to be in real close to where the big guy can't move. There's your chance to wail him. If he gets more room, and is able to get a clean shot in on you it may well be yo' ass..

Anyway. A great story. The Persians won the battle, but the Greeks won the war. Much like our present-day despots, they had their characters as well. One story I read was of the Persians' attempts to build a bridge to Thermopylae, and upon failing, Xerxes ordering the engineers who designed it executed and then for his troops to "lash and curse the waters"...

So I would recommend this as DVD viewing. The dialogue, something I missed as a 7-year-old, is believable as is the costuming and such(no flat-top haircuts!). And the fight scenes are still "cool". Hail, 300 Spartans.