The 300 Spartans [DVD]

In my opinion well worth watching.

I must start by stating that, having been trained in ancient history and classical languages, I can confidently say this is the most accurate retelling of the last stand at Thermopylae that has been filmed to date. Clearly any movie will make certain alterations to historical facts for dramatic purposes - for instance the love affair that forms a subplot to this version - but in this case there is little to undermine the excellence of the production. What also distinguishes this version is the emotional content, as opposed to more modern versions where only the violence of combat seems important. I saw this as a student, and was blolwn away. I saw it again the next night, entranced: this was history brought alive, the stuff from my Greek texts translated into living people and events.To me it was truly inspirational, and encouraged me greatly in the slog of ancient history and classical languages. Sparta to modern eyes may appear as a fascist state devoted to war and brutal training: but the qualities of manliness, heroism, and honour enshrined in the nation's vision of itself and perpetuated in legend shine through this 1962 interpretation. Richard Egan is rather Hollywood as King Leonidas, but this lantern-jawed hulk pulls it off as purely and simply a macho Spartan warrior, devoted to the cult of "come home with your shield, or dead upon it". Ralph Richardson makes a fine Themistocles, the author of the Greeks' ultimate victory over Persia at the Battle of Salamis. A number of the lines are directly traken from the Greek historians, adding authenticity. And I love the marching music of the 300 advance guard as they head for the pass of Thermopylae, where, with a few thousand from other Greek states, they held out for three days against a massive Persian force while awaiting reinforcements. Betrayed by their own countrymen who refuse to send their main army, and by a traitor named Ephialtes, the Spartans finally fall under a deluge of arrows, a heartbreaking and unforgettable scene at the end of the movie. Leonidas had dismissed the surviving allies present, and he and his Spartans took on the final battle alone, keeping their word till the last. The poet Simonides wrote a stirring epitaph on the 300: Go, tell the Spartans, thou that passeth by, That here, obedient to their word, we lie

The original tale of Leonidas and his three hundred Spartans who stood bravely against the overwhelming might of Xerxes and his Persian horde.

This is a brilliant film from the 1950s, to have together with modern version, of "300". It is good to compare if you are a fan of this ancient cult story of Sparta, as they are both very good films, and very different looking in style in every way. I love them both. The older version this DVD tells a straight forward story, filling in the background of the Spartan culture and its very difficult and trying upbringing of children and young people in order to make them tough and unyielding. Richard Egan makes an attractive, tough, and strong personality of the leader. It is a neatly made film with every part and character slotted in well, building up until the fateful end against a horrible enemy.

Based around the events of the battle of Thermopylae during the Persian invasion of Greece in 480BC. During the battle 300 Spartan Hoplites commanded by King Leonidas against far superior numbers of Persians. Filmed during the early sixties the film has little in the way of historic accuracy beyond a few real quotes from the period but this does little to detract from the film, which is a good watch nonetheless. There are a few good performances by the main character and the battles are generally quite well choreographed, although there is nothing on the scale of those in Spartacus. Although there are many better films than this, watching the 300 Spartans is a good way of spending a couple of hours.

I will begin my review of this film with the only notable flaw in it's production. There is a scene where the Persian Immortal Army of King Xerxes is advancing into a hail of javelines and arrows and some are picked off before they could reach the Greek front line. This scene is very well choreographed apart from one Persian soldier who get's hit. I won't dwell on this because the whole battle scene is very well staged and is virtually 100% true to the historicity of the Battle of Thermopylae. The character inter-relations and the attention to detail is very realistic and is in accordance with Herodotus' Histories. The film focuses very well on the cultures of both sides of the conflict (Persians and Greeks) and also touches on the religious practices of the Greeks, particularly in their sacrificial beliefs. To summarise, Richard Egan and the rest of the cast demonstrated that acting could be as impressive then as it is in the present day. Good costumes, good acting, good scenery (possibly filmed in the region of Thermopylae, but I am unsure) and a complement to any History enthusiast of this era.

I was 12 when I first saw this film,and it makes me feel as old as the "Spartans",It would have had a good 4 stars when I first saw it,because I didnt know any better!but as the years have rolled by ime older and wiser,and have seen far better films,If I were you Id give this "EPIC" film(ha ha)a miss,and purchase the latest film,far more action,Save your money unless your buying it for nostalgic reasons like me!!I really could not call it a classic film more one I think we should all forget about. But the scenery was a good advert for Greece reminded me of my holidays,

There are currently four options for this film: the 2014 Blu-ray for Regions A and B; a 2004 Region 1 NTSC release; and a 2007 Region 2 PAL release. The Blu-ray and the Region 1 NTSC release have a run time of 114 minutes. The Region 2 PAL release has a run time of 109 minutes (because PAL runs 4% faster than NTSC). All four are described as having an aspect ratio of 2.35:1 resembling the film’s original CinemaScope format. I purchased the Region 2 PAL version from Amazon UK and I’ve compared its screen image on a 16x9 HDTV with the Blu-ray screen images reproduced at blu-ray dot com. There are differences: (1) the Blu-ray images are wider (i.e. showing more of the original CinemaScope image) and consequently with deeper letterbox mattes than the DVD; and (2) the Blu-ray images appear to have some greater colour saturation and a fair dose of digital noise reduction (since skin tones are blander than in the DVD). The Blu-ray, according to Amazon, is available for Region A with English and Spanish soundtracks and for Region B with just English. These Blu-rays may not be interchangeable since Twentieth Century Fox is well known for releasing most of its titles region-coded. The Region 2 PAL release has English, German, Italian and Spanish audio, and subtitles in 12 languages. # 38

I watched this movie on zoom-I don't like widescreen. Based on actual events occurring in 480 B.C. Greece. 300 Greek soldiers against an overwhelming Persian army in the battle of Thermopylae. Lots of action, glad I bought.

Obviously, the armchair pundits whose habit it is to dislike any of the 50's or early 60's historical epics will probably go out of their way to demean and discredit this film. However, I find it enormously enjoyable and closer to the historical truth than the comic book remake and its sequel, who we must indeed thank for this unusual blu-ray release. That said, the visual quality of this release is jaw dropping. The battle sequences are nicely presented and the subplots are engaging. But, the real selling point is the incredible clarity and eye-popping color of the brilliant transfer. Kudos to Fox! If this is how some of these 60 year old epics can look and sound, let's have some more of them!

Classic movie about the 300 Spartans made in 1962. More historical context than the newer movie made in 2007 with the ridiculous circus freaks and people jumping thirty feet in the air.

EXCELLENTE TRANSACTION....EXCELLENT FILM PLUS CREDIBLE,PLUS AUTHENTIQUE ET MIEUX CONCU QUE CE SOI-DISANT REMAKE:300!!!!IL FAUT DIRE QU'AVEC FRANK MILLER A LA BASE DU SCENARIO,ON NE PEUT QUE S'ATTENDRE A TOUT,SAUF A LA VERITE HISTORIQUE...POUR CEUX QUI AIMENT DE VRAIS FILMS,SANS EFFETS SPECIAUX A OUTRANCE,AVEC DE VRAIES ET BELLES COULEURS,DES DIALOGUES,DES ACTEURS HABITES PAR LEURS ROLES,UNE MUSIQUE DE QUALITE,BREF,POUR CEUX QUI AMENT LE VRAI CINEMA...ACHETER LA BATAILLE DES THERMOPHYLES(The 300 Spartans)..UN SEUL REGRET CEPENDANT/QUE LA VERSION FRANCAISE NE SOIT PAS DISPONIBLE(ET POURQUOI,PUISQUE LORS DE SA SEULE DIFFUSION A LA FIN DES ANNEES SOIXANTE-DIX?ELLE LE FUT EN V.F.,AUX DOSSIERS DE L'ECRAN..NOUS REGRETTERONS DE NE PAS APPRECIER JEAN-CLAUDE MICHEL POST-SYNCHRONISANT RICHARD EGAN)...

muchísimo mejor de lo que esperaba, realmente muy, muy buena película, con una perfecta y realista puesta en escena y, probablemente mas fiel a la historia que "300"