This is Sparta: A Historical Analysis of Zack Snyder's Thermopylae

By the time of its release in March 2007, Zack Snyder’s epic retelling of the Spartan stand at Thermopylae had generated considerable excitement among movie-goers due, at least in part, to an extremely effective advertising campaign targeting the same younger male audience that made films like Gladiator and Troy into huge box office triumphs. Although its Box Office performance was an undisputed achievement, the film’s long term success, and subsequently whether or not it warrants association with its popular predecessors, has yet to be determined. Cinematic accomplishments and shortcomings aside, historical accuracy in 300 remains a pertinent concern when evaluating the overall effectiveness of the film. Historical accuracy (or lack thereof) translates into credibility (again, or lack thereof) with knowledgeable and more ignorant audiences alike (a fact at times forgotten by filmmakers), and provides a basis for discerning the sometimes fine line between cinematic portrayals of reality and fantasy. This credibility and distinction between reality and fantasy can elevate a historically based film from the cinematic status of temporary fad to legendary masterpiece.

In evaluating the historical accuracy of 300, one must examine the various aspects of Spartan life presented in the film in addition to its rendition of the Thermopylae battle, beginning with the film’s portrayal of a male Spartan’s youth. According to the History Channel, babies who were considered weak were disposed of at birth, as portrayed in Snyder’s film, and much of the youth of both men and women was spent preparing them to contribute to the mighty Spartan war machine. The History Channel notes, "Spartan boys lived a quasi-military life exclusively designed to prepare them for adulthood as a warrior. Girls were drilled in physical fitness, to make them better equipped to bear healthy Spartans." While this fact does establish some credibility for the film’s opening sequences, its portrayal of Spartan youth goes a bit overboard. In the vast majority of cases, it is unlikely that the development of a Spartan youth was as dramatic or grotesquely violent as that of the 300’s Leonidas.

In addition, the film has rather significant flaws pertaining to Sparta’s governmental system as presented by the History Channel. 300 presents Leonidas as sole king, sharing joint-rule with a powerful senate in a constitutional monarchy of sorts. Sparta, in reality, was governed by two kings who “dominated” a small, twenty-eight member senate of nobles. The triumvirate governed a sharply divided society of Spartan soldier-citizens and serfs, imported from the nearby vassal state of Messenia. This government sharply contrasts with the democratic system in Snyder’s film, in which the senate, comprised of career politicians, appears to have more control over the affairs of state than Leonidas. As a result of this rather substantial inconsistency, much of the film’s concept of fighting for a democratic idea of “freedom” is misinterpreted. Although Spartan warriors, like soldiers of democratic states, understood and embraced the necessity of sacrifice for the greater good, they did not do so to preserve a utopian Spartan democracy in which all citizens, women included, were equal, as portrayed in Snyder’s film. They couldn’t–it did not exist.

Without going into a detailed discussion of 300’s portrayal of the events a Thermopylae, a few key points warrant examination of accuracy for their significance to both history and the movie, respectively. One such point that has affected reviews of the film considerably is its inhuman portrayal of the Persians throughout. As early as the 300’s second sequence (with the dramatic arrival of the grotesquely pierced and crowned-skull bearing emissary), the audience is led to perceive the Persians as a ruthless, domineering, and almost satanic force. The devilish portrayal of the Persians persists throughout the film, with its depictions of the sexually ambiguous “God-King” Xerxes, ghostly “Immortals,” and hellish supplementary forces, including oversized elephants and an overgrown humanoid creature who accompanies the “Immortals” (critic Mike Ward refers to the extras as “a few bloated Dungeons & Dragons-esque heathens”). In addition, 300’s depiction of Xerxes’ court, complete with sexual activity of a lesbian nature and additional members of the “God King’s” freakish entourage, further casts the Persians in an unrealistically abominable light that makes it difficult to take the film seriously.

Snyder’s film is also a bit unrealistic in their portrayal of the Spartans. The History Channel states that typical Spartan military apparel included a bronze breastplate and bronze leggings, neither of which was present in the film, in addition to the horsehair-lined helmet 300’s that the Spartans sport. As for the red cape and black Speedo-looking garment, those appear to be additions of Snyder’s to the Spartan military uniform. In addition, rather than comprising the bulk of a fighting force supplemented by a ragged collection of additional Greeks as depicted in Snyder’s 300, the actual Spartans formed the vanguard of a much larger Greek force of roughly 7,000. While the confederated Greek force was still exceedingly outnumbered by the Persian army of 200,000, 7300 Greek warriors is considerably more than the roughly six hundred depicted by Snyder.

In examining this collection of characteristics that define Snyder’s 300, a critical audience must inevitable come to the conclusion that the film is far more fantasy than reality, to a large extent failing to present an accurate representation of the actual Spartans, Persians, and events at Thermopylae. Perhaps fantasy was Snyder’s intention, a medium through which to convey a message, given the scathing accusations of some critics, reaming the film for its alleged political undertones. But the debate over a political message aside, 300 must be considered something of a disappointment on the grounds of its failure to maintain a level of credibility based on adherence to historical fact. In failing to accurately convey the spectacular nature of the true warriors and events at Thermopylae, 300 condemns itself to status as a temporary cinematic fad, which, like other fads, will be forgotten with time.