300 Trailer is up!

[Edward Appleby]

Originally Posted by Arethusa

Way to ignore absolutely everything I said about historical fiction. And if you want to talk about capturing absolutely anything about Sparta, this is not it.
It's premature to judge based on the trailer alone.

I can understand why people get irritated by a film that's inaccurate but touted as historical in nature. However, why does every movie set in the past have to be judged based on its faithfulness? Why can't it just be a good or bad story, regardless of the history?

 

[skalogre]

Originally Posted by Edward Appleby

It's premature to judge based on the trailer alone. I can understand why people get irritated by a film that's inaccurate but touted as historical in nature. However, why does every movie set in the past have to be judged based on its faithfulness? Why can't it just be a good or bad story, regardless of the history?
http://www.styleforum.net/showpost.p...10&postcount=6 While a great number of people here are probably relatively knowledgeable, the majority of people will have no damn idea about the background and events - especially the comtemporary reports and the archaelogical evidence. So, for non-SF people, yes we Greeks can fly through the air during battles. That was our secret weapon actually; imagine a whole phalanx doing that simultaneously

Even later on, that is how we defeated the Italians in WW2 - there were special divisions in the Albanian mountains that had a special d10 +5 special flying attack! Damn fascists never knew what hit them

. .. ... (wow, this Cuvee Angelique ale is working!)

 

[Tokyo Slim]

Originally Posted by skalogre

So, for non-SF people, yes we Greeks can fly through the air during battles. That was our secret weapon actually; imagine a whole phalanx doing that simultaneously

)


Plus there's that whole Greek Fire thing. That was pretty badass too.

 

[skalogre]

Originally Posted by Tokyo Slim

Plus there's that whole Greek Fire thing. That was pretty badass too.

Funnily enough that was used quite a bit by the Byzantine navy. Talk of being ahead of the times.

 

[Ramses]

Originally Posted by Arethusa

The Promise. I heard about it, but I never got around to seeing it. Seven Swords put me off wuxia for a long time. Hell, it ******* nearly put me off movies for good.


It is good, the Story is lackluster but it is so darn beautiful to look at.

 

[Aaron]

Originally Posted by Edward Appleby

I can understand why people get irritated by a film that's inaccurate but touted as historical in nature. However, why does every movie set in the past have to be judged based on its faithfulness? Why can't it just be a good or bad story, regardless of the history?
Exactly, it just looks like a stylish adaptation of what already is a graphic novel. One also has to remember that rarely do direct adpatations of books or events make for interesting, and entertaining, movies. A.

 

[gorgekko]

On one hand, Michael Bay. On the other, Spartans fighting. Sigh, I'll be Hollywood's ***** and see it.

I was really hoping they would make Gates of Fire into a movie...it's been optioned for years now. I was talking to Steven Pressfield a few years ago and he has no clue if it will ever be turned into a movie.

 

[The Swede]

Few stood against many? Heresy! Conan will hunt you down and smite you verily for steeling his prayer to Crom... Sure he probably stole it himself but c'mon he's Conan, who's going to object?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_3eX...elated&search=

 

[skalogre]

Originally Posted by The Swede

Few stood against many? Heresy! Conan will hunt you down and smite you verily for steeling his prayer to Crom... Sure he probably stole it himself but c'mon he's Conan, who's going to object? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_3eX...elated&search=
For some reason I pictured Conan O'Brien instead of The Governator. Now that would be something

. I am surprised he has not yet done a sketch with him as Conan The Barbarian (maybe his pallor would make the cameras explode

).

 

[chrysalid]

Originally Posted by Aaron

Exactly, it just looks like a stylish adaptation of what already is a graphic novel. One also has to remember that rarely do direct adpatations of books or events make for interesting, and entertaining, movies.

A.

(300 doesn't appear to be directed by michael bay, unless i've missed something http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0416449/ )

I wasn't particularly bothered, from a nationalists point of view, by king arthur http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0349683/, though i know that the KA legend has practically zero viable historical evidence. u-571 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0141926/ , though, showed a pretty flagrant disregard for recent history. lying bastards.

anyway, because of time constraints there are very few direct adaptations, of the sort that i think you are referring to, out there. i disagree though that they rarely make interesting and entertaning movies, the most glaring example being sin city, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0401792/ . for those who have not seen it this film is adapted from a graphic novel by frank miller, just like 300, but it is co-directed by miller himself and by the experienced robert rodriguez. they appear to have taken the pages of the graphic novel and used them as the direct stroyboard from which to film the movie. there is not one bit of dialogue in the film that is not in the book, every shot in the film has a corresponding as-near-to-indentical-as-possible frame in the book, down to angle, composition and colour. i don't believe that this has ever been done before, at least not on this scale, and rodriguez had an uphill struggle with hollywood to be allowed to achieve it. the result, though not perfect (comic book dialogue is a little clunky in film for instance), is far superior to pretty much any comic book adaptation i can think of (from hell, the league of extraordinary gentleman, hellboy, spawn, the punisher, the x-men, the flash, mirrormask etc etc) both in quality of film, and depth of interest.

likewise, a film i have seen recently that is as un-embellished an account as possible of actual events is united 93, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0475276/ , though the exact actions of the passangers is unavoidably speculative, everything around this is as exact as possible, down to actual people that were a part of the tragedy playing thmeselves, or at least directly contributing to the film-making process. it is lucky (if you'll excuse the turn of phrase) that this window of time in history lasted about the same amount of time as the average film runs, allowing the events in the film to be played out in near eral time. But even beyond this, greengrass's strict adherence to direct adaptation, or raw realism, made an incredibly interesting and entertaining (maybe entertaining is the wrong word, compelling? harrowing? visceral?) piece.

have you an example of a direct adaptation, either of history or fiction, that is neither entertaining nor interesting? i am not challenging, merely curious.

 

[koobalicious]

i saw the trailer in front of The Departed and am totally intrigued. looks very slick. i am a HUGE fan of Rome on HBO and it made me think of that kind of grittiness, but multiplied and stylized a few times over, of course. when's the release date?

 

[lawyerdad]

Originally Posted by LabelKing

The Spartans were, well, too Spartan for my liking.

Johann Winkelmann of course, praised the Spartans but he was in it like von Gloeden was in it for the Italian country--the boys.
"Jimmy, do you like gladiator movies?"

 

[Etienne]

Originally Posted by skalogre

in the Hellenic world people still know of the battle, the monument to the Spartans and Thespians who fought the Persians still stands, and many people (myself included) even know the monument's inscription by heart

. But that ties in to many other things including national consciousness, identity and old grudges that are difficult to explain (and are not really understood anyway).
I am not Hellenic by any stretch, but I can relate to that. It might be a by-product of my family being overly oriented towards history, but I also know the inscription by heart. Back when I was 10, my father was able to taunt me in doing some physical feat by calling me a "phocian". He would also routinely give me examples from the Spartan propaganda of the time to teach me lessons (telling me to think of the Spartan kids washing themselves in the Erotras so that I would not complain about water temperature when washing in the morning, that kind of things).

I'll still enjoy the film, including the incredible visual of that shaved Xerxes (a shaved King of Kings?) surrounded by what appears to be Assyrian lions on some sort of Egyptian royal mount. I'll just make sure I leave my brain behind before getting in the theater.

 

[Englandmj7]

I am very much looking forward to seeing it but was really hoping for a more realistic epic (or something at least along the lines of "Troy" or "Braveheart").....the battle of Thermopylae always intrigued me, as does Spartan culture in general. This should be good, but I am a little upset they are incorporating what are seemingly orcs/deformed creatures (as seen in the trailer) instead of making it somewhat accurate. One of my favorite books:

I wish they would make it into a movie....fascinating read for those interested.

I was really hoping they would make Gates of Fire into a movie...it's been optioned for years now. I was talking to Steven Pressfield a few years ago and he has no clue if it will ever be turned into a movie.

Edit: He heh, I didn't realize you mentioned this! I am certainly in agreement. There is some info. on Pressfield's site:

http://www.stevenpressfield.com/content/faq.asp

 

[whnay.]

New trailer is up...cannot wait to see this.

http://www.apple.com/trailers/wb/300/trailer2/