Posted By )3az )3aziah on 24 May 2010 08:01 PM
Posted By RYAN'S BASTARD SON on 23 May 2010 09:11 AM
Actually I meant I liked the version of events depicted better than the movie "300".
I have never read "300".
So do I.
The 300 is a work of Fantasy Fiction where as Gates of Fire is Fiction based on fact.
At least in "Gates of Fire" the author keeps to historical fact where as in 300 the writer/artist goes totally out field and has the Persians have Giant Rhinos, Ogres and/or other mythical creatures in there ranks.
I dislike 300 for this very reason.
Have you read any of the following::
The Spartans by Paul Cartledge
The Greco-Persian Wars by Peter Green
The Year of Thermopylae by Ernie Bradford
All are excellent books on the Greek/Persian Wars
I agree with you on many levels and thank you for the books you have listed.
I have not ready any of them yet btw!
Ihave but one dissagreement,I love 300 because even though it leaves out the 4000 Greeks who fought with the Spartans,has the Spartans going in first instead of the Plateans,and has them not using the phalanx correctly against the Immortals,it still essentially is a very true story.
Did You know that every one liner from Leonidas (Gerard Butler) and Dienekes(Helios) is historically accurate.(According to Herodotus)
The commanding performance of Gerard Butler as Leonidas.the incredible fight scenes,the witty dialogue,the sad soundtrack,and the heartbreaking reality of the story makes 300 my favorite movie.
The one thing that did piss me off very much was the lack of armor the Spartans wore into battle.
The Spartans were covered from head to toe almost in Bronze armor at the real battle of Thermopylae.
They wore breast plates,they were not bare chested.
Also Leonidas and the officers wore a red transverse Crest on their helmets,while all the Spartiates/Knights wore black front to back horeshair crests on their helmets like the one Leonidas had in 300.
I do believe Gates of Fire would make a far superior movie than 300.