The 300 Spartans

Rating:
Summary: Widescreened at last!
Review: I eagerly look forward to the widescreened version of this under rated film. I was moved by it as a child...and it was one of the reasons I went to Greece. The widescreening should give it the scope and depth it deserves. The music is grand and moving...I was humming it when we drove out to Thermopylae. The cast is very good and they seem to all enjoy themselves. My personal favourite is Barry Coe. Sadly, you cannot photograph the statue of Leonidas without getting the crisscrossing powerlines in the photo! No respect! I hope the widescreening gives the film the dignity it deserves.

Rating:
Summary: 300 Spartans revisited
Review: I first saw this film when I was 12 or 13. At that age I thought it was an action movie and I took it solely for that - it was good with large battle scenes, sword clanging against shield, etc. However, it is a little deeper than that. The film tells the story of King Leonidas of Sparta who took a small cohort of Spartan soldiers to stand at Thermopylae against a huge Persian army. Most of the rest of the Greek city-states declined to send troops because the pass was so far from their territory. Leonidas realized that the pass was the best place to meet the Persians as the narrow space would allow a small force to block a tremendously larger force. The Spartans marched hard to get to the pass before the Persians and then fought like demons when the Persians arrived - actually driving them back and temporarily routing them with some well-planned tactics and ferocious sword play. After several days their position is betrayed and their meager allies killed or put to flight. The Spartans are then surrounded. Their sacred customs do not permit surrender or retreat so they make a suicidal charge at the Persian king. Leonidas falls and the Persians then massacre the remaining Spartans who refuse to give up his body.
Richard Egan is suitably noble and brave as Leonidas. It is obvious that he fears nothing as he wades into battle with spear,sword and shield. One comment is that Leonidas is like his name - that is, like a lion, and he is. The supporting cast is also quite good, including Sir Ralph Richardson as Themistocles (a crafty Athenian politician and statesman) and Diane Baker in an early role. The film is in technicolor or some similar process so the color of the Spartan's cloaks is a brilliant red and there are a lot of other bright colors, perhaps a little bit much considering the gore. What is perhaps most impressive and memorable is the music playing in the background as the Spartans march - it is haunting. As Leonidas says - no army in the world marches faster. The Spartans march for several days with almost no rest and the music slows to mirror their exhaustion - the men look haggard, dirty and unshaven - yet they continue to march. These marching scenes may be the best in the film showing the desperate race to reach Thermopylae before the Persians. At the end of the film there is a flashback to the Spartans marching with the music in the background. A narrator explains that the Greeks went on to defeat the Persians in large part because the Spartans delayed them long enough for an organized defense to be planned - also, perhaps because all of Greece was awed by the remarkable courage and nobility of a small band who sacrifice their lives for their country.
The film has definite defects and the end result could have been better. However, it is still quite good and I find that I like it even better now. While the film takes a few liberties with history, the basic story line is accurate - small group of Spartans under Leonidas hold off huge Persian army at Thermopylae and go down fighting. I have seen the film rated as only one star - I don't know who did this rating but it is off the mark badly - it is easily rates four stars and just missed five.

Rating:
Summary: Spears and Sandals.
Review: I had not seen "The 300 Spartans" since it was first released theatrically in 1962. I seem to recall it was also called "The Lion of Sparta". Being a fan of these "spear and sandal " epics that were so popular at the time, I am very pleased to see titles like this being issued on DVD.
At the same time, "Spartans" is not a great film, although it is certainly colourful and entertaining.

Of course it tells the story of one of the most famous battles of the ancient world--Thermopylae--where King Leonidas of Sparta, and his personal guard of 300 men, held off--at least for a time--the countless hordes of Xerxes of Persia, who was determined to atone for his father, Darius' failure to conquer Greece 10 years earlier. Since they were entrenched in a narrow pass, Leonidas and his men were successful in frustrating Xerxes, until a traitor showed the Persians a secret path around the pass, whereby they could surround and destroy the valiant Spartans. This sacrifice bought the Greek army and navy precious time to unite and ultimately defeat Xerxes.

This film lacks the grandeur ( and budget ? ) of some of the other historical spectacles of the time like Ben Hur and El Cid. It also does not have the cheesy, but enjoyable camp aspects of the Italian "epics" of the day, with Steve Reeves and all those Reeves "wannabes". Richard Egan is Leonidas--while he is not Charlton Heston or Kirk Douglas, he does a credible job of expressing dignity and courage in the face of overwhelming odds. Sir Ralph Richardson is the wily Athenian politician, Themistocles--his voice alone commands your attention. Veteran British actor, David Farrar, chews up the scenery as Xerxes, bellowing orders, threatening fates-worse-than-death and--like any other despot in these types of films--ogling the dancing girls ! As his Commander-in-Chief, Donald Houston looks not at all comfortable in Persian warrior garb, taking constant flak from his increasingly impatient boss ! There is a weak romantic sub-plot that, frankly, gets in the way. The young lovers are played by Diane Baker and Barry Coe--Ms. Baker is fine--as for Mr. Coe, you can see why "superstardom" was not in his future !

The battle scenes are well-staged, although younger viewers--used to the digital wizardry in current movies--may find them quaint.

I see that another viewer has covered the technical aspects of the DVD better than I ever could--I will just say that I found the colourful, wide-screen picture to be excellent for a 40-year old film. Extras are sparse--a couple of trailers, TV promos, and trailers for three other Fox historical films.

Is it a coincidence that this DVD is being released at the same time as that new spectacle about ancient Greece, "Troy" ? I doubt it--but this is good news. While I could not give it 5 stars, "The 300 Spartans" and similar movies of its vintage, deserve to be resurrected, cleaned up and made available on DVD. The price is also attractive. Parents--there is nothing in this film that is inappropriate for children, and if it kindles their interest in history, that really is an "extra" !

Rating:
Summary: Spears and Sandals.
Review: I had not seen "The 300 Spartans" since it was first released theatrically in 1962. I seem to recall it was also called "The Lion of Sparta". Being a fan of these "spear and sandal " epics that were so popular at the time, I am very pleased to see titles like this being issued on DVD.
At the same time, "Spartans" is not a great film, although it is certainly colourful and entertaining.

Of course it tells the story of one of the most famous battles of the ancient world--Thermopylae--where King Leonidas of Sparta, and his personal guard of 300 men, held off--at least for a time--the countless hordes of Xerxes of Persia, who was determined to atone for his father, Darius' failure to conquer Greece 10 years earlier. Since they were entrenched in a narrow pass, Leonidas and his men were successful in frustrating Xerxes, until a traitor showed the Persians a secret path around the pass, whereby they could surround and destroy the valiant Spartans. This sacrifice bought the Greek army and navy precious time to unite and ultimately defeat Xerxes.

This film lacks the grandeur ( and budget ? ) of some of the other historical spectacles of the time like Ben Hur and El Cid. It also does not have the cheesy, but enjoyable camp aspects of the Italian "epics" of the day, with Steve Reeves and all those Reeves "wannabes". Richard Egan is Leonidas--while he is not Charlton Heston or Kirk Douglas, he does a credible job of expressing dignity and courage in the face of overwhelming odds. Sir Ralph Richardson is the wily Athenian politician, Themistocles--his voice alone commands your attention. Veteran British actor, David Farrar, chews up the scenery as Xerxes, bellowing orders, threatening fates-worse-than-death and--like any other despot in these types of films--ogling the dancing girls ! As his Commander-in-Chief, Donald Houston looks not at all comfortable in Persian warrior garb, taking constant flak from his increasingly impatient boss ! There is a weak romantic sub-plot that, frankly, gets in the way. The young lovers are played by Diane Baker and Barry Coe--Ms. Baker is fine--as for Mr. Coe, you can see why "superstardom" was not in his future !

The battle scenes are well-staged, although younger viewers--used to the digital wizardry in current movies--may find them quaint.

I see that another viewer has covered the technical aspects of the DVD better than I ever could--I will just say that I found the colourful, wide-screen picture to be excellent for a 40-year old film. Extras are sparse--a couple of trailers, TV promos, and trailers for three other Fox historical films.

Is it a coincidence that this DVD is being released at the same time as that new spectacle about ancient Greece, "Troy" ? I doubt it--but this is good news. While I could not give it 5 stars, "The 300 Spartans" and similar movies of its vintage, deserve to be resurrected, cleaned up and made available on DVD. The price is also attractive. Parents--there is nothing in this film that is inappropriate for children, and if it kindles their interest in history, that really is an "extra" !

Rating:
Summary: Old after-school favourite finally on DVD -- done up right!
Review: I have fond memories of seeing this movie often in my youth, back in the days when a character called Barry Lillis used to host WGRZ Buffalo's after-school "Money Movie". They used to devote a whole week at a time to the genre along with other classic sword'n'sandal epics like the Steve Reeves flicks, etc. While the historical accuracy of some of these movies may be questionable, I have to say they really opened up my young eyes to ancient history and sparked an interest which has stayed with me to this day.

Now watching this movie again for the first time in 25 years or so, like many other reviewers here it isn't quite as wonderful as I remembered. But compared to other Italian-made B-movie epics of the time, I would say this production with American, British, French and Greek involvement is still a cut above.

Richard Egan makes a decent Leonidas (--OK maybe a bit wooden, but hey it's a B-movie, right?), and keeps the film firmly anchored. But I did find the Shakespearean thespian British accents of some of the other actors made some of these ancient Greeks and Persians seem more like genteel English gentlemen to me (--in particular the actor playing Xerxes, whose blue eyes didn't help his believability either.) And then of course the filmmakers had to go and throw in a sappy love story that doesn't really serve any purpose.

Well, what can I say? If you go into this expecting a "Gladiator" or even a "Ben Hur", you'll probably be disappointed. But if you take it for what it is -- a typical early 60's grade-B sword'n'sandal flick -- you'll find it's a damned good one at that. Probably that's why there are so many of us who, even recognizing that the film is very much of its era and does have its shortcomings, are still so glad to finally have it available on DVD to own and watch anytime.

As for the DVD itself, they have done a beau~tiful job restoring the colours and it really looks great. And best of all the film is presented in wide-screen format, which is not done often enough in DVD releases of this type of movie. Don't expect too much in the way of extras (the English and Spanish trailers plus a few old B & W TV spots), but for me having this movie so respectfully restored and released in widescreen is reason enough to be happy.

I don't know....say what you will, but even though they're cheesy and dated, somehow I still think I'd rather watch one of these old sword'n'sandal type movies starring a Steve Reeves or a Richard Egan instead of one of today's big-budget, over-hyped "blockbusters" starring the latest overpaid "hot stars" of the day like Brad Pitt or Orlando Bloom. Somehow they seem to have more of a soul to them.

Geez, I must be gettin' old huh....? ;)

Rating:
Summary: WHERE IS THIS DVD??????????
Review: I have searched for months and apparently it is only available through private sellers on E-BAY. I contacted Fox Home Entertainment (the company that allegedly own the rights to the film)and their representative denied that the film has been released on DVD, nor were there plans to release it in the near future. It is a great film...but hey Amazon, are you advertising bootleg DVD's???????????

Rating:
Summary: On DVD at Last!
Review: I have waited for years for this great movie to be released. You've not be able to buy it on VHS, not to mention DVD. Depicting the Battle of Thermopylae, one of the greatest "last stands" in military history, 300 Spartans face the overwhelming army of Xerxes. In actual history, the pass at Thermopylae was smaller than in the movie but the number of Persians were greater, some estimates placing the Persian army at over 2.5 million men. There were more than 300 Greeks as well but true to the movie, the 300 Spartans bore the brunt of the attack. It's a great flick where love of country and honor are the only agendas of the day. Now if they'd just release The Charge of the Light Brigade (Errol Flynn version)!

Rating:
Summary: If I must wait 4 months, it had better be WS!!
Review: I haven't seen this film in about 15 years. It is the epic story of the ancient Greeks attempt to hold the mountain pass at Thermopylae vs, at least, one hundred thousand Persians. There were more than 300 spartans there, I believe about 3000 total soldiers from various Greek states made up the force lead by the Spartans. This is sort of the Greek version of "The Alamo". Of coarse, the DVD has yet to be released. But here's what I remember;
-Not what most would consider a great film, but it tells the story of the battle without being insulting.
-If you like great acting, forget it. The acting is adequate.
-You think the Persians (Iranians plus troops from various conquered nations) are being slighted concerning their fighting skills(typical hollywood bias) but the Greeks had many advantages over their arch rivals. It's pretty realistic.
-About 3 quarters of the film concerns the actual battle and manuevers made. You'd better like sword-play action.
-The film, overall, is done well. It is in epic scale.
-This is one of 2 films I can recall concerning ancient Greek history.
-The other is "Alexander the Great" which also has not been released for about 15 years (VHS).

If they release this in PS version I will be seriously angry. I have never viewed this movie in it's natural format. This film hasn't been out in VHS, let alone DVD. 15 years of wait, I hope they get it right. (I gave it 3 stars pending the quality of the release. All things concidered, I'd give it at least 4 stars)

Rating:
Summary: Another "peplum" (sward and sandal) epic of the era
Review: I saw the film in 1962, the era of italian "sword and sandals" epics, this was a little better than usual, mainly for his American participation, they say Greece helped on the stagin of the battle. in cinemascope was OK. for children matinee.
The acting is bad and the dubbing is worst.But those films had their charm, and it remains today.

Rating:
Summary: WE are 300 Spartans, We are men of the King
Review: I saw this film as a kid and I surprised that most reviews don't mention the great music. I memorized the theme music and used to sing to it

WE ARE 300 Spartans!
We are men of the king!
Onward men to the battle!
To Death, To Death or Victory!
Go and tell the Spartans!
You who do pass by!
That here obedient to our laws
We lie, we lie for all eternity!

WE ARE 300 Spartans!
We are men of the king!
Onward men to the battle!
To Death, To Death or Victory!

I remember that some old time travel TV show used outakes from this film. This is an imperfect film, almost childish I know but it was a great family film about a thrilling theme.

A little bit of Leonidas is with all of us today. He was simply one of the greatest heroes of all time. This is a fun film. Along with JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS this was one of my favorite films of my boyhood. Today I realize Spartacus is better but as a kid I liked 300 Spartans more. The basic story is so dramatic and so courageous that the hokey parts are forgiven and forgotten. After all this is just a movie. Enjoyable it is -and that's what movies are for. If it also sparks interest in Greek heritage and history so much the better.