The 300 Spartans (1962)

Plot Outline: Based on the true historical Battle of Thermopalyae, 300 Greek soldiers defend a small mountain pass against the might of the Persian army. They were vastly outnumbered but the Spartans were the best fighters in all of Greece. As the rest of Greece debated on whether or not to send soldiers, the Spartans were left to hold the Persians off on their own - if they failed, then the south of Greece would be open to invasion.

The Review: If you haven't read or studied about Ancient Greece, then you won't know who wins but the story is over 2000 years old so you've probably heard it somewhere. It's not as straightforward as it may seem too! The 300 Spartans is a very accurate account of what happened (of course there are inaccuracies but one must expect that from a film version of a true event) and really gets across the message of bravery and self-sacrifice, especially with the finale. The acting may be as wooden as the fabled horse of Troy but this is the early 60s so I'm not going to bother much about that. I don't look for quality acting in sword-and-sandals flicks like this. I base the reviews on how many swordfights there are, how many battles, etc. As usual the cast look the typical sword and sandals sort so as long as they look the part, I'm not too bothered about what comes out of their mouths. Richard Egan isn't actually that bad as King Leonardis anyway. He's got quite a powerful and demanding voice to suit the role of a King. What really makes this film stand out from other similar films is its explicit use of scope cinematography during the battle scenes so that you can see the battles on a larger scale and get an overall feel of the old tactics and formations used by armies in battle. The huge battle scenes are excellent (almost non-stop about half-way through) for 1962 - despite modern day CGI effects mean that there can be thousands of soldiers on the screen at once, I prefer the old style fighting because I know there are about 100 guys dressed up bashing each other with fake swords! A riveting musical score also adds to the excitement during these moments. I'd love to see this remade (with the recent success of Gladiator, who knows?) because it may not be as famous as it's more famous cousins Ben Hur and Spartacus, but it's just as thrilling.

Final Verdict: The 300 Spartans may be ideal if you're studying Ancient Greece, but if you just fancy watching an old classic flick to waste away a couple of hours, this is the one to watch....if you can get hold of it.

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