So, I went to see 300, again; this time in IMAX. I had two reasons for going. The first is obvious for anyone who has seen the movie. It is a great graphic novel to film adaptation. The stylized cinematography is incredible and fits the character of the novel. But I won’t be discussing this reason here. The second reason I was inclined to see it again is because I continue to hear complaints from the Persian community that this film misrepresents, distorts, caricatures and otherwise tramples upon Persian history and culture. With this second reason in mind, I attempted to watch the film through Persian lenses. I hoped that I might detect within the film the reasons why many are disturbed, angry and upset at this film. In short, I did manage to see what may be offensive to the Persians. I could, of course, be totally wrong. In any event, it was an excellent experiment in attempting to be objective and to step outside one’s own societal and cultural context.

Some of the popular complaints that I hear are that the Persians within the movie are ugly, demonic and utterly fantastic. This, so the argument goes, portrays the Persians of that period as monsters to the viewers. Somehow this picture of fifth century Persians will jump across time and space and cause people today to view modern-day Persians in the same light. Now, whether this is what will happen is difficult to say. All I can offer is my assessment.

In the film there are Persian Immortals and an “uber” Immortal that are by all accounts rather unpleasing to look at. Nevermind the fact that their appearance doesn’t quite match the description given by Herodotus, but I digress. And nevermind the fact that Herodotus may have indeed fallen victim to what I am about to describe, but I digress again. These guys are ugly. Just take my word for it. If I were a Persian and this elite military unit were portrayed in this way I too would be a bit perturbed.

But, think about this for a moment. Think about the Immortals from the perspective of those who had or would very soon be engaged in battle with these military elites. They were a unit who seemingly never died. We know that any member of this unit who was killed or injured would immediately be replaced by another highly skilled warrior. Their ability in battle was perhaps legendary even in that time. Their equipment, however inferior to the Greek’s of that period, was still impressive. Those that had faced the Immortals and lived perhaps told tall tales of their encounter. Word spread and soon there were fantastic accounts of this elite fighting force. From the eyes of a Greek, would they not have thought these things? Would they not have told similar stories?

The Immortals within the film 300 are nothing more than projections or personifications of the Greeks. Instead of the standard Persian Immortal of history (if we can really know who that was, but I digress again) we have a picture on screen of the Immortials within the minds of the Greeks during that period. It is not terribly original, but it does make for an interesting movie when what is in the minds of an opposing army confronts them in the flesh. All the tales of these Immortals were conflations of a imaginative warrior. So, instead of being perturbed, I would, as a Persian, be proud that the battlefield skills of he Immortals where the cause of terror, dread and renown. Maybe this is not something that a Persian today would be proud of? I don’t know, but Immortals were the type of force that would instill these strong emotions in the enemy. And they did this because they proved it.

This explanation settled it for me, but I am not Persian. This is both good and bad. Perhaps because I am not Persian I can be a bit more objective in the assessment. But, because I am not Persian, I cannot see other dimensions of this insult. In the end, I am convinced. This explanation is useful for the character Xerxes in the film as well. Approaching the Persians in the film from the eyes of a conquered nation or one that has experienced their might in battle may be illuminating for the Persians out there.

This leaves only one more general consideration. There is also complaints that the Persians are vilified in the film. On all levels, some claim, the Persians are represented as unsophisticated, conquering savages with no sense of culture, honor and decency. This is quite a bit to extract from a film inspired by a comic book as imagined by its author, but let’s try to sort it out. I think I’ve dealt sufficiently with the savages part above. For the other attributes, I would argue that the Battle of Thermoplyae and stories about it, does not have as its goal the enumeration of all the Persian achievements of the period. Instead, it attempts to communicate a battle between a group of relatively sovereign states and a foreign power intent on acquiring more. I won’t bother to stir the pot and discuss what this nebulous more is. The point is made, I think, without that.

So, if this is true, why are some still upset? It is the romantic in all of us. We all look back fondly at the cultures we are a part of. We praise all of the incredible social, economic and technological advances. The Persians accomplished a great deal in all of these areas. That is without question. What many fail to realize, and this may be where perspective will help illuminate, is that the Persian empire of that period conquered many nations. To presume that fifth century Persia simply annexed territories for itself by mutually beneficial treaties offered at the hand of a benevolent ruler is pure fantasy. Sure, there are cases where the conquered territories were treated with some level of dignity and respect, but what about the others? Look at the history. This period of time was a tumult of violence and, unfortunately, Persia was not immune. The survival of a nation required it. In the final analysis, many failed to remember the complete legacy of the Persian Empire of this period. And no matter how romantically we may look back at the Persian culture in the fifth century, to say nothing of whether it is justified or not, we are confronted with the simple fact that the Persian army traveled across the Mediterranean with the intent to draw the Greeks by forceful coercion into submission and subservience to the Persian Empire. If this is offensive I am sorry, but these are the facts as we know them.

So ends my analysis of the film 300 and the response of the Persian community. Many may still be unconvinced by my brief sketch, but I encourage all to look back at history and while doing so look at it from beyond our respective cultural context. If this is done, I believe that my arguments will not be seen as the opinion of a confused western movie-goer.