Comments on: 300–The Modern Triumph of the Will http://blacksmythe.com/blog/2007/03/10/300-the-modern-triumph-of-the-will/ The Future is Here Wed, 10 Mar 2010 21:26:42 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Lester Spence http://blacksmythe.com/blog/2007/03/10/300-the-modern-triumph-of-the-will/comment-page-1/#comment-1372 Lester Spence Sun, 01 Apr 2007 13:43:52 +0000 http://blacksmythe.com/blog/2007/03/10/300-the-modern-triumph-of-the-will/#comment-1372 That last question is actually a good one. Damn good boats I guess! I was talking with somebody about this last night. This is the type of movie that, in other circumstances, I'd have been quoting as I was going around smacking fools. And if the action were less numbing I could have at least rolled with the ass-whooping component. As it stands I'll still buy it for the purposes of class dissection. That last question is actually a good one. Damn good boats I guess!

I was talking with somebody about this last night. This is the type of movie that, in other circumstances, I’d have been quoting as I was going around smacking fools. And if the action were less numbing I could have at least rolled with the ass-whooping component. As it stands I’ll still buy it for the purposes of class dissection.

]]> By: Bygbaby http://blacksmythe.com/blog/2007/03/10/300-the-modern-triumph-of-the-will/comment-page-1/#comment-1361 Bygbaby Sun, 01 Apr 2007 06:15:40 +0000 http://blacksmythe.com/blog/2007/03/10/300-the-modern-triumph-of-the-will/#comment-1361 Hi Lester, I agree with your POV on 300, but I love this movie! As a matter of fact I saw it again today on iMax. While watching today, I payed more attention to the overt/underlying themes of supremacy. If I sat down & broke the details down to the metaphysical I probably would get upset with the film in regards to the race & class aspects. One question I found asked myself this time around was how in the hell did they get them huge elephants & rhinoceros there on them boats. Peace, Bygbaby Hi Lester,

I agree with your POV on 300, but I love this movie! As a matter of fact I saw it again today on iMax.

While watching today, I payed more attention to the overt/underlying themes of supremacy. If I sat down & broke the details down to the metaphysical I probably would get upset with the film in regards to the race & class aspects.

One question I found asked myself this time around was how in the hell did they get them huge elephants & rhinoceros there on them boats.

Peace,
Bygbaby

]]> By: Lester Spence http://blacksmythe.com/blog/2007/03/10/300-the-modern-triumph-of-the-will/comment-page-1/#comment-1102 Lester Spence Mon, 19 Mar 2007 03:05:48 +0000 http://blacksmythe.com/blog/2007/03/10/300-the-modern-triumph-of-the-will/#comment-1102 puts a new spin on the girl robin in the dark knight returns. puts a new spin on the girl robin in the dark knight returns.

]]> By: Bryan Alexander http://blacksmythe.com/blog/2007/03/10/300-the-modern-triumph-of-the-will/comment-page-1/#comment-1071 Bryan Alexander Fri, 16 Mar 2007 23:00:14 +0000 http://blacksmythe.com/blog/2007/03/10/300-the-modern-triumph-of-the-will/#comment-1071 I still haven't seen it, but am enjoying your review. Thinking about Miller's comics and the movies, I wonder about the cinema of sexual immaturity. Miller has always had this sword-maiden thing going on, mixed into his balletic violence. It maps neatly onto his fixation on the Greeks-to-Disney equation of internal character with external appearance - the good-looking awesome fighter guys get, and deserve, the warrior chicks. The ugly therefore bad guys complete the triangle of desire. Would be interesting to compare with Spielberg, whose entire career is a description of a childlike fear of sexuality. Spielberg's sexual imagination is of a kid around 8 years old; Miller, a boy around, what, 13? I still haven’t seen it, but am enjoying your review.

Thinking about Miller’s comics and the movies, I wonder about the cinema of sexual immaturity. Miller has always had this sword-maiden thing going on, mixed into his balletic violence. It maps neatly onto his fixation on the Greeks-to-Disney equation of internal character with external appearance – the good-looking awesome fighter guys get, and deserve, the warrior chicks. The ugly therefore bad guys complete the triangle of desire.
Would be interesting to compare with Spielberg, whose entire career is a description of a childlike fear of sexuality. Spielberg’s sexual imagination is of a kid around 8 years old; Miller, a boy around, what, 13?

]]> By: Rob Odell http://blacksmythe.com/blog/2007/03/10/300-the-modern-triumph-of-the-will/comment-page-1/#comment-1029 Rob Odell Tue, 13 Mar 2007 17:25:14 +0000 http://blacksmythe.com/blog/2007/03/10/300-the-modern-triumph-of-the-will/#comment-1029 I couldn't agree more Doc. I thought the movie as movie was a tremendous work of art, a credit to how far the movie industry has been able to integrate cutting edge technology, the thing was like 90% cgi if not more. I was thoroughly entertained. Especially since I'm right in the middle of reading Herodotus' History which is a general treatment of the Greco-Persian War. However the fascist elements were not lost on me at all: eugenics, perfect race as state, outside enemy wishing to degenerate the purity of the nation, xenophobia, homophobia(in ancient Greece of all places!!! Sparta was not free of its own pederasty), etc. the list could go on and on. Compelling movie, certainly raises a lot of questions and thoughts about what the American movie-going public is concerned about. What about a movie like this connects with them, whether they are attracted to the idea's of purity put forth throughout, and what kind of purity are they seeking, or whether it's the honor and glory against all odds aspect, or one of the other numerous themes. I don't know, good movie though. I couldn’t agree more Doc. I thought the movie as movie was a tremendous work of art, a credit to how far the movie industry has been able to integrate cutting edge technology, the thing was like 90% cgi if not more. I was thoroughly entertained. Especially since I’m right in the middle of reading Herodotus’ History which is a general treatment of the Greco-Persian War.

However the fascist elements were not lost on me at all: eugenics, perfect race as state, outside enemy wishing to degenerate the purity of the nation, xenophobia, homophobia(in ancient Greece of all places!!! Sparta was not free of its own pederasty), etc. the list could go on and on.

Compelling movie, certainly raises a lot of questions and thoughts about what the American movie-going public is concerned about. What about a movie like this connects with them, whether they are attracted to the idea’s of purity put forth throughout, and what kind of purity are they seeking, or whether it’s the honor and glory against all odds aspect, or one of the other numerous themes.

I don’t know, good movie though.

]]> By: Lester Spence http://blacksmythe.com/blog/2007/03/10/300-the-modern-triumph-of-the-will/comment-page-1/#comment-1017 Lester Spence Mon, 12 Mar 2007 18:11:13 +0000 http://blacksmythe.com/blog/2007/03/10/300-the-modern-triumph-of-the-will/#comment-1017 Where am I doing this in the posts or the comments? Where am I doing this in the posts or the comments?

]]> By: Cobb http://blacksmythe.com/blog/2007/03/10/300-the-modern-triumph-of-the-will/comment-page-1/#comment-1016 Cobb Mon, 12 Mar 2007 18:01:52 +0000 http://blacksmythe.com/blog/2007/03/10/300-the-modern-triumph-of-the-will/#comment-1016 You're second guessing people whom you presume aren't discerning enough to be non-plussed. You’re second guessing people whom you presume aren’t discerning enough to be non-plussed.

]]> By: Lester Spence http://blacksmythe.com/blog/2007/03/10/300-the-modern-triumph-of-the-will/comment-page-1/#comment-1015 Lester Spence Mon, 12 Mar 2007 17:45:00 +0000 http://blacksmythe.com/blog/2007/03/10/300-the-modern-triumph-of-the-will/#comment-1015 "For some reason..." If you work on the premise that my head isn't twisted...what do you think this reason might be? “For some reason…”

If you work on the premise that my head isn’t twisted…what do you think this reason might be?

]]> By: Cobb http://blacksmythe.com/blog/2007/03/10/300-the-modern-triumph-of-the-will/comment-page-1/#comment-1014 Cobb Mon, 12 Mar 2007 17:30:20 +0000 http://blacksmythe.com/blog/2007/03/10/300-the-modern-triumph-of-the-will/#comment-1014 I continue to be a bit dumbfounded by all the fascination with the good looks of the Spartan soldiers reinscribing itself on the little white aesthetic inside all y'alls colonized heads. I saw great soldiers - in fact, I kept seeing this film being played for Marines. So what I suppose I'm going to have to do is talk about the lessons I saw as most critical to my viewing it as a successful moral tale since for some reason this is rorscharching all wrong in y'all's twisted heads. I continue to be a bit dumbfounded by all the fascination with the good looks of the Spartan soldiers reinscribing itself on the little white aesthetic inside all y’alls colonized heads. I saw great soldiers – in fact, I kept seeing this film being played for Marines.

So what I suppose I’m going to have to do is talk about the lessons I saw as most critical to my viewing it as a successful moral tale since for some reason this is rorscharching all wrong in y’all’s twisted heads.

]]> By: Lester Spence http://blacksmythe.com/blog/2007/03/10/300-the-modern-triumph-of-the-will/comment-page-1/#comment-1012 Lester Spence Mon, 12 Mar 2007 16:10:29 +0000 http://blacksmythe.com/blog/2007/03/10/300-the-modern-triumph-of-the-will/#comment-1012 I'd like to push you on this Ming. Values like honor, truth, and valor, are values that many of us hold dear. But there are clear cases in which these values are used to support political practices we would find abhorrent. Something like The Birth of a Nation has these values in spades, but within a framework of white supremacy. Does the presence of, or the promotion of these values within movies always trump the political framework of the movie itself? I’d like to push you on this Ming. Values like honor, truth, and valor, are values that many of us hold dear. But there are clear cases in which these values are used to support political practices we would find abhorrent. Something like The Birth of a Nation has these values in spades, but within a framework of white supremacy. Does the presence of, or the promotion of these values within movies always trump the political framework of the movie itself?

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