What Went Right: 300
By Shalimar Sahota
March 5, 2012
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Before Snyder had even shot his remake of Dawn of the Dead, he and producer Gianni Nunnari met with Warner Bros with the intention of adapting 300. However, Warner’s focus was currently on Troy, which they were about to go and shoot. The wait could be seen as a blessing, for it had also been over a decade since Frank Miller had last worked on a film and he was reluctant to hand anyone the rights to his work. What convinced him was Robert Rodriguez’s test sequence for Sin City, which proved to Miller that his work could make a successful translation to screen. When released in April 2005, it also helped that Sin City was a hit.
300 tells the story of the Battle of Thermopylae. King Leonidas of Sparta (Gerard Butler) is dutifully informed by a messenger that Sparta stands to be completely annihilated unless they submit to the will of King Xerxes of Persia (Rodrigo Santoro). Leonidas declines and instead gathers 300 of his best soldiers to fight Xerxes and his approaching Persian army of thousands.
The film is narrated by one of the soldiers, Dilios (David Wenham) and as such it is subjective. The visual look of 300 enhances the mythical nature of the story, in that this is not a history lesson, this is not a reality that we know; instead it is more a fantastical retelling, the kind of film you wish they put on the school curriculum. In fact, the overall look of the film is probably one of the most important factors contributing to its success.
Snyder was intent on capturing the images as close (if not exactly) as seen in the graphic novel, so took Robert Rodriguez’s approach and shot 300 on a digital backlot. Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow and Sin City were the only other US productions that had previously adapted the same technique and attained wide release. It’s interesting that Miller’s adaptations have proven to be big successes, for whereas Sky Captain was offering outdated thrills, Sin City and 300 offered R-rated excitement, with the marketing for 300 specifically targeting young men that had a thing for comics, video games, sex and violence.
If people didn’t know of Miller’s graphic novel, then they at least ought to have been aware of the Battle of Thermopylae. Had they failed history, then just the look of the film was probably enough to sway them into paying for their tickets. Since the turn of the millennium, special effects are now so prevalent that it has become much harder to be truly wowed by what we see on screen. Anyone can add CGI to a film, but understanding the technology and using it effectively is down to the skills of the director and his crew. In 300, the style is so overt that the film is practically saying, “Let’s see you find a condom for this.”
Picking up on the story and imagining how 300 will turn out, it’s typical to think back to what we’ve seen before, so we instantly expect something bright and golden, almost akin to Troy or Gladiator. Instead the film looks highly unnatural, yet with its muted colours and stark reds it’s incredibly striking. Production designer Jim Bissell explains how this was achieved, saying, “We basically crush the blacks, highlight the whites and amp up the contrast in the mid-range.”
For Snyder, the look of 300 played a big part, as he wanted the film to “look like something that is not commonplace in cinema. You go to the movies because you want an experience that’s different from what you do everyday. You want to be taken to a place that’s different. For me, that’s what we’ve been trying to do with 300 in every aspect.”
Audiences have been witness to people committing acts of violence to each other countless number of times on the big screen. So with 300, the aim was to make the sight of aimless nobodies being stabbed by a spear look unique and different. Before production, Warner did try to persuade Snyder to shoot the film with a PG-13 rating in mind. Thankfully, Snyder persuaded them that it had to be R-rated, for when it came to the battle sequences themselves the film delivered action and violence that was over-the-top and hyper stylized to the point of absurdity. “There’s a sort of surrealness to it,” said Snyder, “and I did that on purpose. The blood’s part of the painting. If you want more red, you just got to hack another guy open and get some over there.”
300 unashamedly glorifies its violence, half expecting us to cheer the Spartans on when they slice a Persian’s leg off (something that actually took place during a few screenings), and with the overuse of slow motion we can "appreciate" it just that little bit more. As the camera circles around the action, one could even argue that the sight of a Spartan solider in combat actually looks quite beautiful. Plus, it cannot be denied that it also glorifies the strength, courage and determination of a group of men who will stand up and fight for what is right, even if it leads to their death.
The film cast the likes of Butler, Lena Headey, Wenham, Dominic West and Michael Fassbender. Butler was probably the most well known, but at that point you couldn’t really call any of them stars. While this helped keep the cost of the production down, the brilliance here was that they all happened to be great actors. The male cast members were put through an intense training regime to build up their bodies (bizarrely, Snyder also trained with his cast). The backgrounds may not be real, but for audiences, you can totally believe that these "actors" can kill just about anyone or anything.
Rather than build up to one long drawn out battle sequence, 300 instead delivered multiple battles. When most critics describe a film as "like a video game," it’s often detrimental to the film they’re talking about, which makes me wonder what kind of games critics have been playing, if any. Those that didn’t like the film obviously placed the same comments upon 300 - except it doesn’t just look like a video game, it plays like one too. And I mean this as a compliment.
Anyone who has been playing games since the 8-bit days will have experienced the side scrolling beat-em-up or platform adventure. Obviously there have been advancements since Double Dragon, yet even in some of today’s games the core remains the same; as the story progresses, the levels, battles and enemies become much harder. In an effort to accomplish their goal, the good guys end up injured and in some cases lives have been lost. Interestingly, this has become something of staple in all of Snyder’s films (less so in Watchmen, but it is there). At the time, any male who has vigorously waggled a joystick would be drawn to 300, even on a subconscious level.
What did Miller make of the film? After co-directing Sin City, he described in an interview with Esquire magazine how not being able to direct 300 was “painful,” saying, “I wanted to take Zack out back, beat him senseless, and take his job. Then I saw him do what he was doing and realized that I wasn't ready yet.” Miller was on board with the film, credited as an executive producer. “There are some differences,” he said, “but they are negligible. It really is my comic book come to life.”
Snyder cited how the Internet “really helped” when it came to spreading awareness and hyping the film. After a specifically created trailer was shown at the San Diego Comic Con in July 2006, the buzz began to spread to online movie sites. A couple of months later, a poor quality version of this trailer also managed to make its way online only to be quickly removed by Warner.
Nevertheless, the reaction was positive. The official trailers were brilliant, incorporating Nine Inch Nails’ Just Like You Imagined and featured Butler as King Leonidas screaming words of encouragement to his men. When watching them, there was a feeling that he wasn’t just speaking to his men, but to potential audiences. Hearing phrases like, “This is where we fight, this is where they die, take from them everything,” it’s as if he’s getting the audience ready for battle, pumping them up into believing that this film is the main event they’ve been waiting to see. It also upped the stakes by adding the tagline, “They were 300 men… against a million.” TV spots began airing in the US around two months before its eventual release, with some extended to a minute long.
Filming on blue screen helped bring the cost down, with the production budget at $65 million. 300 opened in the US on March 9, 2007. Warner Bros was expecting the film to open somewhere between $35 million - $40 million. It earned a staggering $70.8 million on its opening weekend, making more money than the rest of the films in the top ten combined. At the time it was the third largest opening for an R-rated movie, behind The Matrix Reloaded and The Passion of the Christ. Upon hearing how much the film had earned in three days, Snyder said, “It seemed like a mistake, an accounting error.” Though reviews from critics were mixed, it didn’t stop teenage boys (and men who still think they’re teenage boys) from heading to the multiplex.
When asked on why people flocked to the film, Snyder said, “At home, they’ve got a 50-inch plasma, surround sound, so really why go out? To me, I wanted to say: 'This is different. Look at this.' Whether or not it’s completely original is debatable, but there are pictures in the movie that you haven’t seen.” 300 stayed in the US top ten for six weeks and finished its run with $210.6 million. It also proved to be a monster success overseas, earning $245.4 million. A worldwide total of $456 million meant that Warners wanted a follow-up.
A year after its release, producer Nunnari revealed that a possible sequel or prequel to 300 was in the works. It turns out that Miller is working on a follow-up to his graphic novel, titled 300: Battle of Artemisia, with Warners already in the process of pre-production. Noam Murro is currently attached to direct.
The immortal line, “This is Sparta!” has been spoofed on numerous occasions, even by Butler himself; while the film has resulted in its own parody, Meet the Spartans. There have also been few somewhat similarly inspired imitators, as Warners went to work on that Clash of the Titans remake and Nunnari helped finance Immortals.
After watching that teaser trailer, I initially wasn’t that keen on 300. It looked like a violent macho spectacle with no redeeming features. But as the marketing continued, the overwhelming odds and the determination of the 300 began to seep through. I viewed the film on its opening day and found it to be absolutely nuts. Seeing it again five years later, I still think it is, but given the insane story that’s being narrated to us, I also see it as more of as a man’s man’s fairy tale.
So where’s the deep intellectual message? 300 is clearly not a masterpiece by any means, but it does what it sets out to do, succeeding as grandiose nonsense delivering an act of courage defined by violent battles. Sometimes that’s enough to interest audiences and keep them satisfied, but it helps when some effort has gone into making it look as visually spectacular as it possibly can be.