MovieChat Forums > The 300 Spartans Discussion > The pass at Thermopylae

The pass at Thermopylae

posted 18 years ago by woolcock
16 replies | jump to latest

This is one of my favourite movies but I have often wondered if the pass where they fought in the movie was portrayed accurately.
The pass was supposed to be only wide enough for two horsedrawn chariots to navigate but in the film it appeared to be more like the side of a hill close to the waters edge. This did not detract from the movie's appeal as it still portrayed just how courageous the Spartans were.
It will be interesting to see how the battle is portrayed in the new '300' movie taken from the graphic novel - with Gerard Butler as Leonidas.

[–] pasnat 18 years ago

I just saw the movie and was wondering the same thing. The pass was allegedly only 14 ft wide at the time, enabling the Spartans to build a wall of shields with a minimal number of men. In the movie, they fought on a small coastal plain.

BTW, I thought the movie was awful. Stiff acting, corny dialogue and overwrought Cold War propaganda. And why were they always showing Xerxes' dancing girls? Maybe he actually did travel with a contingent of showgirls, but their constant intrusion in the movie seemed forced and ridiculous.

Yeah, bad movie.

[–] jstok 18 years ago

<i>BTW, I thought the movie was awful. Stiff acting, corny dialogue and overwrought Cold War propaganda. And why were they always showing Xerxes' dancing girls?</i>

I don't know, because they were well hot?

I don't see "The 300 Spartans" as overwrought Cold War propaganda, unless every ancient epic featuring a battle was cold war propaganda. I didn't notice any problems with the acting, but certainly the characterization was bland and the dialogue stiff. But who cares? Epics are about delivering battles and spectacle, and "The 300 Spartans" has plenty of that.

[–] Mythos_Ruler 18 years ago

It was Cold War propaganda. Notice how Leonidas "purges" the young Spartan because of his father (blacklist, communism). "They died defending our freedoms" etc.

I didn't notice any problems with the acting, but certainly the characterization was bland and the dialogue stiff. But who cares?

You don't think "bland characterization" and "stiff dialogue" are problems? lol

Epics are about delivering battles and spectacle, and "The 300 Spartans" has plenty of that.

I disagree. An Epic is about being a good movie first and foremost.

"The greatest lie God ever pulled was convincing the world he exists."

[–] Agamemnon-T-H-McBastard 18 years ago

Over the past two millenia, the shoreline by the pass has silted up and increased considerably to about 2 kilometres. The producers at the time must not have caught this and thinned out the formation of their Spartans to the long lines seen in the movie (in reality the compact formation they form just before Leonidas bites it was closer to what a phalanx might have looked like - eight men deep at the least) to cover the distance across the plain. The movie itself has quite a few inconsistencies in its portrayal of the Spartans, most notably their helmet style and their armour (their helmets would have been most likely a 'pylos' style, their armour much lighter, possibly linen but probably not the bronze bell cuirass they wear throughout) but it's a nice little movie nonetheless.
300 will kick much ass.

[–] mysakj16 18 years ago

It should be interesting, I have read the comic, and some of the artwork is unique. It is different enough from this movie to be considered completely independent though.

[–] dwconnl 18 years ago

Have you seen it lately? The dancing girls were the only ones in this POS who earned their paychecks.

[–] Megolas80 18 years ago

i've thought about this question before. What i think is that the "Hot Gates" at thermopylae were only two chariots wide, and i think there was fighting beyond the hot gates, so the Greeks would have been fighting near the coast.

[–] kifinas21 18 years ago

as it was depicted in the film,the spartans were actually at a rather disadvantageous position,contrary to what it should have shown. They were heavily outnumbered,thus very weak at open battle. Since i saw the film only to appease my hunger for the forthcoming 300, i wouldnt say i had great expectations, however it was i nice evening watching it. A bit shallow,yet even in the 60's, it still bears the marks of Holywood...

[–] mylesrg 18 years ago

You can't compare the 300 - MTV mindset these days with the more traditional movie-makers of the past. I've always liked this film and will see "300" this weekend with an open mind.

Now, back to the pass: Yes, I understand it was only about 10 feet wide then, which is why the Greeks were able to hold out for 3 days. Today, though, the silt over the centuries has expanded that to a dry plain about 4 kilometers wide; and the highway and the modern day King Leonidas monument are about 3.6 km from the actual battle site in history.

Also,remember, there were hot springs close by -- that's why it was called Thermopylae" (means "hot gates") and 3 sets of ancient, broken down walls or the "gates" about 1-km wide (distance between the 1st gate and the 3rd). On the final morning, the remaining Spartans and Thespians were trapped between (if you were facing the shore, and the Persians were on the right) the middle and the right-most gate.

[–] 18 years ago

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[–] b-pierce 18 years ago

Like some Alamo movies for instance?

[–] 18 years ago

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[–] lbradford47 18 years ago

In 480 BC the pass was 3 meters wide, and the Spartans used this tiny space to stop and slaughter 1000's of Persians. In 1962 film crews were sent back to Thermopylae and the land had changed after 2500 years of weather and and the water receding. The 1962 version did it's best to stay faithful to the historical fact. They filmed on location and found the smallest area in an attempt to recreate the battle. I have high reviews for the old version but will give 300 a lot more slack since it is to entertain, as the 62 film was to inform. I cant imagine what it would be like to fight in the neck of a bottle.

[–] puschit-1 18 years ago

And yet they fought in pen terrain IN FRONT of the stone wall that they fixed a day earlier! Didn't they launch this hilarious sneak attack before the first battle to finish the fortifications? There is no single scene where tehse walls are used as cover.

[–] lbradford47 18 years ago

I have a VHS tape of this film and saw flashing swords high so I backed up the tape and moved it forward frame by frame and discovered that Spartans were on top of the wall and thrusting spears and slashing their swords at the Persians. The action is so fast it is easy to miss with the focus toward the center. I dont know if you can back up a DVD and move it forward frame by frame. I believe the Spartans fought the Persians whenever and wherever possible as long as they had the advantage. I'm convinced they tried to kill Xerxes and have read that only 1 account has been recorded. It really stands to reason that 30 just might catch him since his arrogance toward the Spartans made him believe they were fools. I've seen this film about 60 times and simply love it.

[–] 18 years ago

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