Military Movie Review: 300 - A Spartan Way to Increase Enlistment


By Karl Abrams

Last month I went to see that new blockbuster, megamillion dollar film, 300. You know, that weird and bloody, mindlessly violent and historically inaccurate Warner Brother’s film about the ancient Spartans fighting a million Persians at the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC.


Aside from generally liking films on ancient history, I wanted to see the extent to which the film was being used as a vehicle for boosting military enlistment and preparing the public for a war with Iran. I was not surprised by the continual cheering of excited male teenagers during the film, although it was kind of scary. Has the Department of Defense helped to make another war-loving film again?

The “military” has been censoring and interfering, in one form or another, with film production for some time now. Created in 1948, the Defense Department’s Film Liaison Office was created as a part of the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs.

Then and now, its obvious purpose was to boost “recruitment and retention programs” by presenting the military favorably enough so that a military career would be more attractive to our potential young recruits. More recently, the CIA, the Air Force and the Department of Homeland Security maintain their own separate but interrelated Hollywood offices.

Basically these offices all work the same way. If a film company complies with Pentagon purposes, they will be rewarded with Pentagon ships, boats and other expensive military equipment to enhance the film’s authenticity and greatly reduce, by many millions, the cost of film production. If not, the film soars in price and must be filmed in other countries. The Pentagon may then pressure those countries into being non-cooperative as possible.

Let us not forget the now famous 2001 meeting at a posh hotel in Beverly Hills between Bush’s chief political advisor Karl Rove and the forty top Hollywood executives and their billionaire bosses who control the film and TV industries. They were told in great detail what the rules are to combat terrorism. Basically they were asked to show films which portray aggressive and militant US policy in the Middle East as favorably as possible.

The Pentagon’s system works. Rambo-like and Top Gun-like films often boost recruitment levels two or threefold. Military recruitment booths were even established in many theatres when Top Gun was being screened to accommodate the long lines of patriotic kids wanting to join up.

I’m sure that the State Department is quite pleased that record crowds have been going to see 300 depicting the famous last stand of 300 Spartan Warriors--all buff and strangely without chest hair-- as they bravely battle against an invading Persian army of a million mercilessly marauding warriors. With a possible US war on Iran looming over the Pentagon horizon, it’s no wonder that young crowds are filling the theatres.
We know that our youth in general and the Marines in particular see an emotional connection between the current war in Iraq and the outnumbered Spartans fighting to the death. The Spartan king, like our President, declared on several occasions in the film that their most important goal was centered around the Defense of freedom.

According to the L.A. Times (3/14/07), thousand of Marines have already seen the film at local theatres near Camp Pendleton in Oceanside. After all, the battle story itself is on the Pendleton Marine Corps Commandant’s recommended reading list for all officers and enlistees. Many administration officials like Vice President Dick Cheney are excited about the film even though a prominent New York Times critic wrote that the movie “is about as violent as ‘Apocalypto’ and twice as stupid.”

Although the film is historically inaccurate and does not follow ancient descriptions of the battle, it’s totally based on a comic book (graphic-novel) by Frank Miller depicting imaginary mutant-rhinoceroses, giant attack elephants and evil terrorist hoards commanded by a frustrated 8 foot unbearded King Xerxes. By the way, Miller is presently working on another novel about the mighty and patriotic Batman defending our freedoms against the slightly more modern al-Qaida hordes.

One gets the idea early on in the film that the Spartan soon-to-be martyred defenders are the undisputed heroes in the ongoing fight for the survival of free people everywhere.

This was right about then when the film got spooky. Parallels to the policies and attitudes of our current administration’s war mongering in Iraq, Afghanistan started piling up as fast as hacked up Persian invaders. Before going into a new battle, Spartans cried out again and again in unison, the same rhythmic hoots that US Marines are most famous for.

When the Spartan King Leonidas is asked to surrender his men, he follows with a “Come and take them” like Bush’s famous “bring’em on” battle cry. “Freedom is not free,” says the wife of King Leonidas. The teenage crowd cheers again approvingly.

Historically, the Spartan code has become a major part of the Marine Corps culture.

The film has actually been banned in Iran. It is no wonder. Many in Iran see the film as a way to ready America and its hero worshipping youth for an Iranian invasion by increasing the number of patriotic and glory-seeking enlistees. Are the Iranians also aware of the under-the-radar connections between Hollywood and the Pentagon?

Iranian officials see the movie as no less than Hollywood’s declaration of war on Iranians.

Sylvester Stallone has reportedly been considering using his Rambo character in a new film in which he will skydive into Afghanistan to fight the Taliban terrorists. I am sure the film will get all the latest and greatest military equipment quickly and freely supplied.

If you want to find out more about how the military influences Hollywood, check out the 2004 book by David Robb entitled Operation Hollywood: How the Pentagon shapes and censors the movies.

Posted: Tue - May 1, 2007 at 07:32 AM          

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