300 (spoilers)

[muscadine]

We saw 300 on DVD last night. I'm not sure what to make of it. As novelized history, and I hesitate to use the term, it is clearly more fiction than history. It was too preachy to just be an action flick. On the surface some of the ideology seems nice enough, but ends up pretty disturbing:

The Good                             The Other
freedom                              tyranny
underdogs                            overwhelming force
reason                               corrupt religion and ...mysticism?
white                                non-white
eugenics                             physical abnormality/alteration (unless produced in battle)
chiseled pecs/abs                    chiseled pecs/abs with lipstick, eye makeup, and jewelry
your wife taking it from behind o_o  your boy lover taking it from behind
self-discipline                      sensuality
soldiers                             pretty much any other profession, but especially:
                                     priests, politicians

The first three might be a potential starting point for an ironic critique of US/Christian empire, or even a healthy critique of fundamentalist Islam. The latter chance is ruined by a blatant racism and exoticism. The former possibility is also belied by these elements -- despite the subversive possibility that we might actually be an overwhelming force imposing our views and empire, the more resonant message of the film is that Western civilization is the underdog holding off the barbarians at the gate. Middle East, but also Asia and Africa (think Iran, but don't ignore anxieties around, say, China or India or what they represent). There is definitely some Western cultural critique as well, plenty of corruption to go around, but it is pointed and allegorical rather than ironic -- jabs against religion, politics, multi-cultural sensitivity, and debauchery.

For some reason I'm really disturbed by the antagonism towards mysticism.

Comments

[legolastn.livejournal.com]

As alluded to above, I considered this interpretation, but it only really works if you do some inversion of freedom, reason, perhaps even eugenics. Which perhaps is doable, something like submission, faith, and spiritual perfection.