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By
NICK ZEGARAC
"The 300 Spartans" is the
story of an impossible, yet inspiring, stand by
300 Greek soldiers against the greatest army in
the ancient world.
Richard Egan, a buff, second-string matinee idol,
is King Leonidas of Sparta. His attempts at
backing a full-scale military defense of
Thermopylae are hampered by political squabbling.
Undaunted, Leonidas sets out to destroy Persian
king Xerxes (David Farrar) -- all the while
realizing just how futile this is and how tragic
his destiny shall be.
Ralph Richardson is particularly engaging as the
Athenian politician Themistocles. Diane Baker cuts
a rather regal swath as Ellas, Leonidas niece. The
usual prerequisites of half-naked women and
massively overdone battle sequences -- that all
Hollywood epics circa the mid '50s to late '60s
had -- are all present in this film. Visually,
it's stunning; dramatically, below par and very
long on spectacle over substance.
Fox gives us a very clean, very nice looking
anamorphic transfer of this would-be classic.
Colors are rich, vibrant and bold. Contrast and
black levels are dead on. There is some fading
present during several night sequences. Film grain
is noticeable but not distracting. Age-related
artifacts are kept to a minimum. Digital anomalies
(edge enhancement, pixelization) are present but
do not distract. The audio is 5.1 and nicely
brings back the stereophonic appeal of classic
Cinemascope movies. There's a sonic breadth to the
musical score that does not extend to dialogue
sequences.
Theatrical trailers and a few TV spots are the
only extras you get. Big deal!
This is a movie for people who truly love and
admire Hollywood epics. But it does not represent
the height or even the best that the genre can
offer. If you're starved for this sort of
entertainment, I would recommend either "Ben-Hur"
or "Cleopatra" over this film. |
