The five-year anniversary of the release of '300' is rapidly approaching and it had me thinking the other day, has it really been that long since the movie debuted on March 9, 2007? You betcha! It almost seems as if it were yesterday (well, to me at least) when Warner Bros. announced that production would commence, followed shortly thereafter by reading about several of the possible candidates for the role of King Leonidas. It's unbelievable how quickly time has flown, and here we are on the verge of hearing more from Warner Bros. about the Legendary Pictures followup to '300' entitled
'300: The Battle of Artemisium'.
Having seen 20th Century Fox's
'The 300 Spartans' as a kid, to say that the original version of the Battle of Thermopylae had a huge impact on me would be an understatement, but I digress. The bottom line was, the story of the defense at the 'Hot Gates' was too good to limit to only one interpretation. One of the benefits of viewing the 1962 version more times than
anyone would care to admit, was understanding even at an early age that Richard Egan's performance as the Spartan king was pivotal to the film. In retrospect, after having viewed this film repeatedly, I've realized that Egan represented one of the iconic figures in Greece's history and that it was much more than a role that he was portraying. When you're six, you can't comprehend concepts like these, however, decades later, you feel you have a greater appreciation of the character's significance, not only to the movie, or to Greece's history, but perhaps to western civilization as well. Now that might sound pretentious to some people, nonetheless, to others who share an affinity for 'The 300 Spartans', they may agree with the same sentiment...then again, who knows, maybe they don't.
Irrespective of how you feel now after having viewed
'300', I for one was very ambivalent when the media announced that Scotsman Gerard (Gerry) Butler would portray one of Sparta's finest. Butler had pretty big
shoes sandals to fill and not being familiar with any of his previous roles, I didn't know if he was the right actor to play King Leonidas. He definitely had the right look about him, however, did he have the acting chops? This question had more to do because of my unfamiliarity with Butler's performances, not as a result of any of the movies that he appeared in.
 |
| '300's King Leonidas, Gerard (Gerry) Butler |
After I was forwarded a copy of
'Dear Frankie' by Tamara H. (many thanks!), I've got to tell you I was more than pleasantly surprised. You're probably thinking, 'Dear Frankie' sounds like a movie which was designed to appeal to a target audience which consists of primarily women - okay, chick flick - for those who recognize the genre by its politically incorrect moniker. The end result was that it really didn't matter how this movie was labeled because Butler, while appearing gruff on the exterior and brewing with intensity, had a side to him that his ubiquitous leather coat couldn't cover. It was his display of a wide emotional range, where you said to yourself, "You know what, I think Gerry is going to be okay" - and he was... in fact, he was more than okay!
Since the five-year anniversary of '300' is upon us, let's take a step back to 480 BC and list the ten best scenes of Gerry Butler (GB) as
King Leonidas, the majority of which may seem obvious, while the others not necessarily so.
10. After the initial skirmish, when the remaining Persians from the first assault are pushed off the cliff, Butler looks over and advances a little towards the enemy and in an act of sheer defiance uses his spear to break off the arrows which have pierced his shield. - Nothing said, not even a monosyllabic grunt, but sometimes, actions speak louder than words.
9. To quote GB, "This is where we hold them, this is where we fight!" Slamming his spear into the ground for emphasis, he then proclaims..."This is where they die!" - Have there been better pre-battle speeches in the movies? I can think of several, however, for sheer bravado, this ranks up there.
8. GB: "This is Sparta!!!"...what follows is probably one of the more memorable scenes in '300' when the Persian messengers are kicked in the well after Leonidas refuses to submit earth and water. - Why isn't it ranked higher despite it setting the tone for the rest of the movie? This event pre-dated Thermopylae by ten years when the Spartans relented in providing these tokens of submission. It was one of the catalysts which led to the Battle of Marathon (490 BC), even though the Spartans didn't fight during the battle. - Points off for not being historically accurate, but that's another story, for another time.
7. When Leonidas and Daxos, the leader of the Arcadians who commands a larger contingent of warriors, meet on their way to the 'Hot Gates', seeing only the Spartan king's bodyguard, question Sparta's commitment to the defense of Thermopylae. When Butler has asked several of the Arcadians what their professions are and after receiving their replies such as potter, sculptor and blacksmiths, he asks his troops, "Spartans, what is your profession?" The response is unanimous, the Spartans even though outnumbered by their Arcadian allies, have more warriors. - It's a pretty humorous scene handled by Butler with great aplomb, yet once again, nothing to do with Thermopylae. It was spoken instead by King Agesilaus around 80+ years later, and is one of the great sayings attributed to the Spartans which were recorded by Plutarch.
6. After arriving at Thermopylae, Leonidas and the Captain (Vincent Regan) are engaged in a conversation when the earth begins to tremble. The Captain thinks it's an earthquake, however, the king's response..."No Captain. Battle formations." - I know what you're thinking here, why on earth would this make the top ten? Easy...the knowing smirk and absolute glee on Butler's face, while very subtle, say it all,..."Right, the Persians are amassing for battle, now let's go for it...enough with the training all of our adult lives, here's the real deal, now let's go have some fun."
5. Butler: "Spartans! Ready your breakfast and eat hearty...for tonight we dine in hell!" -
Recorded by Herodotus, this is only line attributed to Leonidas by the 'Father of history'. It such a great line it was used to promote the movie in many of the different versions of the '300' posters.
300
Buy This at Allposters.com
4. Leonidas is roughhousing with his son, Pleistrachus, when GB says, "In the end, a Spartan's true strength is the warrior next to him."
- This exchange had a lot more to it than a throwaway line between a father and his child. The phalanx was a deadly formation and its success depended on the whole unit of hoplites who fought together in very close quarters. Any breakdown other than total unity could mean a fatal collapse. The first battle sequence captures the phalanx's effectiveness which obviously relied heavily on Victor Davis Hanson's 'The Western Way of War'. If you're going to acknowledge materials on ancient Greek warfare, there is no better place to start than this title.
3. While Butler is eating an apple, he's surveying the battlefield after the first day's fighting while his warriors dispense of the Persian wounded. While speaking with his Spartiates, he agrees to meet with Xerxes and listen to the demands of the Persian royal, all of this while continuing to eat his apple. - His attitude is so blasé on the battlefield, it's almost like "Oh well, it's another day at the office." Brilliant!
2. The meeting between Leonidas and Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro) is one of the best scenes of the movie and I almost had it at number one. - When GB first sees Santoro, laden with jewels, a shaven head, multiple piercings and looking androgynous beyond belief while being carried on the shoulders of his underlings, the look that Butler gives is priceless - almost as if he says out loud, "You have got to be kidding me!" - and to top it off, Butler's repartee while throwing out some pretty deft one-liners would've made James Bond proud. However, as far as I'm concerned, it's that look of incredulity upon his arrival in meeting Xerxes which I still find most amusing.
1. Persian herald: "Spartans! Lay down your weapons!"....GB: "Persians! Come and get them!" (Molon Labe)
- While not recorded by Herodotus, the source for this quotation which has become synonymous with Thermopylae was once again Plutarch (Apophthegmata Laconica, 51.11). I still think that they should have used the original Greek instead of the English translation, sort of an homage to the original version with Egan. Then it could have reinforced the laconisim that the Spartans were known for instead of being so verbose :-)
I'm very curious to see if anyone has any other Gerry Butler scene as King Leonidas that they feel merits inclusion. Please let me know, since I'm certain there were several instances overlooked, or yours are just better choices. We'll visit this topic once again on the week of March 9th with a revised edition of 'The Top 10 Scenes of Gerard Butler as King Leonidas'. It will be posted concurrently with the winner of
sealed brand new copy of Last Stand of the 300. If you'd like to qualify for the contest, all you need to do is become a verified subscriber, it's that easy.
Until next week, Molon Labe (Come and get them!!!)
