Σπιτάκι

Χαβαλέ έχει το review της ταινίας 300 στο Guardian. Πρώτον, κάνει τη σωστή παρατήρηση,

300 is one of those oddly seductive but completely ridiculous films that will please most fans of this genre precisely because fans of this genre don’t object to films that are completely ridiculous.

και αργότερα κλείνει κοροϊδεύοντας τους πολιτικούς παραλληλισμούς,

A theory briefly making the rounds in the United States just before 300 was released posited a parallel between the war between the Persians and the Greeks and the ongoing confrontation between the United States and the Iraqi insurgents. This theory makes no sense: the Persians are the ancestors of the Iranians, who hate the Iraqis; the Spartans were professional soldiers, not terrorists; and Xerxes, as depicted in 300, is so hip, so downtown, so kewl that any number of downtrodden people would be proud to serve as his boot-licking vassals, whereas George Bush inspires no such self-abasement, because he looks like a suit. Moreover, the 300 Spartans were fighting for freedom only in the narrow technical sense that they hated the idea of being enslaved by the Persians; as enthusiastic proto-fascists whose bloodline reaches right down to the Nazis, they certainly didn’t mind having slaves of their own. Unlike the Athenians, who gave the world democracy, logic, drama, oratory, architecture, sophisticated sculpture and reliable history, the Spartans basically gave everyone a headache. Gee, maybe this Iraqi/Spartan parallel isn’t so far-fetched after all. My only question is: if Leonidas is a thinly veiled standin for Osama bin Laden and the very smooth, very stylish Xerxes is a cunning rendering of George Bush, precisely who in this movie is playing Tony Blair? As a Persian emissary might caution the 300 Spartans, “The rivers will run red with so much blood that no one will come outdoors again for years.” To which one of the 300 Spartans might reply: “Good. In that case, we can put off calling a general election.”