The lion of Sparta
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | The lion of Sparta |
| Original title | The 300 Spartans |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1962 |
| length | 105 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 12 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Rudolph Maté |
| script | George St. George |
| production |
Rudolph Maté , George St. George |
| music | Manos Hadjidakis |
| camera | Geoffrey Unsworth |
| cut | Jerry Webb |
| occupation | |
| |
The Lion of Sparta (originally The 300 Spartans ) is an American historical film set against the backdrop of the Persian War . Director Rudolph Maté directed this film in 1960. The world premiere took place on August 29, 1962; in Germany the film was released on November 9, 1962.
action
The Persian king Xerxes leads a huge force to Europe to destroy the city-states of Greece. He wants to avenge the defeat of his father Darius in the battle of Marathon ten years earlier. Xerxes is accompanied by Artemisia , Queen of Halicarnassus , who beguiles him with her femininity. Demaratos , an exiled king of Sparta , advises Xerxes, but he pays little heed to his warnings.
The Greek general Themistocles manages to form an alliance against the Persians and to give Leonidas , the king of Sparta, command of the united armed forces. Both agree that the Thermopylae pass must be strengthened. Leonidas notices the advance of the Persians and brings this news to Sparta. Leotychidas , who conducts official business during the war against the Persians, has to defend himself against officials who want to hold a festival. The Greek soldiers are only supposed to go to the front after the festival, but by then the Persians would have overrun Greece. For the fortification, Leonidas takes his bodyguards of 300 Spartan warriors, who are not under the decision-making power of the officials and the Senate.
In the battles that followed, the Persians were kept in check by the Spartans, which angered Xerxes. Leonidas urges his men to fight back the Persians. Shortly before, he learns that the rest of the Sparta troops will fortify the Isthmus of Corinth , the only land connection between the Peloponnese peninsula and mainland Greece, but will not advance further. Nevertheless, the resistance of the Greeks remains so great that Xerxes is thinking about evading to Persia in order to reinforce his troops there for a later date. Ephialtes of Trachis shows the Persian king a path through the mountains. This is how the Persians can bypass the Greek positions.
When Leonidas realizes the impending encirclement, he sends the allied Greek associations back to the south so that the Greek cities can be defended. The Spartans and Thespians cannot hold the pass because of their small number. Instead, they attack the Persians. They are surrounded, Leonidas is killed. The Spartans refuse to surrender and are gutted down to the last man with arrows.
Reviews
"Brilliantly staged battle and crowd scenes authentically demonstrate ancient 'art of war'."
background
The 20th Century Fox production was shot in Athens . The battle scenes were filmed near Corinth .
After 25 years in the film business and roles in 50 projects, David Farrar retired from the business after filming and moved to South Africa . For the award-winning cameraman Rudolph Maté it was the penultimate directorial work. He has directed 30 films and has been cameraman for over 60 films.
The advisory board for this film included Major Cleanthis Damianos, who oversaw the military aspects. Paul Nord was responsible for the historical aspects.
In an interview with the Internet portal UnderGroundOnline , the writer and comic book artist Frank Miller said that this film influenced his creativity. Under this influence he wrote the comic 300 in 1998 , which is about the battle of Thermopylae and serves as the basis for the film of the same name from 2006.
Web links
- The Lion of Sparta in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- The Lion of Sparta with detailed table of contents and criticism on www.Peplumania.com
- The 300 Spartans at the Battle of Thermopylae (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ The Lion of Sparta. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .
- ↑ Frank Miller, 300 Interview ( Memento June 15, 2011 in the Internet Archive )