300 reasons to see it twice
Here's one from the you-gotta-be-kidding-me files: Iran's Cultural Minister is protesting the movie 300, while one of the Iranian newspapers says Hollywood has "declared war on Iranians."
(Little do they know Hollywood only protests wars, it doesn't declare them.) The problem is that they think the movie makes Iranians looks bad. Of course, there are no Iranians depicted in the movie, just Persians, who are the ancestors of some modern day Iranians. Ironically, the vast majority of Americans going to see this film would never have made the connection between Iran and Persia if it hadn't been pointed out, since the day that was covered in World History we skipped class to go see a movie.
I haven't seen the movie yet, although I've been looking forward to it for weeks. I read Gates of Fire recently, which is an excellent telling of the Thermopylae story, and even though I'm not into the gaphic novels, I liked Sin City, another Frank Miller creation made for the screen. I have seen the trailer, though, and I guess there are a couple of monster-like Persians, including one who looks like a cross between Jabba the Hutt and Barry Bonds at the peak of the 'roids, so I can see why Iranians might be offended. Nobody wants their ancestors portrayed looking like Barry Bonds on 'roids. But they sure don't look like Iranians in the movie to me, because none of them is wearing a Members Only jacket.
The irony, of course, is that the graphic novel 300 first came out in 1998. So I guess Frank Miller has been involved in a decade-long crusade (ooops, there's that word again) to insult Iran? Lordy, us Americans are a crafty bunch, aren't we?
(Little do they know Hollywood only protests wars, it doesn't declare them.) The problem is that they think the movie makes Iranians looks bad. Of course, there are no Iranians depicted in the movie, just Persians, who are the ancestors of some modern day Iranians. Ironically, the vast majority of Americans going to see this film would never have made the connection between Iran and Persia if it hadn't been pointed out, since the day that was covered in World History we skipped class to go see a movie.
I haven't seen the movie yet, although I've been looking forward to it for weeks. I read Gates of Fire recently, which is an excellent telling of the Thermopylae story, and even though I'm not into the gaphic novels, I liked Sin City, another Frank Miller creation made for the screen. I have seen the trailer, though, and I guess there are a couple of monster-like Persians, including one who looks like a cross between Jabba the Hutt and Barry Bonds at the peak of the 'roids, so I can see why Iranians might be offended. Nobody wants their ancestors portrayed looking like Barry Bonds on 'roids. But they sure don't look like Iranians in the movie to me, because none of them is wearing a Members Only jacket.
The irony, of course, is that the graphic novel 300 first came out in 1998. So I guess Frank Miller has been involved in a decade-long crusade (ooops, there's that word again) to insult Iran? Lordy, us Americans are a crafty bunch, aren't we?
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