The fascist ideal is to transform sexual energy into a “spiritual” force, for the benefit of the community.” Sontag went on to note that fascism: “stands for an ideal or rather ideals that are persistent today under the other banners: the ideal of life as art, the cult of beauty, the fetishism of courage, the dissolution of alienation in ecstatic feelings of community the repudiation of the intellect the family of man (under the parenthood of leaders.)” – all of which appear larger than life in 300.įollowing George W. A utopian aesthetics (physical perfection identity as a biological given) implies an ideal eroticism: sexuality converted into the magnetism of leaders and the joy of followers. In Susan Sontag’s 1975 essay on fascist aesthetics, Fascinating Fascism, she stated that fascist art is: “both prurient and idealizing. That more than a few critics have referred to 300 as an “erotic” film is also telling. is fighting in Iraq and preparing to fight in Iran. Clearly, 300 is a brazen allegory for the war the U.S.

When the film’s Spartan King Leonidas leads his army into battle yelling, “For Freedom!”, those words are meant to have a propagandistic effect upon its audience. Compared to Flags of Our Fathers, Clint Eastwood’s insightful rumination on the genuine sacrifices and brutalities of war, 300 is an undisguised war enthusiast’s wet dream.

The unrelenting carnage in 300 is never connected to a sense of moral burden or remorse – it is simply what “real men” do. I just think it’s silly to have Batman out chasing the Riddler when you’ve got al-Qaida out there.” Miller went on to say that “I wish the entertainers of our time had the spine and the focus of the ones who faced down Hitler.” Apparently Miller thinks he is just such an entertainer.ģ00 is a testosterone fueled war fever-dream that offers a non-stop and ferocious display of disembowelments, spraying blood, and beheadings – and some film critics have unfortunately referred to this horrific violence as choreography or stylization. Aside from promising that “Batman kicks al-Qaida’s ass,” Miller went on to say the following about his forthcoming graphic novel: “Not to put too fine a point on it – it’s a piece of propaganda. Miller revealed that his upcoming graphic novel, Holy Terror, Batman!, will feature the “Caped Crusader” fighting the al-Qaida terror network. Some of what Frank Miller said at San Francisco’s WonderCon comic book convention in 2006 bears repeating, as it puts the movie 300 in context.

But why should Americans bother with what Greeks have to say about their own history, when we can learn all we need to know from a right-wing xenophobic American comic book artist born in Olney, Maryland. That the Greek press has ravaged 300 as a falsification of their nation’s history should come as no surprise (the film opened in Athens on March 9th).

Frank miller 300 art