The History Channel Presents Last Stand of the 300 - The Legendary Battle at Thermopylae
by David Padrusch
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Christopher Hartmann, J.B. Gardiner, John Fairbairn, Kevin Moran, TJ CenculaDirector: David Padrusch
Brand: A&E
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.78:1
Running Time: 91 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2007-07-31
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: A&E Home Video
Movie Reviews of The History Channel Presents Last Stand of the 300 - The Legendary Battle at Thermopylae
Movie Review: Sound and effective retelling of an amazing story
Summary: 4 Stars
The battle of Thermopylae was one of the most decisive battles in world history, as well as being one of the most awe inspiring. If the beurocrats in Brussels truly want to forge a common sense of European identity then perhaps they should ensure that every schoolchild on the continent is at least aware of the story.
Sadly, the battle isn't really as well known as it should be, or at least wasn't until the blockbuster '300' came out last year. And here we have an American made documentary to companion that film, sticking fairly closely to the events as depicted there (and astonishingly as the events are widely agreed to have actually happened). In contrast to what other reviewers have written, I didn't find this to be particularly low budget. True, talking heads take up much of the time, often stating the merely banal and obvious, but the recreated scenes are effective if brief. In fact, they are so similar in style to the film that I'm sure a lot of the same extras and production team were involved.
Its such an astonishing story that its hard to tell badly and this documentary does quite a sound job. I'm far from an expert on Ancient Greece but I was suprised at the historians seemingly claiming that the battle of Thermopylae caused the birth of a collective sense of Greek identity which led directly to a united Greece under Phillip II and then the glory of Alexander's empire. Hmmm...I thought the subsequent war between Sparta and Athens (the peloponnesian) left all of Greece easy prey for the Macedonians (who for hundreds of years had never been allowed to participate in the Olympic Games because they were not seen as sharing in the common Greek cultural identity).
That quibble aside, a well made and effective retelling of an incredible story that everybody should know.
Summary of The History Channel Presents Last Stand of the 300 - The Legendary Battle at Thermopylae
Last Stand of the 300 is an interesting 90-minute documentary from the History Channel explaining the details of the ancient Spartans' showdown with the Persian army at the battle of Thermopylae. It's long been a fascinating subject, but it hit popular culture in a big way with the 2007 feature film 300, based on the graphic novel by Frank Miller. Last Stand of the 300 helps explain the background behind the battle as well as many of the details not covered in the movie, including how the Ionian Revolt and the famed battle of Marathon led to Themopylae, the naval front led by Thermistocles, and what happened afterward. Numerous scholars and authors (including the writers of Gates of Fire and Empires at War) explain the rigorous Spartan training, military strategy, the Oracle at Delphi, the Persian technological advantage, different kinds of weaponry and vessels (the Spartan hoplon, dory, and xiphos, and the trireme), and how one of Miller's famous lines came from Herodotus ("Then we shall have our battle in the shade"). The maps are extremely helpful for showing how the geography affected the battle (one detour would have cost the Persians an extra two years of travel time), but the reenactments look kind of simple compared to the extremely stylized feature film. --David HoriuchiThe legendary battle of Thermopylae is still acknowledged today for its brilliant military maneuvers and the well-trained and fearless soldiers who fought to the death. THE HISTORY CHANNEL? presents a detailed account of this legendary battle examining the events leading up to the conflict the tactical expertise that allowed the outnumbered Greeks to stall their mighty foes and the bloody encounter itself. Find out how an army of a few hundred men overcame impossible odds and witness the conflict that altered the course of Western civilization. System Requirements:Running Time: 94 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DOCUMENTARIES/MISC. Rating: NR UPC: 733961772111 Manufacturer No: AAE-77211
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