GREEK TRAGEDY ... GETS A LIGHTER TOUCH IN `300'.Byline: - Glenn Whipp Fun and the Battle of Thermopylae would seem to be opposing notions, given that the last-stand engagement between 300 Spartans and 1 million invading in·vade v. in·vad·ed, in·vad·ing, in·vades v.tr. 1. To enter by force in order to conquer or pillage. 2. Persians in 480 B.C. doesn't exactly end well for the Greeks. But with ``300,'' director Zack Snyder aims to put a little looseness back into the sword-and-sandals genre, much in the same way that Frank Miller (``Sin City'') did with his graphic novel of the same name. ``Swords-and-sandals is a deadly serious genre,'' says Snyder, who directed the successful 2004 remake re·make tr.v. re·made , re·mak·ing, re·makes To make again or anew. n. 1. The act of remaking. 2. Something in remade form, especially a new version of an earlier movie or song. of George Romero's classic zombie A computer that has been covertly taken over in order to perform some nefarious task. It is estimated that millions of PCs around the world have been compromised and, under the control of a third party, routinely transmit messages unbeknownst to the user. movie ``Dawn of the Dead.'' ``Don't get me wrong. There's some heavy material here -- 300 Spartans fighting against a million Persians, death, grief, inspiration. But Frank Miller's novel has an unapologetic wit and sarcasm that's a breath of fresh air. I wanted to show that swords-and-sandals is not always history on steroids steroids, class of lipids having a particular molecular ring structure called the cyclopentanoperhydro-phenanthrene ring system. Steroids differ from one another in the structure of various side chains and additional rings. , but about having fun at the movies.'' Snyder worked hard to maintain the look of Miller's graphic novel, filming many shots as frame-by-frame re-creations of the book's panels. The movie, due March 9, was filmed almost entirely on a Montreal soundstage with Snyder going back later to fill in the missing pieces with digital effects Synthetic sounds and animations created in the digital domain. Reverberation, morphing and transitions between video frames are examples. See digital video effects. . The results, needless to say, differ markedly from Wolfgang Petersen's ``Troy.'' ``The Internet crowd has labeled it `Sin City' meets `Gladiator gladiator (Latin; swordsman) Professional combatant in ancient Rome who engaged in fights to the death as sport. Gladiators originally performed at Etruscan funerals, the intent being to give the dead man armed attendants in the next world. .' '' Snyder says, ``I think Ridley Scott reintroduced the sword-and-sandals movie to a new generation. It was a modern film -- melodramatic mel·o·dra·mat·ic adj. 1. Having the excitement and emotional appeal of melodrama: "a melodramatic account of two perilous days spent among the planters" Frank O. Gatell. , sure, but fresh. ``But after `Troy' and `Alexander,' you have to ask the question: `Now what?' '' Snyder continues. ``And for me, the answer was all about tone. Frank Miller told me he remembered seeing (1962 movie) `The 300 Spartans' and asking his dad midway through, `Are the good guys going to die?' `Yes, son, they are.' That changed what he thought a hero was. ``When I hear a story like that, it's my responsibility not to get in the way of the experience he had.'' CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Gerard Butler in ``300,'' opening March 9. |
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