The visually and conceptually faithful cinematic adaptation of Frank Miller’s graphic novel “300” is soon shown on cinemas everywhere and as it was expected it has already generated fury and protest among many Iranians with letters and petitions being written to the production company! Why all the fuss you might ask, well its because the genius artist Miller’s (who also created “Sin City”) graphic saga is based on an actual historic event that involves Persians! And as if it wasn’t enough to provoke Iranians Miller has in his fictional mystification and exotication of the event, beside throwing in all sorts of supernatural and mythological elements like beasts and giants also depicted Persians as tribal savages with an almost androgynous king as Xerxes! In other words as “fantasy-freaks“!! It should also be mentioned that in no way has the artist or the company presented or marketed this graphic novel as historically precise and accurate! Not a filmic dramatisation based on Herodotus’ account in other words but rather as what it is, namely a commercial movie adaptation of a fictional story based on an historic event developed and ornamented in the mind of a comic book artist/author! And finally turned into a movie as a nod to the “Sin City” success and the whole lucrative business of comic books-turned into-movies!
But despite knowing all the facts I cant help but to feel slightly irritated and offended by “300”! It’s an unjustified and awkward feeling that I do NOT want to have, yet do so! Logically I should not be offended by seeing a misportrayal of the Persians in a comic book! Yet I get so! And its wrong! I should know better!! Since its all about fiction and fantasy and do not in any way claim to be historically “accurate“! If it was based on other nations or historic events would I be equally upset? Of course not! Do I share the Kazakhstanis furry over Borat’s (Sacha Baron Cohen) misportrayal of them? Of course not, I even accuse them of having a lack of humour and self-distance! Yes, its all about self-distance and its my self-distance and cultivated sense of tolerance that is being compromised here by a latent yet deeply rooted sense of Iranian nationalism or better said “pride” that surfaces every once in a while! I am not against nationalism, but rather its manifestation in the most illogical and destructive fashions! Just like in the case of “300”! I’m illogically upset and offended by something that is not offensively meant! So I’m going to intentionally snap out of it and reinforce what’s being jeopardized here, namely common sense and tolerance!!
Watch “300” as what it really is, a comic book-turned into-movie! Pure entertainment, not a lesson in history! Watch it as a practice, even if it feels awkward!!
Note: the image shows Xerxes as imagined by Miller, both as a comic and cinematic adaptation!
