300: Spartans v Persians at Thermopylae
300 is a highly stylized film about the ancient Greek Battle of Thermopylae. Despite the warnings of the Spartan Ephores, a council of magistrates, the Oracle, who declares the timing to be bad, King Leonidas engages in war with the Persians. The Ephores denied King Leonidas the use of the Spartan army, so he puts together a troop of 300 soldiers to meet the Persians in battle at Thermopylae. They are accompanied by armies from other city-states.
The Spartans hold the ground at a narrow pass, a defensive stronghold that keeps Persian forces from coming through. Other city-states retreat as the tide of the battle shifts, but the Spartans hold firm at the pass. As the Persians close in, King Leonidas and his men are defeated. They didn’t know Greek troops had mobilized and were headed to help them battle the Persians.
