I don't really disagree with what you say. Maybe I'm not being all that clear. I don't care about the bias story telling--that, as you said, is the pov of the story we have. I actually love Herodotus as a storyteller. What bothers me is the visual image of the enemy the film portrays.
The filmmakers deliberately (and whether it comes from a graphic novel doesn’t change the fact that there was still a choice made here) decided to portray the enemy as non-white, despite the fact that Xerxes himself, and many in his army (which also consisted of a lot of ethnic and actual Greeks) are supposed to be descended from the same "Aryans" as the Greeks. Yet the movie chose to show not a single white person on the Persian side--everyone is either from an ethnic group (and/or a monster). This is not a PC objection on my part--someone deliberately decided to portray the "Persians" this way, since it is a historical inaccuracy.
And this image of the "exotic"--which given some of the costumes used, clearly, IMO, derive more from today's view of what "easterners" are like, rather than from what we know the various people of the Persian empire actually wore (of which there are many images)--is completely gratuitous to the story. It was unnecessary and reinforces racist stereotypes in a way that is insidious, especially given that the largest target audience for this movie is likely young males.
I find this, if not deliberately racist, than unforgivably irresponsible.
Anyway, my opinion. It bugged me enough that I couldn't enjoy this movie, despite being in rather desperate need for some cathartic fake violence.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2007-03-26 01:19 am (UTC)I don't really disagree with what you say. Maybe I'm not being all that clear. I don't care about the bias story telling--that, as you said, is the pov of the story we have. I actually love Herodotus as a storyteller. What bothers me is the visual image of the enemy the film portrays.
The filmmakers deliberately (and whether it comes from a graphic novel doesn’t change the fact that there was still a choice made here) decided to portray the enemy as non-white, despite the fact that Xerxes himself, and many in his army (which also consisted of a lot of ethnic and actual Greeks) are supposed to be descended from the same "Aryans" as the Greeks. Yet the movie chose to show not a single white person on the Persian side--everyone is either from an ethnic group (and/or a monster). This is not a PC objection on my part--someone deliberately decided to portray the "Persians" this way, since it is a historical inaccuracy.
And this image of the "exotic"--which given some of the costumes used, clearly, IMO, derive more from today's view of what "easterners" are like, rather than from what we know the various people of the Persian empire actually wore (of which there are many images)--is completely gratuitous to the story. It was unnecessary and reinforces racist stereotypes in a way that is insidious, especially given that the largest target audience for this movie is likely young males.
I find this, if not deliberately racist, than unforgivably irresponsible.
Anyway, my opinion. It bugged me enough that I couldn't enjoy this movie, despite being in rather desperate need for some cathartic fake violence.