Review of The 300 Spartans (1962) by Thomas F — 14 May 2011

Their power lies in their unity.

Greece has been made aware of an invasion attempt by the Persians. This is not the first invasion attempt by the Persians; however, this attempt has the support and backing of most of Asia as well, providing the Persians with more resources than they have ever had before. The Greek government disagrees on the appropriate approach to thwart the Persians but seem to be leaning towards attacking them after the next religious festival. The king of the Spartans decides he can't wait for the government's approval and decides to confront the Persians in hopes of holding them off until the remaining forces are allowed to wage war.

"Once the rain has fallen nothing can put it back in the sky.".

Rudolph Mate, director of Seven Seas of Calais, The Barbarians, Three Violent People, Miracle in the Rain, The Gauntlet, and When Worlds Collide, delivers The 300 Spartans. The storyline for this picture is epic and well told. The script is well written and the settings are well selected. Mate did an excellent job of delivering the vastness of the tale despite limited financial resources. The cast delivers excellent performances and includes Richard Egan, Ralph Richardson, and Diane Baker.

"It was a dark day when the first woman came into this world.".

I came across this film while flicking through the channels and was surprised I had never heard of it. I adored the recent 300 film and decided to give this a shot. While the action scenes in this picture were far from on par with the recent 300 movie, this film was equally as entertaining due to its great acting, synopsis, settings, and script. This is definitely worth your time if you're a fan of epic movies from this era.

"A woman's tongue is deadlier than the sword.".

Grade: A.