300 warriors a match for any seven samurai

300 warriors a match for any seven samurai


Mainichi Daily News


June 7, 2007


by Akiko Uematsu



Scottish actor Gerard Butler, star of the runaway hit movie "300," sees similar traits between his warriors and Japanese samurai.


Butler, director Zack Snyder and author of the original comic Frank Miller wrapped up a worldwide promotional tour of their ancient war film "300" at a press conference held today at Tokyo's Mandarin Oriental Hotel.

"It's been such an epic journey," Butler said, taking pictures of the Japanese media. "Once we got to Brazil, we thought the reception there couldn't be beaten, but it's been beaten here by the warmth, the love, and the imagination of this thing (referring to the hotel's hall equipped with 360-degree seamless multi projectors) here today. That's why my camera's here. I never do this, but I felt everything from the premiere was so good."

Butler sees many things in common between the film's 300 warriors and the spirit of the samurai. "I also think it's fitting that in 'The Last Samurai' by Ken Watanabe and Tom Cruise, they talk about the Stoics, that was the tactics used by the samurai, like the three hundred, until Masato Harada went bang bang bang bang and gunned them all down. Bastard!," he laughed.


When asked if there is something different in their own lives after the film, Butler, who had to put in many hours of body building for the film, replied, "I know I have a lot more anxiety about taking my clothes off because people are expecting I still have a great body."

At the end of the conference, Snyder talked about making a film from Miller's original comic. "When you make a movie, it's incredibly ... I don't wanna say ... difficult, it is difficult but it's also enjoyable. But it does take a lot of marshalling, a lot of perspective. I had Frank's images ... and I thought if I can make those pictures move, then it would be something different. That was the philosophy for the movie and it was the philosophy I took with me."

"300" will be screened in Japan from June 9.





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