'300' preview

'300' preview

Time Out Movie Blog(London)

The TOMB is treated to a preview of footage from the film in the company of director Zack Snyder.

Chris Tilly | Sep 26 2006

I attended a special sneak peak at footage from Zack Snyder's adaptation of Frank Miller's '300' yesterday, and am pleased to report that the film is shaping up to be quite the most spectacular blockbuster of 2007.

Shot using the same green screen techniques that brought Miller's 'Sin City' to life last year, '300' revolves around the Battle of Thermopylae, in which King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) and 300 Spartans took on the might of Xerxes and his massive Persian army.

The affable Snyder was on hand to introduce the clips, and he was at pains to point out that what we were looking at was just a work in progress. And that was probably a good call, as the first piece of footage from the start of the film was decidedly underwhelming – a little too dark and rough around the edges to get anyone excited.

The next clip however, which involved the first major battle, was as impressive as any fight scene I've seen on film – a blood-drenched whirlwind of slow-mo swords piercing skin and severed limbs soaring sky-wards. 'I like violence maybe too much' Snyder said of the sequence, 'But it makes for a good movie!'

The audience was then treated to a compilation of clips from the film, featuring an epic sea battle, an arty bout of sex, a conversation between a king and a god-like giant, another extremely violent battle and lots of rain-soaked, wind-swept warriors with granite-like abs shouting at each other.

While the footage obviously needs a polish, it nevertheless took the breath away – intricate paintings in motion combining with highly stylised violence to create something quite unique.

Snyder then took part in a Q&A in which he revealed the following:

- The film was shot in 60 days.
- Frank Miller came on set but pretty much left Snyder to his own devices as he knew he was sticking so closely to his book.
- Snyder sees parallels between three Miller characters – Marv ('Sin City') Batman ('The Dark Knight Returns') and Leonidas ('300') in that they are all anti-heroes who are very much on the edge.
- The British guys who auditioned for the film weren't too keen on getting their abs out, apart from Gerard Butler who enthusiastically jumped up on a coffee shop table and ripped his shirt open to prove his fitness.
- Frank Miller is happy with the film thus far, claiming it to be the movie he wanted to see when he was 15 and first fell in love with the story.

Finally Snyder made reference to the online community, saying we've been good to him and he wants to repay us all by making the film that we want to see. And from this evidence, in spite of the fact that there's obviously still much to do, I think he just might.


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