Remember Us!! Remember Why We Died!!

Rating: 10/10 (5 April 2007)

I read the story of King Leonidas and the 300 Spartans many years ago when I was a very young girl. The decades since have given me a broader perspective, a new appreciation for the story and the nobility of the sacrifice these brave men made to protect what they held dear. That story struck a chord with me then and that chord resonates even deeper today.
Gerard Butler made this mythical hero a living, breathing flesh and blood man. And while the the event occurred in 480 BC, the principles and the ideals that were the spirit of King Leonidas and his brave 300 are ageless and timeless. Gerard Butler, as King Leonidas, made me feel his devotion to those ideals and his frustration as his efforts to save Sparta were thwarted and corruption threatened his beloved Sparta. He made me feel his love for his wife, his son, his men and all his people. He made me feel his courage. He simply IS Leonidas.
The rest of the cast, particularly Lena Headey and David Wenham, brought their characters to vibrant life for me as well and they all transported me back in time. They made me feel what it was like to be a Spartan in that ancient time on the brink of disaster, of enslavement. They made me feel their love and loyalty for Sparta and for their leader.
Aside from the fact that I feel 300 is simply great storytelling, there are many things about this film that are memorable to me. Especially King Leonidas final order, beautiful in its simplicity.
"Remember us, remember why we died."
If nothing else, this film has brought King Leonidas and the 300 to life again, it has released them from the dust of old books and museums. This movie gave them a face and a voice and made me see them as men who loved, who felt and who were no strangers to hardship and death. As ordered by the King, I remember them. Now with this incredible film, I will never forget them.
Some things I will remember more than others,
I remember Leonidas instructions to Dilios and when asked if there is a message for the Queen he says 'None that need be spoken'. I have never seen a more poignant moment.
I remember him standing alone in front of his brave 300 knowing death was imminent.
I remember the heartbreaking moment his shoulders sagged and he removed his helmet and dropped his shield.
I remember his quiet but deadly curse for Ephialtes.
I remember the impact of seeing this great spirit, the bravest of the brave, sink to his knees and put his fists in the sand.
I remember his vision of his love.
I remember the explosion when he called to Stelios.
I remember the determination and fire in his whole being when he heaved that spear at Xerses and how he watched it sail through the air as the arrows pierced him until he saw Xerses bleed.
I remember his roar that screamed his death was not his defeat.
I remember his grasping Stelios hand as they shared their dying.
I remember his standing to say good bye to his Queen, his wife, his love
And finally I remember, majestic to the end, his opening his arms to embrace death.
I remember the mass of valiant, arrow riddled warriors with their torn and bloodstained crimson capes.
In their midst, with his eyes wide open, was their King. Their leader.
'Go tell the Spartans, thou who passeth by, that here, obedient to her laws, we lie.'
It was a moment in time. A moment of nobility, of sacrifice, of love.
Although in reality we know little of the actual details, we do know that King Leonidas and a brave band of Spartans fought a massive Persian army at Thermopylae. This movie makes it live again in a vibrant, mythological way.
So, his command is obeyed. King Leonidas and his brave 300 are being remembered by multitudes all over the world.