Exploring Ancient Epics: Troy, Alexander, and 300

Hollywood and its audiences have long been fascinated with epic stories from ancient history, and especially of the battles and political unrest from this time. In this article, we’re going to discuss three of the most iconic movies and how they delve into stories from Greece, Macedonia, and Persia. They breathe new life into these ancient times, and, while they tell different stories, there have much in common as well.

Troy (2004)

Troy was directed by Wolfgang Petersen and starred some of the biggest names in Hollywood at the time – most notably, Brad Pitt. The story centers around the Trojan War and showcases the conflict between Mycenaean Greece and Troy, with timeless themes that are still familiar in modern-day storytelling such as on love, honor, and vengeance. Pitt plays Achilles and really shines in the movie’s many iconic battle scenes, bringing to life the many hardships of the period.

Being set in the Aegean world, the movie traverses grand locations like Sparta, Mycenae, and, of course, Troy, which is said to cover ground now a part of Turkey. Located in the area straddling the historical East and West, the area played a huge role in shaping the development of modern civilisation.

300 (2006)

300 dramatizes the Battle of Thermopylae, in which 300 Spartan warriors fought valiantly against the Persian army of King Xerxes. In this film, based on Frank Miller’s eponymous graphic novel, King Leonidas, played by Gerard Butler, leads the battalion in a gripping tale of courage and sacrifice.

Ancient Greece, a time that still captures the public’s imagination, provides the backdrop for this ballad of blood and sand. Countless other movies derive their plots from this period, such as Disney’s Hercules, and we can even see its visual vernacular surviving in niche sectors like iGaming. The ancient Greek goddess Athena appears in online blackjack games such as Cards of Athena, in which players can play the table game online but with extra bonuses to go alongside more traditional versions of twenty-one. 300 captured the public’s imagination upon release and retains many fans to this day, only further proving the continuing popular interest in Ancient Greece, as well as a good, gritty battle sequence.

Alexander (2004)

Oliver Stone’s biopic Alexander chronicles the life of Alexander the Great, the great Macedonian king who built one of the largest empires in recorded history by the age of 30. Played by Colin Farrell, acting alongside Angelina Jolie, we see the visionary that Alexander was as well as his drive and the personal struggles that tailed him. Spanning wondrous vistas from Macedonia to Greece and India to Egypt, the film gives audiences both an eyeful of the new world forged in the fire of Alexander’s conquests, as well as an insight into daily life in that era.

These movies may tell different stories, but they are bound by the land in which the stories take place, where cultures and history intersected. Through the lens of cinema, the audience is pulled back in time and comes closer to experiencing for themselves the rise and fall of these historic figures. Because of this, these films not only entertain, but educate, and keep alive the great stories of our past.

Images via unsplash.