"300". La batalla de "Las Termópilas"

MOVIE REVIEW

"300" Battle of the Manly Men: Blood Bath With a Message New York City; By A. O. SCOTT Published: March 9, 2007

"300" is about as violent as "Apocalypto" and twice as stupid. Adapted from a graphic novel by Frank Miller and Lynn Varley, it offers up a bombastic spectacle of honor and betrayal, rendered in images that might have been airbrushed onto a customized van sometime in the late 1970s. The basic story is a good deal older. It's all about the ancient Battle of Thermopylae, which unfolded at a narrow pass on the coast of Greece whose name translates as Hot Gates.

Warner Brothers Pictures Gerard Butler plays Leonidas, the Spartan who leads an army of 300 against a Persian invasion.

Devotees of the pectoral, deltoid and other fine muscle groups will find much to savor as King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) leads 300 prime Spartan porterhouses into battle against Persian forces commanded by Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro), a decadent self-proclaimed deity who wants, as all good movie villains do, to rule the world. The Persians, pioneers in the art of facial piercing, have vastly greater numbers — including ninjas, dervishes, elephants, a charging rhino and an angry bald giant — but the Spartans clearly have superior health clubs and electrolysis facilities. They also hew to a warrior ethic of valor and freedom that makes them, despite their gleeful appetite for killing, the good guys in this tale. (It may be worth pointing out that unlike their mostly black and brown foes, the Spartans and their fellow Greeks are white.) But not all the Spartans back in Sparta support their king on his mission. A gaggle of sickly, corrupt priests, bought off by the Persians, consult an oracular exotic dancer whose topless gyrations lead to a warning against going to war. And the local council is full of appeasers and traitors, chief among them a sardonic, shifty-eyed smoothy named Theron (Dominic West, known to fans of "The Wire" as the irrepressible McNulty). Too cowardly to challenge Leonidas man to man, he fixes his attention on Queen Gorgo (Lena Headey), a loyal wife and Spartan patriot who fights the good fight on the home front. Gorgo understands her husband's noble purpose, the higher cause for which he is willing to sacrifice his life. "Come home with your shield or on it," she tells him as he heads off into battle after a night of somber marital whoopee. Later she observes that "freedom is not free."

Movie Minutes: '300'Preparing for Glory Video

Another movie — Matt Stone and Trey Parker's "Team America," whose wooden puppets were more compelling actors than most of the cast of "300" — calculated the cost at $1.05. I would happily pay a nickel less, in quarters or arcade tokens, for a vigorous 10-minute session with the video game that "300" aspires to become. Its digitally tricked-up color scheme, while impressive at times, is hard to tolerate for nearly two hours (true masochists can seek out the Imax version), and the hectic battle scenes would be much more exciting in the first person. I want to chop up some Persians too! There are a few combat sequences that achieve a grim, brutal grandeur, notably an early engagement in which the Spartans, hunkered behind their shields, push back against a Persian line, forcing enemy soldiers off a cliff into the water. The big idea, spelled out over and over in voice-over and dialogue in case the action is too subtle, is that the free, manly men of Sparta fight harder and more valiantly than the enslaved masses under Xerxes' command. Allegory hunters will find some gristly morsels of topicality tossed in their direction, but you can find many of the same themes, conveyed with more nuance and irony, in a Pokémon cartoon. Zack Snyder's first film, a remake of George Romero's "Dawn of the Dead," showed wit as well as technical dexterity. While some of that filmmaking acumen is evident here, the script for "300," which he wrote with Kurt Johnstad and Michael B. Gordon, is weighed down by the lumbering portentousness of the original book, whose arresting images are themselves undermined by the kind of pomposity that frequently mistakes itself for genius. In time, "300" may find its cultural niche as an object of camp derision, like the sword-and-sandals epics of an earlier, pre-computer-generated-imagery age. At present, though, its muscle-bound, grunting self-seriousness is more tiresome than entertaining. Go tell the Spartans, whoever they are, to stay home and watch wrestling. Pictures from movie

Warner Brothers Pictures In "300," Leonidas (Gerard Butler, right) bids farewell to the Spartan queen Gorgo (Lena Headey) and their son Pleistarchos (Giovanni Antonio Cimmino) before heading off to war

Warner Brothers Pictures The Persian fleet that arrives to battle the 300 Spartans.

Warner Brothers Pictures The Spartans stand ready to halt the advance of the Persian army.

04Warner Brothers Pictures A Spartan defends himself against the Persians.

Warner Brothers Pictures The Spartan Army bands together to eliminate Persian troops

Warner Brothers Pictures A Spartan sword against a Persian whip.

04Warner Brothers Pictures Persian arrows shade the sky.

04Warner Brothers Pictures The Persians use their war beasts on the Spartans

Warner Brothers Pictures Leonidas holds steady against the Persian invaders

"300" is rated R (Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian). Much butchery, some lechery. 300 Opens today nationwide. Directed by Zack Snyder; written by Mr. Snyder, Kurt Johnstad and Michael B. Gordon, based on the graphic novel by Frank Miller and Lynn Varley; director of photography, Larry Fong; edited by William Hoy; music by Tyler Bates; production designer, James Bissell; produced by Gianni Nunnari, Mark Canton, Bernie Goldmann and Jeffrey Silver; released by Warner Brothers Pictures. Running time: 116 minutes. WITH: Gerard Butler(King Leonidas), Lena Headey (Queen Gorgo), Dominic West (Theron), David Wenham (Dilios), Vincent Regan (Captain), Michael Fassbender (Stelios), Tom Wisdom (Astinos), Andrew Pleavin (Daxos), Andrew Tiernan (Ephialtes) and Rodrigo Santoro (Xerxes).

Copyright by the New York Times 2007

Los nominados al Oscar

'Dreamgirls' Leads in Oscar Nominations but Is Snubbed for Best Picture Kevin Winter/Getty Images Salma Hayek and President Sid Ganis of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the nominations today in Beverly Hills, California. Behind them are the nominees for Best Picture of the Year. By DAVID CARR Published: January 24, 2007 BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., Jan. 23 — Everything went as planned for "Dreamgirls," a perfectly confected Oscar machine. Great cast, showstoppers that stopped the show, and a wonderful back story in Jennifer Hudson, the washed-out "American Idol" turned movie star. And it was all propelled by hype-filled rollout, plenty of strong reviews and, finally, widespread belief that it was the favorite in the best-picture throwdown. Everything continued to go as planned during the news conference at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences here on Tuesday morning, with this crowd-pleasing costume musical racking up eight nominations. And then the best-picture category was announced: "Babel," "The Departed," "Little Miss Sunshine," "The Queen" and "Letters From Iwo Jima." Wait. Are they nominating six this year? The hundreds of reporters in the auditorium were leaning heads together, making sure that they did not hear the name "Dreamgirls." They did not. David James/DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures From left, Beyonce Knowles as Deena, Anika Noni Rose as Lorrell and Jennifer Hudson as Effie in "Dreamgirls." Ms. Hudson was nominated for best supporting actress Fred Prouser/Reuters Rinko Kikuchi received a best supporting actress nomination for "Babel." Brad Pitt's performance in the movie was not recognized. "Dreamgirls" had the most nominations for the day, eight, including a pair for its supporting players, Eddie Murphy and Ms. Hudson, but it will not be around for the war. It is the first film in many decades to have the most nominations and not be in the best-picture category. The seven nominations for "Babel" prove that the academy is a sucker for a weave of ambitious filmmaking (multiple languages and stories are represented) and big stars in small roles. (Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett were in just one segment of the movie's triptych.) "Pan's Labyrinth," a Spanish-language film, received a half-dozen nominations, as did "The Queen," in an array that was announced by Sid Ganis, president of the academy, and the actress Salma Hayek at 5:38 a.m Pacific time; it was planned to land in the middle of morning shows in the East. Much of what happened was expected — Forest Whitaker and Helen Mirren, who played monarchs to very different effect — continued their stately walk to the podium, with nominations for best actor and best actress. ("I'm not going to win in a million years, and that's absolutely fine," said Kate Winslet, a fellow nominee in the actress category.) Ms. Mirren said of her nomination: "It's the mother lode. It's the big mama of the whole thing. There's nothing in the whole world like the Oscars." Mr. Whitaker described his excitement: "I'm stoked. I have to find the right word, and 'stoked' is O.K.," he said, joining the ritual outpouring of gratitude and expectation. Mr. Murphy, a seasoned veteran, and Ms. Hudson, an absolute beginner, were joined in the supporting categories by 10-year-old Abigail Breslin and Alan Arkin, 72, for their roles in "Little Miss Sunshine." (It's been 38 years since Mr. Arkin's last nomination, for "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter." ) The supporting-actor category was notable for its eclecticism, with Jackie Earle Haley's portrayal of a pedophile in "Little Children" being recognized, as was Rinko Kikuchi's role in "Babel" as a deaf-mute Japanese girl with a lot on her mind. In total, out of 20 slots for acting awards, 5 black actors were nominated, 2 Latinas and a Japanese woman. And in a year when the precursor awards have been all over the road, the movies came from all over the world. "Cinema is an international art form, and you can do it in any language the artist dreams about," Mr. Ganis said after coming offstage. He pointed to Clint Eastwood's vivid example in making two movies in two languages about the same war. The academy, frequently criticized for being a prisoner of convention, ventured far and wide in search of films that represented the year's most spectacular achievements. Tidy little movies like "Little Miss Sunshine" and "The Queen" were selected for best-picture nods, and two movies in which English is a second language — "Babel" and "Letters >From Iwo Jima" — also made the cut, while "The Departed," a big popcorn movie with a bloody, relentless end, was recognized as well. David James/DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures Beyonce Knowles as Deena, Anika Noni Rose as Lorrell and Jennifer Hudson as Effie in "Dreamgirls." David James/DreamWorks Eddie Murphy, who received a nomination for best supporting actor, in a scene from "Dreamgirls." Even "United 93," a movie that made the unthinkable watchable, was given a significant nod when Paul Greengrass was nominated for best director. None of these movies had a built-in Oscar-winning apparatus — far from it, actually, but perhaps that was precisely the point. Los Angeles is a place that worships success, but can be very punishing when it comes to striving for it. Paramount/DreamWorks learned as much, as it sought to position "Dreamgirls" as a favorite and succeeded; but something went wrong on the way to the podium. It most likely did not help that the movie, with its gorgeous songs and amazing costumes, was a tough sell to begin with among white males, a demographic that describes the majority of the academy's 5,800 voting members. The marketing of the film didn't help, either. Regardless of what you have heard, "Dreamgirls" was a story that was about something, a particularly American story of success and redemption. Instead it was sold as a parade float, majestic and unstoppable. Behind that miscalculation, the basic blocking and tackling of an Oscar campaign fell short. The decision to send out screeners of the movie late was built on hubris — the same reason that Paramount/DreamWorks chose to charge $25 for early peeks at the movie — which suggested that it was an Important Film that must be seen on a big screen. But the death of President Gerald Ford, combined with a national holiday, meant that most academy members did not get the film until Jan. 3, 10 days after they had received "Letters From Iwo Jima," a movie that wasn't even supposed to come out in 2006. That means that academy members saw the hype long before they saw "Dreamgirls" and had just 10 days to see it before they voted. ("Flags of Our Fathers," another Paramount/Dreamworks project, this one from Mr. Eastwood and Steven Spielberg, came basted in Oscar juice and went nowhere.) It made for a bad day at Paramount, although the studio's chief, Brad Grey, was traveling and not taking calls, so no one can say for sure. The studio can find solace in "Babel," a movie from its specialty division, Paramount Vantage, that did extremely well on Tuesday. At Warner Brothers, things did not go as planned, either. It was thought early on that "Blood Diamond," with its serious themes and star wattage from Leonardo DiCaprio, would be a durable contender. Mr. DiCaprio scored a best-actor nomination. But it was Warner's "Departed" that landed in the thick of the best-picture race, and its director, a hardy unrequited perennial named Martin Scorsese, was also chosen. And the studio's decision to release Mr. Eastwood's "Letters From Iwo Jima" is looking pretty smart just about now. Alan F. Horn, chief executive of Warner Brothers, said best-laid plans or not, he was thrilled for both directors, Mr. Scorsese and Mr. Eastwood — the face-off will reprise 2005, when "Million Dollar Baby" edged out "The Aviator" — and with the five nominations "Blood Diamond" received. (In one indication of "The Departed's" underlying strength going forward, Mark Wahlberg was nominated in the supporting category for his profane, explosive depiction of a police official.) "We ended up in a good place," Mr. Horn said. Now that the nominations have been settled, the battle for credits will begin. The academy handout listed the best-picture nominations of both "The Departed" and "Little Miss Sunshine" with "nominees to be determined." The academy will have to decide which of the five producers of "Little Miss Sunshine" deserve a statue, and although Graham King is currently listed, for the purposes of the best-picture nomination, as the sole producer of Warner Brothers' "Departed," Mr. Grey, who packaged the movie as an agent before he came to Paramount, may yet have something to say about that. As murky as that seems, it can be said with certainty that it won't be pretty. And, going forward, the best-picture race was left without a clear favorite, which is great news for the academy. The voters love a contest, and ABC does, too, because television of all kinds thrives on suspense. With a new host, Ellen DeGeneres, and a collection of films that millions of people actually paid money to see, ABC is hoping on reversing a drop-off in viewership and certainly improving on last year's 39 million viewers when the show comes up on Feb. 25. Paula Schwartz contributed reporting for this article. Photos 20th Century Fox Abigail Breslin in "Little Miss Sunshine." The film received an Academy Award nomination for best picture, and Ms. Breslin got a nod for best supporting actress Summit Entertainment Best supporting actress nominee Rinko Kikuchi in best picture nominee "Babel." Merie W. Wallace/Warner Brothers Pictures and DreamWorks Pictures Kazunari Ninomiya as Saigo in Clint Eastwood's "Letters from Iwo Jima," which received nominations for best picture and best director. David James/DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures "Dreamgirls" received eight nominations, including Eddie Murphy for best supporting actor and Jennifer Hudson for best supporting actress. The film was left out of the best picture race. Laurie Sparham/Miramax Films Helen Mirren was nominated in the best actress category for "The Queen," which also received nominations for best picture and best director, Stephen Frears. AFP -- Getty Images Leonardo DiCaprio and Jack Nicholson in best picture nominee "The Departed." Teresa Isasi/Picturehouse Guillermo del Toro's "Pan's Labyrinth" was nominated for best foreign language film. Pedro Almodovar/Sony Pictures Classics Penelope Cruz, left, received a best actress nomination for "Volver." Jaap Buitendijk/Warner Brothers Pictures Academy Award nominees Leonardo DiCaprio (best actor), left, and Djimon Hounsou (best supporting actor) in "Blood Diamond." New Line Cinema Patrick Wilson and Kate Winslet in "Little Children." Ms. Winslet received a nomination for best actress. Neil Davidson/Fox Searchlight Pictures Best actor nominee Forest Whitaker as Idi Amin in "The Last King of Scotland." The Oscar Nominees Published: January 24, 2007 BEST PICTURE "Babel" "The Departed" "Letters From Iwo Jima" "Little Miss Sunshine" "The Queen" ACTOR Leonardo DiCaprio, "Blood Diamond" Ryan Gosling, "Half Nelson" Peter O'Toole, "Venus" Will Smith, "The Pursuit of Happyness" Forest Whitaker, "The Last King of Scotland" ACTRESS Penélope Cruz , "Volver" Judi Dench, "Notes on a Scandal" Helen Mirren, "The Queen" Meryl Streep, "The Devil Wears Prada" Kate Winslet, "Little Children" SUPPORTING ACTOR Alan Arkin, "Little Miss Sunshine" Jackie Earle Haley, "Little Children" Djimon Hounsou, "Blood Diamond" Eddie Murphy, "Dreamgirls" Mark Wahlberg, "The Departed" SUPPORTING ACTRESS Adriana Barraza, "Babel" Cate Blanchett, "Notes on a Scandal" Abigail Breslin, "Little Miss SunShine" Jennifer Hudson, "Dreamgirls" Rinko Kikuchi, "Babel" DIRECTOR Clint Eastwood, "Letters From Iwo Jima" Stephen Frears, "The Queen" Paul Greengrass, "United 93" Alejandro González Iñárritu, "Babel" Martin Scorsese, "The Departed" ANIMATED FEATURE FILM "Cars" "Happy Feet" "Monster House" DOCUMENTARY FEATURE "Deliver Us From Evil" "An Inconvenient Truth" "Iraq in Fragments" "Jesus Camp" "My Country, My Country" ADAPTED SCREENPLAY "Borat" "Children of Men" "The Departed" "Little Children" "Notes on a Scandal" ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY "Babel" "Letters From Iwo Jima" "Little Miss Sunshine" "Pan's Labyrinth" "The Queen" Copyright by The New York Times 2007

27 de Junio 1969, Stonewall Inn. NYC.

LOS REBELDES DEL STONEWALL INN Por ALAKAZU. Buenos Aires. Argentina.

La noche que ha pasado a la historia como el principio de la liberación gay comenzó en realidad poco antes de la medianoche del viernes 27 de junio de 1969, cuando la policía del Sexto Distrito de Manhattan realizaba una batida de rutina en Stonewall Inn, un local de ambiente de la calle Christopher, en pleno Greenwich Village neoyorquino.

Este tipo de batidas se habían convertido en un procedimiento habitual durante toda la década de 1960. Así se clausuraban bares gays, que solían carecer de permiso para despachar bebidas alcohólicas, se maltrataba a la clientela, en ocasiones se la arrestaba, y aparecían sus nombres publicados en la prensa, con lo cual se arruinaban vidas y reputaciones. Era uno más de los riesgos de ser homosexual, y los clientes lo soportaban porque era evidente que no había otra forme de relacionarse entre ellos.

En Junio de 1969, la ciudad de Nueva York se encontraba en plena campaña de elecciones municipales, y el alcalde anterior John Lindsay, que acababa de perder las primarias de su partido estaba buscando la manera de reforzar su imagen de político duro sobre el "vicio", Stonewall Inn era el tercer local de ambiente que se visitaba esa semana. Provistos de una orden de registro (el bar no tenía licencia para despachar bebidas alcohólicas), los policías entraron, interrogaron a la clientela y les hicieron salir de uno en uno. Pero en lugar de correr a esconderse en la noche, alrededor de unos doscientos clientes, incluidas las drag queens puertorriqueñas, los chaperos y unas cuantas lesbianas, permanecieron a la entrada del bar. Cuando la policía conducía al encargado, al portero y a tres drag queens hacia el furgón policial, la multitud prorrumpió en gritos de burla. La última clienta que sacaron a empujones fue una lesbiana varonil que se resistió a la policía cuando trataban de meterla en el vehículo. De repente la escena explotó.

La multitud atacó a la policía con adoquines, botellas, monedas y basura. Cuando la policía se retiró al interior del bar, rompieron un parquímetro que había en la acera y trataron de abatir la puerta con él. Surgieron llamas en el interior. Los refuerzos policiales lograron rescatar a los hombres rodeados, aunque cuatro resultaron heridos. La revuelta prosiguió hasta altas horas de la noche; grandes multitudes atacaban a la policía, se dispersaban por calles laterales y pasadizos, para reagruparse posteriormente. A la mañana siguiente, el vecindario estaba lleno de pintadas. En el escaparate tapiado de Stonewall Inn se leía VIVA EL PODER GAY. Esa noche se reanudaron las revueltas, aparecieron fuegos por todo el barrio, y más de dos mil gays y lesbianas se enfrentaron a cuatrocientos policías antidisturbios armados con porras. Según el historiador John d'Emilio fue "la primera revuelta gay de la historia".

Lillian Faderman, la historiadora lesbiana, situó la rebelión de Stonewall dentro de su contexto con la siguiente observación: "Las quejas de los negros, los estudiantes y los pobres, que habían sido incontenibles durante gran parte de la década de los sesenta, contribuyeron a que las masas de homosexuales se atrevieran por fin a plantear sus propias quejas. No podría haber habido una revuelta de gays y lesbianas en ningún momento histórico anterior. Pero si por casualidad se hubiese producido, no habría tenido la importancia que tuvo en 1969. El movimiento de liberación gay surgió como idea cuando le llegó el momento. La rebelión de Stonewall fue decisiva porque aglutinó este movimiento y se convirtió en un símbolo para el poder de gays y lesbianas. Al recurrir a la misma táctica dramática de protesta violenta que estaban aplicando otros grupos oprimidos, los sucesos de Stonewall implicaban que los homosexuales tenían tantos motivos de queja como aquéllos. Sirvió para recordar a los homosexuales, en el momento justo de esta época de rebelión general, que había llegado la hora de hacer oír su voz entre las que clamaban por la liberación". En la rebelión de Stonewall no se pudo identificar a ningún "líder" concreto, sino que en realidad se trató de una acción colectiva de una comunidad de individuos impulsados por años de opresión que finalmente se decidieron a oponer una resistencia activa. Un mes después de lo de Stonewall se había creado el Frente de Liberación Gay, un grupo tan militante y enérgico como la antigua Sociedad Mattachine (fundada por Harry Hay) había sido precavida y diplomática. Al cabo de un año se formaron docenas de grupos de liberación gay en todo el país. Era el comienzo de la revolución. La vida de los gays y las lesbianas ya no volvería a ser igual que antes.

Todos los que aquella noche estaban en el Stonewall, y los que actuaron en los días siguientes, (la mayoría de clase obrera, inmigrantes, hombres varoniles o afeminados, mujeres femeninas o varoniles, blancos y negros, y casi todos anónimos para la historia), no tenían ni idea de la influencia que su rebelión iba a tener en la vida de todas las personas homosexuales.