thread: 2007-03-19 : Tonight we dine
On 2007-04-09, Lachek wrote:
Never attribute to malice what can be attributed to stupidity (or in this case, greed).
You're in charge of casting for 300. You need to pick a bunch of Spartans. You want the movie to be a blockbuster hit. You know that the most basic formula to capture viewer's attention is to have them identify with the protagonist(s). You know that the movie, as an adaptation of a Frank Miller comic, has a predefined target audience of Caucasian males and it is expected to get its largest audience in North America. You know that on average, young Caucasian males who go to see a 2 hour long movie about stylized, over-the-top melee combat aren't your typical Cultural Studies major, deconstructive type (though there are, of course, exceptions) and some may even be confused as to which side to cheer for (I was rather repulsed by the Spartan method of child rearing in the beginning of the movie, for example).
If I were the producer, and my casting director came to me with a large group of people of obvious Greek heritage, I'd have them fired - historical accuracy be damned, this is about Money. Simple as that. :)
