History Trivia / ThreeHundred

* ActorInspiredElement: Leonidas was not supposed to yell "THIS IS SPARTA!" initially. Creator/GerardButler made several takes saying it on a firm but low-key tone and thought it didn't achieve much effect, then did one take yelling it. Creator/ZackSnyder loved it and they did another take with him yelling it, the one that ended up in the movie.

* ActorInspiredElement: Leonidas was not supposed to yell "THIS IS SPARTA!" initially. Creator/GerardButler made several takes saying it on a firm but low-key tone and thought it didn't achieve much effect, then did one take yelling it. Creator/ZackSnyder loved it this way, and they did another take, the one that ended up in the movie.

* ActorInspiredElement: Leonidas was not supposed to yell "THIS IS SPARTA!" initially. Creator/GerardButler made several takes saying it on a firm but low-key tone, then did one take yelling it. Creator/ZackSnyder loved it this way, and they did another take, the one that ended up in the movie.

* AwesomeDearBoy: Creator/GerardButler noted that he's wanted the role so badly that when afraid that Alan Horn (president of Creator/WarnerBros at the time) would veto him, he'd prepared an entire speech about how his entire life and career had led to him taking the role of Leonidas.

** This is hardly without precedent, though. In British translations of classical Greek literature, it's traditional to render the Spartan's Doric Greek dialect into English with a heavy Scots accent, to give them the feeling of a more rough, "unrefined" culture compared to the Athenians, who usually speak RP. In American translations the Spartans are usually [[EverythingsBigInTexas Texans]].

** There's a good [[DramaticPause twenty-second pause]] between the ambassador saying "This is madness!" and Leonidas responding with his famous line. Understandably, people usually omit the long pause when they're quoting the film. In addition, Leonidas says "Madness? THIS. IS. SPARTA!" but is usually quoted as "No, THIS. IS. SPARTA!"

** Leonidas full quote is "Spartans! Ready your breakfast and eat hearty, for tonight we dine IN HELL!", but it's commonly shortened to "Spartans! Tonight we dine ''in hell''!" as it is in the trailer.

* FakeNationality: There is not a single Greek or Iranian actor in a film about a battle between Greeks and Iranians ([[MyFriendsAndZoidberg And Syrians]]. [[OverlyLongGag And Assyirnas]]. And [[LongList Chaldeans, Jews, Egyptians, Phoenicians and everyone else in the Achaemenid Empire]].)

* FakeNationality: There is not a single Greek or Iranian actor in a film about a battle between Greeks and Iranians.

** There's a good [[DramaticPause twenty-second pause]] between the ambassador saying "This is madness!" and Leonidas responding with his famous line. Understandably, people usually omit the long pause when they're quoting the film.

* FollowTheLeader: Follows ''Film/SinCity'', also an heavily stylized adaptation of Creator/FrankMiller comics. Also follows the general SwordAndSandal trend revived by ''Film/{{Gladiator}}'', and more loosely, the action fantasy trend revived by ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'' trilogy.

* DyeingForYourArt: The movie is a gigantic parade of special effects. The monsters, the blood, the surreal colors, none of it is real. But the ludicrously chiselled bodies of the Spartans? [[http://www.gymjones.com/knowledge.php?id=35 Quite authentic.]] The actors playing the Spartans, as well as the stunt crew, went through TrainingFromHell in order to earn those abs the hard way. For a sense of solidarity with his actors and to "feel like a Spartan" himself, director Creator/ZackSnyder did too.

** This is hardly without precedent, though. In British translations of classical Greek literature, it's traditional to render the Spartan's Doric Greek dialect into English with a heavy Scots accent, to give them the feeling of a more rough, "unrefined" culture compared to the Athenians, who usually speak RP. In American translations the Spartans are usually [[EverythingsBig InTexas Texans]].

* DawsonCasting: An inversion. The actual Leonidas was sixty when he died. Gerard Butler was well under sixty when he played the Spartan king.
* DyeingForYourArt: The movie is a gigantic parade of special effects. The monsters, the blood, the surreal colors, none of it is real. But the ludicrously chiseled bodies of the Spartans? [[http://www.gymjones.com/knowledge.php?id=35 Quite authentic.]] The actors playing the Spartans, as well as the stunt crew, went through TrainingFromHell in order to earn those abs the hard way. For a sense of solidarity with his actors and to "feel like a Spartan" himself, director Creator/ZackSnyder did too.

** This is hardly without precedent, though. In British translations of classical Greek literature, it's traditional to render the Spartan's Doric Greek dialect into English with a heavy Scots accent, to give them the feeling of a more rough, "unrefined" culture compared to the Athenians, who usually speak RP. In American translations the Spartans are usually [[EverythingsBigInTexas Texans]].
* FollowTheLeader: Follows ''Film/SinCity'', also an heavily stylized adaptation of Frank Miller comics. Also follows the general SwordAndSandal trend revived by ''Film/{{Gladiator}}'', and more loosely, the action fantasy trend revived by ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'' trilogy.
* RecursiveAdaptation: The film was based on a Frank Miller comic based on his view of the film ''[[Film/The300Spartans The 300 Spartans]]''... as in he loved it when he saw it as a child, later saw it as an adult and hated it, so he wrote a comic using his childhood memories as the basis - he used a NostalgiaFilter to ''enhance'' the work! The reason it hits the RatedMForManly button is because it's based around that integral process!
* RetroactiveRecognition: [[Creator/MichaelFassbender Stelios]] is a apparently a distant ancestor of [[Film/XMenFirstClass Magneto]].
* StarMakingRole: For Gerard Butler. Subverted with Lena Headey as her star making role is today remembered as ''Series/GameOfThrones''.
* ThrowItIn: The Oracle's words are actually just ad-libbed gibberish by the actress who played her. Zack Snyder was delighted that she worked the word "Carneia" into it.
** The '''[[PunctuatedForEmphasis THIS! IS SPARTA!]]''' line as well. The original comic never gave emphasis as to how the line was deliverd. Gerard Butler went ahead and hammed it, and the rest is history.

* GeniusBonus: Leonidas calling the Athenians "boy lovers" isn't an insult on their homosexuality. Athens prohibits ''over-aged'' prostitutes. Leonidas was saying Athenians are a bunch of wimps for not having sex with "real" men.

* RecursiveAdaptation: The film was based on a Frank Miller comic based on his view of the film ''The 300 Spartans''... as in he loved it when he saw it as a child, later saw it as an adult and hated it, so he wrote a comic using his childhood memories as the basis - he used a NostalgiaFilter to ''enhance'' the work! The reason it hits the RatedMForManly button is because it's based around that integral process!

* HeyItsThatGuy: Besides the below, Theron is of all people [[TheWire McNulty]]

* HeyItsThatGuy:
** Discounting the main cast, the Persian messenger is Hammond from ''VideoGame/DeadSpace'', and Xerxes is, of all characters, Paulo from ''Series/{{Lost}}''.
** [[Series/TheWire Jimmy McNulty]] as Theron continues with his philandering ways.
** And [[Creator/MichaelFassbender Stelios]] is a young [[Film/XMenFirstClass Magneto]].
** [[Creator/LenaHeadey Queen Gorgo]] is [[TheSarahConnorChronicles Sarah Connor]]... or should we say, [[Series/GameOfThrones Queen Cersei Lannister]], who is a much nicer person this time around (and more faithful to her husband, [[spoiler: even if she does get sexed up by another man]]).
** [[RealLifeRelative Eli Snyder]] is the young Leonidas and would later play a young [[Film/{{Watchmen}} Rorschach]].
** [[Creator/GerardButler THIS! IS!]] [[Film/ThePhantomOfTheOpera2004 OPERA!]]
** The Spartan Captain was also a captain under [[Film/{{Troy}} Achilles.]]
** And yes, that's [[Series/SpartacusBloodAndSand Oenomaus]] getting kicked into the bottomless pit. Looks like he TookALevelInBadass since then!
* HeyItsThatVoice: In the Japanese dub:
** [[Creator/JojiNakata Leonidas is]] [[Anime/{{Hellsing}} Alucard]], [[VisualNovel/FateStayNight Kirei Kotomine]] and [[KeroroGunsou Giroro]]. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPjffXLJ2sM And he's as hammier as Gerard Butler is in English]].
** [[Creator/KenjiNomura The Persian Messenger is]] [[VideoGame/BlazBlue Iron Tager.]]
** Xerxes was the Brazilian voice of StuartLittle.

** And Stelios is a young [[Creator/MichaelFassbender Magneto]].
** Queen Gorgo is [[TheSarahConnorChronicles Sarah Connor]]

** [[Series/GameOfThrones Queen Cersei]] is a much nicer person this time around (and more faithful to her husband [[spoiler: even if she does get sexed up by another man]]).

* StarMakingRole: For Gerard Butler.
** [[Series/GameOfThrones Queen Cersei]] is a much nicer person this time around (and more faithful to her husband [[spoiler: even if she does get sexed up by another man]]).
** And yes, that's [[Series/SpartacusBloodAndSand Oenomaus]] getting kicked into the bottomless pit. Looks like he TookALevelInBadass since then!

** [[Creator/JojiNakata Leonidas is]] [[Anime/{{Hellsing}} Alucard]], [[FateStayNight Kirei Kotomine]] and [[KeroroGunsou Giroro]]. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPjffXLJ2sM And he's as hammier as Gerard Butler is in English]].

** And Stelios is a young [[MichaelFassbender Magneto]].

* RetroactiveRecognition: [[MichaelFassbender Stelios]] is a apparently a distant ancestor of [[Film/XMenFirstClass Magneto]].

* FollowTheLeader: Follows ''Film/SinCity'', also an heavily stylized adaptation of Frank Miller comics. Also follows the general SwordAndSandal trend revived by ''Film/{{Gladiator}}'', and more loosely, the action fantasy trend revived by Film/TheLordOfTheRings'' trilogy.