There's no specific reference to being gay/effeminate outside of the ridiculous costume, but there IS an implied "sexual degeneracy" about the Persians (as there is also for the Ephors who we're again not meant to like). When you get the DVD you will see that in the harem scene there is not only a transvestite but a concubine who has no arms! This is certainly not the only time that the movie equates physical deformity with degeneracy and corruption (which I found most distasteful), although in other places it is far more obvious.Semiramis wrote:Efstathios, your post piqued my interest, so I had to check it out on IMDB. Gawd! He looked quite suited to play a Persian in the movie I saw him in, where he plays a Spanish guy I think. But... em... Whats up with the dark make up and girlie jewellery? So now he's swarthy and effeminate... Please tell me he's not gay as well. That would just complete the trifecta of the "Other"...Efstathios wrote:I hope not like he was dressed in this movie
This movie is not to be seen as a historical representation. Just as an enjoyable epic movie. It has symbolisms. Which are obvious. The ephors, the orc like soldiers, and all that, i think are good representations of the feeling you get for each person. Of course the Iranian people may dissagree, and they have a point.
But anyway, it was a good movie.
Am posting this response rather late because I was reminded of your post whilst reading another recent BMCR review – this time on Spartacus: Film and History The part that caught my attention is this:
My first thought was to flippantly comment that there's nothing new under the sun when it comes to Hollywood, but I think the greater concern is that in letting audiences "know where their sympathies should lie" either Hollywood believes audience perceptions of what it means to be degenerate haven't changed in almost fifty years ... or worse, that they really haven't.Tatum's article ('The character of Marcus Licinius Crassus') is a refreshing shift from the focus of Kirk Douglas' character to that played by the glamorous Laurence Olivier. As he points out, the character in the film is not that found in the pages of Plutarch or Howard Fast, but one could argue that nevertheless the film is faithful to Plutarch in a broader way, since Crassus' function is to be the main contrast with Spartacus. ('Crassus' character, although animated by Laurence Olivier's compelling performance, is, in the end, simply Spartacus reversed', p. 142). With his English accent and bisexuality, Crassus represented degeneration and helped audiences, at least in the US, know where their sympathies should lie.
Best regards,