[lit-ideas] Iran outraged by Hollywood war epic
- From: "Lawrence Helm"<lawrencehelm@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "Lit-Ideas" <Lit-Ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 14 Mar 2007 16:18:43 +0000
My impression is that if some European nation had let a movie like this slip
through their censors and make it to the theatres, the president of that nation
along with his entire cabinet accompanied by the parliament would apologize to
the nearest imam with abject contrition. From what the David Kahane article
said, there are plenty of Left leaning Americans willing to do that as well --
the usual suspects -- but has anyone of an official capacity done that? I hope
not.
Lawrence
Iran outraged by Hollywood war epic
Tue Mar 13, 8:09 AM ET
War epic "300", a smash hit in the United States for its gory portrayal of the
Greco-Persian wars, has drawn the wrath of Iranians for showing their ancestors
as bloodthirsty "savages".
The press, officials and bloggers have united in denouncing the film as another
example of "psychological warfare" against Tehran by its American arch enemy at
a time of mounting tension over its nuclear programme.
"Hollywood declares war on Iranians," said the headline in the reformist daily
Ayandeh-No of the film which tells the story of the 300 Spartan soldiers
fighting off ancient Persians in the Battle of Thermopylae.
"It seeks to tell people that Iran, which is in the Axis of Evil now, has for
long been the source of evil and modern Iranians' ancestors are the ugly
murderous dumb savages you see in '300'," fumed the paper on its front page.
A cultural advisor to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad described the film as
"American psychological warfare against Iran."
"American cultural officials thought they could get mental satisfaction by
plundering Iran's historic past and insulting this civilization," Javad
Shamaghdari told semi-official Fars news agency.
Three MPs in the Iranian parliament have also written to the foreign ministry
to protest to the production and screening of this "anti-Iranian Hollywood
film".
The film has already proved a major box office hit in the United States and,
unsurprisingly, Greece.
It is highly improbable the film would ever be screened in the Islamic republic
but contraband DVDs of the latest American movies are often available on the
streets no sooner that they are internationally released.
Cyber savvy Iranians have already started online petitions and set off "Google
bombs" against "300".
The furore over "300" is by no means the first time Iran has been left fuming
over Western portrayals of its ancient history.
Iranians were also enraged by the 2004 epic 'Alexander' about the conquest of
the Persian Empire and a notorious 2005 British newspaper review of an
exhibition of antiquities which branded ancient Persia the "Evil Empire".
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