The 300 Spartans (1962)

Director:

Rudolph Maté

Writers:

Gian Paolo Callegari (original story material)
Remigio Del Grosso (original story material)
(more)

Release Date:

August 1962 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | History | War

Plot:

Essentially true story of how Spartan king Leonidas led an extremely small army of Greek Soldiers (300...

Plot Keywords:

Persian | Greece | Spartan | Soldier | Warrior

Cast

Richard Egan	...	King Leonidas
Ralph Richardson	...	Themistocles of Athens (as Sir Ralph Richardson)
Diane Baker	...	Ellas
Barry Coe	...	Phylon
David Farrar	...	Xerxes
Donald Houston	...	Hydarnes
Anna Synodinou	...	Gorgo
Kieron Moore	...	Ephialtes
John Crawford	...	Agathon the Spartan Spy
Robert Brown	...	Pentheus
Laurence Naismith	...	First Delegate
Anne Wakefield	...	Artemisa
Ivan Triesault	...	Demaratus
Charles Fawcett	...	Megistias
Michalis Nikolinakos	...	Myron (as Michael Nikolinakos)
Sandro Giglio	...	Xenathon
Anna Raftopoulou	...	Toris
Dimos Starenios	...	Samos
Yorgos Moutsios	...	Grellas (as George Moutsios)
Nikos Papakonstantinou	...	Mardonius (as N. Papaconstantinou)
John G. Contes	...	Artovadus
Marietta Flemotomos	...	Woman at Shield Ceremony

Directed by
Rudolph Maté

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Gian Paolo Callegari		original story material
Remigio Del Grosso		original story material
Giovanni d'Eramo		original story material (as Giovanni D'Eramo)
Ugo Liberatore		original story material (as Ugo Liberatori)
George St. George		written by

Produced by
Rudolph Maté	....	producer
George St. George	....	producer

Original Music by
Manos Hatzidakis

Cinematography by
Geoffrey Unsworth

Film Editing by
Jerry Webb		(as Jerome Webb)

Art Direction by
Arrigo Equini

Costume Design by
Ginette Devaud

Makeup Department
George Frost	....	makeup artist
Amato Garbini	....	makeup artist
Vasco Reggiani	....	hair stylist

Production Management
William Eckhardt	....	production manager (as William G. Eckhardt)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Erricos Andreou	....	assistant director (as Eric Andreou)
Fred R. Simpson	....	assistant director
Richard Talmadge	....	second unit director

Art Department
Enzo Constantini	....	set dresser
Carlo Gentili	....	set dresser

Sound Department
Rusty Coppleman	....	sound editor
David Hildyard	....	sound
Winston Ryder	....	sound editor (as Win Ryder)
Edgar Vetter	....	sound recordist (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Jerry Kalogeratos	....	photographer: second unit (as Jerry Kalogerados)
Cyril J. Knowles	....	photographer: second unit (as Cyril Knowles)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Anna Maria Feo	....	wardrobe mistress (as Anna Maria Fea)

Editorial Department
John Crome	....	assistant editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Manos Hatzidakis	....	conductor

Other crew
Major Cleanthis Damianos	....	military advisor
Paul Nord	....	historical story advisor
Maggie Unsworth	....	continuity (as Maggie Shipway)
Helen Whitson	....	continuity
Ted Zarpas	....	assistant to producers
Harriet Medin	....	dialogue coach (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (presents) (as Twentieth Century-Fox)

Distributors

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1962) (USA) (theatrical)
• Centfox (1962) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1966) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• ClassicLine (2007) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment Germany (2005) (Germany) (DVD)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (19??) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2005) (Netherlands) (DVD)

Other Companies

• American International Video Search Inc.  video
• Casa d'Arte di Firenze  costumes made by (as Peruzzi's Casa D'Arte di Firenze)
• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation  CinemaScope is the registered trademark of

Also Known As:

Lion of Sparta

Runtime:

114 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (certificate #29936) | Australia:G | West Germany:12 (nf) | Malaysia:U (DVD) | Singapore:PG | Germany:12 (DVD rating) | Finland:K-12 | UK:PG | UK:U (cut)

Filming Locations:

Athens, Greece

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Average Shot Length = ~6.6 seconds. Median Shot Length = ~6.1 seconds.

Goofs:

Continuity: Phylon was ordered to use torches to light the hay by pretending to be dead. He was clearly given 4 torches, however, when we cross to him later, he only has 2 torches.

Quotes:

Narrator: "Oh, Stranger, tell the Spartans that we lie here obedient to their word." This last message of the fallen heroes rallied Greece to victory, first at Salamis, as predicted, and then at Plataea. But it was more than a victory for Greece. It was a stirring example to free people throughout the world of what a few brave men can accomplish once they refuse to submit to tyranny.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Watchmen (2009)

Very credible job

This was one of the last of the great sword-and-sandal epics. Unlike many before it or since, it managed to get the facts generally correct. The story, recorded in Herodotus, concerns a small band of troops from Sparta who held off the advance of the Persian army in the 5th century B.C. In doing so, they gave their fellow Greeks time to organise a larger army. Themes include: democracy vs. despotism, and sacrifice for the sake of the common good. Ever stoic Richard Egan (star of "Pollyanna," "Esther and the King," and other fun films) does a great job of projecting the inner strength of Spartan leader Leonidas. This film is not to be missed and ranks with other memorable epics of the 1960s, such as "The Long Ships". Note: this is newly remastered and should not be confused with the botched version released some months prior.