300 and counting…
Who knew 300 was such a big deal! When I wrote my story on Iranian reaction to the film a few days ago, I imagined it was a mildly popular sandal epic. But judging from its box office sales and the fascination with how the movie has been received in Iran, it’s apparently at least as popular as anything featuring Uma Thurman. I’ve spent a couple of days pondering why Americans would be surprised, displeased even, that such a film would elicit the sort of response it has met in Iran.
Yes, it’s ‘just’ based on a graphic novel, an entertainment commodity, etc. And perhaps if modern day Iran/ancient Persia were located somewhere between Norway and Finland, rather than between Iraq and Afghanistan, Iranian-Persians would render tranquil aesthetic judgment. But Iran is squished directly between two nations that have been recently invaded by the U.S. military, and Tehran is currently the target of some pretty intense American saber-rattling. That means anxiety is running high, and people are naturally apt to view everything — movies, UN resolutions – through a prism that refracts this nervousness. And after all, Hollywood itself has produced films that encourage this sort of thinking, even during peaceful times (remember Wag the Dog?). Modern geo-politics aside, though, I think all nations are vulnerable to the perils of historical egoism. I don’t imagine Americans would appreciate an Iranian film portraying, say, the leaders of the Boston Tea Party as pillaging savages. And to this natural tendency a generous helping of twentieth century antagonism, such as exists between Iran and the United States, and you can understand why 300 didn’t register here as simply dumb.
300 Versus 70 Million Iranians
All of Tehran was outraged. Everywhere I went yesterday, the talk vibrated with indignation over the film 300 — a movie no one in Iran has seen but everyone seems to know about since it became a major box office surprise in the U.S. As I stood in line for a full hour to buy ajeel, a mixture of dried fruits and nuts traditional to the start of Persian new year festivities, I felt the entire queue, composed of housewives with pet dogs, teenagers, and clerks from a nearby ministry, shake with fury. I hadn’t even heard of the film until that morning when a screed about it came on the radio, so I was able to nod darkly with the rest of the shoppers, savoring a moment of public accord so rare in Tehran. Everywhere else I went, from the dentist to the flower shop, Iranians buzzed with resentment at the film’s depictions of Persians, adamant that the movie was secretly funded by the U.S. government to prepare Americans for going to war against Iran. “Otherwise why now, if not to turn their people against us?” demanded an elderly lady buying tuberoses. “Yes, truly it is a grave offense,” I said, shaking my own bunch of irises.