On October 2nd, the “300” RoadShow invaded France, and took over Paris, after an extremely successful first stop in Madrid, the Spanish capital. It was now time to try to seduce “la sexy demoiselle Parisienne”.
Did it work you ask? You bet it did! In fact, she is so smitten now, she impatiently waits for her new love’s return. Their next official date: “the big screen, March 28th 2007, France”.
As an added bonus, just a few days ago, the entire French world was presented with the latest version of the “300” trailer, complete with French subtitles. Then, of course, the rest of the planet discovered it in cyberspace.
On that Monday, Oct 2nd, the WB (Warner), showed their new “300” trailer, along with 6 extended scenes, in the “Gaumont Morigan” theatre, “Champs Elysées”, in Paris. The 30 minutes presentation, totally floored everyone invited to attend, including members of the press, potential film distributors, film critics, and many representatives of the multimedia and internet world.
Zack Snyder, the director (“Dawn of the Dead”), graced the audience with his presence, and gave great detailed explanations of each scene, even delighted them with a Q&A (questions and answers) session, after the show.
Many articles, blogs and interviews have come out since then. Too many for little old “moi” to translate. Here are a few listed below, including some about the new trailer, in French of course. I have translated some interesting passages for you all, the ones I believed you would most enjoy, including a complete article about that RoadShow and one about the trailer’s unveiling. I picked them out from the whole lot. The writer from the RoadShow viewing is just too touching, I couldn’t resist. You can always refer yourselves to those 3 ones from the first RoadShow, Madrid edition, all translated in English, for even more about it. The presentation was carried out in the same manner, they detail exactly what was presented:
http://www.gerardbutler.net/news/news_main.php?Action=Full&NewsID=1466
[/url]
http://www.gerardbutler.net/k2news/news_main.php?Action=Full&NewsID=1461#[/url]
http://www.gerardbutler.net/k2news/news_main.php?Action=Full&NewsID=1464[/url]
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So, enjoy the following people. It looks like that “300” RoadShow is going around the world, and that means that they might even be coming to a city near you soon. Watch out for it!
[i]— Curious Kitty[/i]
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This next one is that cute, touching article:
http://www.dvdrama.com/blog/tib20011/6048/[/url]
[b]Wait and Enjoy: Preview of “300” from Zack Snyder.[/b]
My life, published October 3rd 2006, 4.17.14pm
DVDRAMA (blog):
Just try and imagine this here poor “Dawn of the Dead” fan, who gets enraptured with the film every time he views it, and admittedly watches the “300” trailer in a loop over and over and over again, since it first came out on the net. Now, try and imagine this same poor stupefied fan of Zack Snyder’s work, getting invited no less, along with the other writers of this site, to a special presentation of the first images of “300”, close to 6 months before the movie will officially come out on the big screens in France. Imagine still, your poor servant (mainly me), finding himself sitting in a full housed room, filled with journalists, friendly geeks (one of those from Mad Movies, sporting a “Dawn of the Dead” t-shirt, while another one was carrying a “COUNTER STRIKE” messenger bag), together with a friend and 2 writers who could make it. This is, in a nut shell, what went on this past Monday, October 2nd, at 10am, in the “Champs-Elysées”.
To recap, “300” tells the story of the infamous battle of Thermopylae, from a very imaginative and barbaric point of view. The well known battle of those 300 Spartans, lead by Leonidas, facing Xerxes’s armies, the God-King of Persia, hell bent on crushing Sparta into oblivion. A battle inspiring all of Greece to unite against the dictators and tyrants, trying to destroy their cities.
When I entered the projection room, my eyes went directly to Zack Snyder. I never thought that after 2 years and 39 viewings of “Dawn of the Dead”, I would be privileged enough to have him present at a preview of his latest project. More precisely, to 30 exclusive minutes of images that bring these next thoughts to mind, when coming out of the room: “300” is guaranteed to be one of the best movies of 2007 and will quickly become an instant cult classic for all fans of Frank Miller’s work. It is quite a achievement: nothing like “Sin City” (which started at about the same time pre-production began on “300”, for those who might think that the “blue-screen” idea came right out of Rodriguez”s masterpiece), and Snyder recreated each of the graphic novel’s drawings (for example, a gorgeous scene in which the Persian army falls from a cliff, or Leonidas’s shield protecting his face from the whipping rain storm). After showing the trailer to start, Snyder comes on and announces that he will present and explain, each of the 6 scenes to follow. The director amazes us: he knows his movie by heart, recites it chronologically, with astonishing accuracy and ease, in a relaxed, but still enthusiastic tone, it was very inspiring. The first 10 minutes were overwhelming, and that was just the beginning, there was even more to come. They showed us what a Spartan male child has to go through and endure, all the rituals and physical training required to shape him into a future-king, including a confrontation in with a magnificent wolf, happening while snow is falling.
Then, after a few scenes of extremely powerful dialogue (especially between Xerxes and Leonidas, where Gerard Butler stands his grounds impressively), and a particularly realistic sex sequence (you see, the Spartan heroes, as in the graphic novel, walk around in the buff), we are treated to the most impressive scene of all. The CGI effects not even being finished, and we still get completely thrown by what we see, total “in your face” action, of the first battle of the movie, where after brilliant strategic moves to push back the Persians, King Leonidas charges ahead against them, solo, to resounding music, in a side view sequence, laced with zooms, and amazing slow-motion action, where he cuts off the arms and legs of his enemies with raging force. It was positively orgasmic. Then, in the next scene, we see beautiful shots of the Persian ships being destroyed by the sea, and sinking, with no chance of making it to shore, before seeing another battle scene, in which this time, we see the army of the Immortals overpowering the Spartans. The projection ends, and the fun is only starting.
When I got up, I saw Zack Snyder standing alone next to his publicist, while other journalists were just leaving after the Q&A session. My heart was beating so fast, but I still decided to approach him. Some man goes on before me, but it still doesn’t brake my confidence, and I hand Zack my “collector’s” copy of “Dawn of the Dead” and 4 “300” posters for him to autograph, and he happily signs away, while talking music score and special effects with others. I was so disappointed in myself at that point, for not at least telling him how much I have enjoyed his work, too late now right? Oh well… But, leaving the main room, we get treated some more, and this time, to a delicious cocktail moment, organized by Warner. I decided to stay, and enjoy it. My instincts were so right: Zack came out, and I made my move towards him, while he’s watching a trailer for “Flags of our Fathers”, and waiting to go to the restroom… Interesting anecdote: I’m actually thinking of going for the urinal stand right next to him (told you it was interesting). So, I start getting closer and I shout out “Hi”, stopping him in his…activity. He warmly smiles, and I confess my devotion to his work for 5 minutes: that I’m a huge fan of “Dawn of the Dead”, that I’ve seen it close to 40 times, that I constantly amuse myself, listening to the audio commentaries with him and Eric Newman, and that for me, his first feature film was one of the most powerful ones of the genre I have seen in the last few years, next too “The Hills Have Eyes” and “The Descent”. He thanks me for my kind words, and I go on with the rest of my life.
Leaving the cinema, I thank the very nice Warner representative for this wonderful invitation and gladly take one of those goody bags filled with promotional material, that the hostesses are handing out. I was expecting just a poster and something else, but instead, I am totally flabbergasted by what I find. In there, are things I really wasn’t expecting: a t-shirt with the movie’s logo on it, and a copy of Frank Miller’s graphic novel, that I was just planning to buy that very evening (it costs 20 Euros by the way). I’m overcome with joy. I have just spent one of the best days of my life. On March 28th 2007, I will certainly shed a tear or two, when the credits roll off at the end of the movie, and I start remembering this incredible day…
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And this next one is a beauty, about the trailer:
http://allocine.blogs.allocine.fr/allocine-56561-_Spartans_tonight_we_dine_in_Hell_.htm[/url]
[b]”Spartans, tonight, we dine in HELL!!!”[/b]
By AlloCine, September 25th- 9.44am
“300”, or how to calm down a cinema room filled with distributors and exhibitors (and a few random movie critics, plus this here writer). Unveiled at the “61th Cinema Exhibitors Convention”, the trailer for Zack Snyder’s “300”, adapted from Frank Miller’s graphic novel (also creator of “Sin City”), clearly made waves at the event in Lyon, standing up as a film to look out for, in the year to come (2007).
Thanks to the miracle of the WEB, some of those secretly guarded images have already been leaked on the net, by a whole clan of eager clandestine users, even before being shown to the “right” people in the industry, then be taken off the net, and put back on again. We have to admit that we’ve been playing the trailer in a loop ever since Friday, amazed by the images and especially by the raw brutality of a Gerard Butler performance, in his amazing Spartan get up.
Yes, that guy from “Dracula 2000”, “THE” Phantom of the Opera, and also from “Timeline”, that we’ll get to see again in the 30 minutes special preview presentation, that will exclusively be show next Monday. We are already salivating at the thought. When Gerard rules… and ROARS!
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[b]
All these next ones are extracts from some of those other articles and blogs: [/b]
http://www.cinempire.com/films/news/10354.html
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“The scene sequences, all presented by Zack Snyder, were just breath taking! It was nothing less than amazing, moving images right out of the graphic novel. The world that Frank Miller created came to life, and was brilliantly rendered.”
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http://www.cinema-france.com/news2670_300-la-preview.html[/url]
“Although we cannot comment on the quality of the entire film, based on what we have seen, we can fully admit that we believe this movie will be a smashing success and will certainly please Frank Miller.”
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http://www.commeaucinema.com/news.php3?nominfos=67226[/url]
“This movie promises a lot, the first images are amazing, true to Frank Miller’s graphic novel. Violence, power, honor, freedom, those are the messages taken from this strong production. Sequences right out of the visual universe of the book, totally mastered, and rendering the essence of the original work.”
“Authentic, that describes Zack Snyder’s style! “300” shows that his vision is unique, a pure take on the graphic novel, certainly not a commercial one.”
“The special montage we saw at the press conference, made us want to see the rest of the adventures of Leonidas and his men, right then and there. It’s an harmonious blend of science-fiction and realism. “300”, will certainly shake off the preconceived mental images the world has of ancient Greece.
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http://cinetribulations.blogs.com/tribulations/2006/10/miller_300_et_r.html[/url]
[b]Miller, “300” and a graphic revolution…[/b]
“March 28th 2007, France, is a date to remember. It will be the premiere of a movie (“300″) that will totally change your opinions on the use of CGI in movies, for the better.”
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http://www.dvdrama.com/news.php?16969&page=2[/url]
” Gerard Butler, is still a relatively unknown actor, but certainly not for long, after this movie hits the big screens. He was hand picked to portray the main character (King Leonidas). It wasn’t the first time that Zack Snyder chose someone very specific for a role. He surprised everyone when he chose the frail looking Sarah Polley for “Dawn of the Dead”. Butler was also visibly chosen for his undeniable resemblance to Leonidas, and his ability to be, more than just play, a stoic presence. The actor is ideally charismatic, and he had to be, to be believable as the leader of 300 men, who made their mark in history.”
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http://www.actuacine.net/2006/exclus/300.htm[/url]
” To play the role of King Leonidas, the director turned to Gerard Butler, an actor little known by the general public, which films include: “Tomb Raider 2” and “Timeline”. The studio trusted Snyder’s choice and gave him the green light.”
“In the role of King Leonidas, Butler in unrecognizable, with his strong stature and impressive charisma, the actor will now be able to shut up all his critics: he has never been more convincing than with his portrayal of Leonidas!”
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http://www.ecranlarge.com/dossier-331.php[/url]
“All the hard work of the special effects department, the CGI graphics, the director and writers, would have meant nothing, without the actors. They had to be trained intensely, follow a strict program, fit for real Spartan soldiers. Including Gerard Butler as their leader, they all have very impressive physiques, and became experts at the art of combat.”
“With his massive musculature and dark stare, as King Leonidas, Gerard Butler totally renders the exact feel for the character in the graphic novel, and doesn’t disappoint. He might be a relatively unknown actor now, but with his incarnation of the powerful and charismatic legendary King, that will certainly change in the near future.”
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Here are some those French links (there are even more out there, believe it or not):
http://www.cinegenre.net/archives.html[/url]
http://www.ecranlarge.com/dossier-331.php[/url]
http://www.cine-max.net/Dossiers/D-P_300.php[/url]
http://www.fichesducinema.com/spip/article.php3?id_article=144[/url]
http://www.cinempire.com/films/news/10354.html[/url]
http://www.sceneario.com/news2.php?idNews=480[/url]
http://www.premiere.fr/en-bref/2006/10/300-premieres-images.html[/url]
http://www.cinempire.com/films/news/10363.html[/url]
http://www.cinempire.com/films/news/10354.html[/url]
http://www.cinema-france.com/news2670_300-la-preview.html[/url]
http://www.scifi-universe.com/fiche_actu.asp?id=4548[/url]
http://www.rockdetente.com/partenaires/cinoche/default.asp?page=actualite&id=1237[/url]
http://www.commeaucinema.com/news.php3?nominfos=67226[/url]
http://allocine.blogs.allocine.fr/allocine-56561-_Spartans_tonight_we_dine_in_Hell_.htm[/url]
http://cinetribulations.blogs.com/tribulations/2006/10/miller_300_et_r.html[/url]
http://www.dvdrama.com/news.php?16969&page=2[/url]
http://www.dvdrama.com/blog/tib20011/6048/[/url]
http://www.actuacine.net/2006/exclus/300.htm[/url]