The
ntertainment
Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2007
Clackamas
‘300’ star, director interview
about.”
David Stark
The Clackamas Print
On March 9, 2007, 300, the film adap
tation of Frank Miller’s graphic novel
about the battle of Thermopylae, will hit
theaters in the U.S. The film is directed by
Zack Snyder (Dawn of the Dead) and stars
Gerard Butler (Phantom of the Opera).
Recently, The Clackamas Print had a
chance to interview Snyder and Butler.
Here are a few excerpts from those
interviews:
Interview' with Zack Snyder:
How involved was Frank Miller in the
film’s production?
“Frank was involved to different
degrees than Sin City ... He was worried
about me screwing up his book.”
What were the challenges in writing
the screenplay?
“I think the biggest challenge in writing
the screenplay, and the reason I wanted to
write it, is that I didn’t want it turned into
a movie ... I didn’t want to Hollywood-
ize it.
“When I made Dawn, I just wanted to
make a film that looked cool... really just
a film to satisfy my own sensibilities.”
What do you feel about the parallels
with current events?
“We didn’t really think about it... My
intent was really just to get at the Spartan
aesthetic and the Spartan frame of mind.”
How does 300 compare with other
historical epics, such as Troy and
Alexander?
“I think ... about 300, [that it is] a
movie that tries to reinvent the genre and
experience. I hope we’ve created some
thing that the sword and sandals genres
will be rocked [by].”
Were you intimidated about work
ing with Frank Miller and the massive
undertaking of the film?
“I would say that I was probably more
intimidated by working with Frank than
by the massive undertaking that making
the movie was.”
How do you cast something like this?
“It’s hard, but I’m of the mind that in a
graphic novel, that people should look like
the drawings.”
How did it work with a film that was
entirely green screen shooting?
“Only, look, by not shooting the movie
outside, what basically happened was that
we got closer to the look Frank had in the
book.”
How much historical research did you
do for this movie?
“I would do arduous research and then
not use any of it.”
Sin City had big names, and none in
300?
“I think, to some extent, we wanted
the movie to be the star ... On the other
hand, I don’t think there’s a movie without
Gerry Butler; he is Leonidas.”
Do you have any word for aspiring
directors?
“Make sure you chase down and try
Were there difficulties making the
and do the thing you feel passionate film?
“The truth
is, making a
movie’s hard.
And making a
movie entire
ly on green
screen
with
lots of fighting
in it: fricking
MARYLHURST UNIVERSITY
Internet®
Director Zack Snyder (center) speaks with Gerard Butler (right) on the set of their lat
est film, 300. The film, which is based on a Frank Miller graphic novel, opens March 9
completely unapologetic for their way
living.”
■
How did 300 compare with other fill
you’d been in?
■
“It was all filmed in one big blool
Interview with Gerard Butler:
warehouse, and that was weird ...I m
was something about this film that was
How did you feel about shooting some ways epic.”
I
entirely on green screen?
“All in all, it wasn’t too bad.”
What was the appeal of Leonidas?
“When I first read the script, well, the
How did you prepare for the part of was a class and elegance to the script®
King Leonidas?
guy who, without doing a thing, youI
“First and foremost is the physicality just tell has the complete [loyalty oft
... For me, I was training for six hours men] ... Fierce to say the least. Fcarle
a day for a lot of the time ... pumping to say more. We kick ass and kick ass aj
between shots.”
kick ass.”
I
hard ... The truth is I just want to make
something cool ... Strangely, I didn’t
have to cut anything for the MPAA ... It’s
pretty much my cut.”
What was different about this role?
“In this role, I was very focused on
the graphic novel. The tone and feel and
strength of these men is ... massive; it’s
almost animal-like ... They taste of the
villains sometimes, they’re so brutal ...
Fan of comics?
“I take each project as it comes ■
the middle of this film, I felt so superb
man. I felt like I could take on a millii f
people. I’m not saying I could; I jus m (
like it.”
1
‘Chatterley’s Lover’ still brilliant
Leia Dickerson
I The Clackamas Print
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www.marylhurst.edu
800.634.9982
I had never read a previ
ously-banned book until I read
David Herbert Lawrence’s
Lady Chatterley’s Lover.
When I opened Lady
Chatterley’s Lover, I wasn’t
certain what to expect.
The novel begins by intro
ducing upper-middle-class
Connie Reid, who has had
sexual encounters since she
was a teenager. She marries
Clifford Chatterley, who is
the son and heir of a rich aris
tocratic line. After their brief
honeymoon, Clifford is sent
to war, only to return para
lyzed from the waist down
and impotent.
Connie has a brief affair
with Michaelis, a successful
Irish playwright. This affair
proves to be unsatisfying for
Connie, who begins to fall
into a depression as she and
Clifford * slowly drift away
from one another.
Clifford hires a game
keeper for his estate, Oliver
Mellors, to whom Connie is
attracted. The two have sev
eral chance encounters in the
forest, before they meet in a
hut and have sex. After many
meetings, Connie believes
she is pregnant with Mellor’s
child.
' While Connie is on vacation
in Venice, Mellor’s estranged
wife returns, which causes a
Overall, this book is eat
huge scandal. Connie arrives to follow. I found it to I
home to find that her husband enjoyable and a quick real
has fired Mellors, and she Although it is not a lighthear
then admits that she is preg ed and happy-go-lucky ston
nant with Mellors’ child.
it is a story about changes I
While there is a fair amount heart.
™
of solid text in the
novel,
there is
enough
dialogue
to break
up
the
text and
make the
pages easy
on the eye.
As for the
language,
there is a
fair amount
of cursing
and a few
“big words”
- but don’t
be discour
aged; there’s
not too many.
There are
just a handful
of main char
acters; how
ever, they are
all well-devel-.
oped and have
personalities
with which the
reader can eas
ily relate. Their
relationships to
each other are
also clear.
LAWRENCE