Zach Snyder, director of the film 300 (an adaptation of Frank Miller's graphic novel) recently discussed his movie with Sci-Fi Wire. Zach said that despite the
story's very historical basis – the ancient Battle of Thermopylae in 480 B.C. – he and the filmmakers have
found ways to stylize and add touches of fantasy to the project. These are primarily introduced through the narrator,
Dilios, who was one of the 300 Spartans who fought off a Persian Horde. Snyder describes the narrator as "natural
storyteller: Like a fisherman who exaggerates the size of the one that got away, he never hesitates to use artistic
license." He also says that Dilios "knows how not to wreck a good story with the truth." As a for
instance, he says that if Dilios is describing an elephant to a man who has never seen an elephant, you can bet he'll
paint a picture that's half-truth and half-crazy.
Miller, who was inspired by the story as a young child, is giving the adaptation a big Thumbs Up at this stage, praising its faithfulness. "The stylization of the comic book has been throughly embraced," says a pleased Miller, who is already rolling in accolades for the recent adaptation of his Sin City title.
