Gallipoli

Gallipoli

This movie has become such an icon of Australian film history. It changed perspectives on war in general (mostly in the Vietnam war way), it showed that the people that fought in the war were just normal people. All the people that are fighting are just normal blokes from Western Australia.  

The Story – 8/10

The story follows the fastest runner in Australia Archy Hamilton, wanting to go to Gallipoli to fight for 'King and Country'. He is joined by Frank Dunne (played by Mel Gibson, famous for Braveheart and Mad Max). As they go to Gallipoli and leave their old lives behind and go to die for their country. What I give the movie kudos for doing this sort of approach, which is one lots of war movies at the time weren't doing. They just put all the focus on just the soldiers and the battle like Platoon and Full Metal Jacket. This movie shows how people were feeling about the war back home in one scene while Archy and Frank are walking to Perth to sign up.

But one thing that film has a drawback on is it waters down the carnage of the battles and death. If you want to make an anti-war film, you need to show how terrible it really is. In the battle of the neck if you see the pictures and accounts of it, it is quite brutal. But we just see the first and second charge with dead bodies and that's it. No ripped apart corpses or dismembered soldiers. Also, there are three charges that end chaotically shown in the film. Whereas in reality, there were 4! It would have made the scene more effective if they used more death and destruction.

But for all it's flaws, it still had an engaging story that captivated audiences around the globe. Even if the scenes before Gallipoli are euphoric and cliched.

 The Characters – 9/10

Mark Lee plays Archy Hamilton who unfortunately is not that interesting a character.

But he still performs the character that he is supposed to perform, the typical Aussie

bloke who wants to fight in a war thanks to patriotism and not to win medals. In fact

he is so much of a fighting man that when he has an opportunity to not fight in the battle

of the neck, he turns it down. But if they wanted to make a historical fiction film, they

could have had him go (which would have made him more complex as a character).

But still he still gives a good performance. But I will admit it is quite crushing to see him

realise that war is not the adventure he is looking for in the last 10 minutes of film.

Mel Gibson plays one of the roles that made his fame in the world. Frank Dunne is a gruff, sarcastic and cynical man who just wants to join the army to make a better life for himself, who is also a fast runner. He is the best character in the movie, he is written the most entertainingly and with the most charisma. Top it off with the typical Mel Gibson charm we like, before he lost it. With a meltdown so bad, Al Gore is making a documentary about it.

The Relevance to History - 10/10

This film is so relevant to Australia's involvement in the First World War. But one thing

that is quite a cliché with Gallipoli related things is not have a focus on the Turkish forces.

Even though the Australians lost, to think that history is always told by the winners. But to

be fair on the movie in terms of it's historical accuracy, it is very good in that area. It also

shows all the gruelling effects of trench warfare. But one thing they don't get right is that

they make out the British war officers as pompous, ignorant and idiotic buffoons when the

battle starts. But the British lost so many soldiers in the first charge, which is not that fair for

the film to do that.

Conclusion

For all of it's flaws and a few historical inaccuracies. Gallipoli is a breath of fresh air in terms

of being a war movie. When most audiences think of the First World War, they think of British

and American forces duking it out with the Germans. But Gallipoli shows that it was a 'World War'.

The characters while at time cliched (except for Mel Gibson's) and the brutality of the war too watered down, it is still a good film to study for a different look on the war.

I am giving Gallipoli an 8.5/10.