Customer Reviews

Gallipoli (Widescreen)

5 star:		(60)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

As an English woman (I hate the term Brit - surely it's racist, isn't it? A bit like Paki or Frog?) I have the utmost respect for the ANZAC's. However - after reading a few of the reviews posted here, I'm not going to sit by and allow my own country to be denigrated.

There were thousands of British troops at Gallipoli as well as a smaller French contingent - under the command of Sir Ian Hamilton, a man acknowledged for his excellent bravery, but lacking the decisive qualities needed for the leadership of such an expedition.

In fact - despite the well-known WW1 poem about the Australian buried at Suvla Bay, there were mainly British forces put ashore there, (the famous 'Lost Battalion' of 1/5th Norfolk Reg. being one of them.) Most of the ANZAC forces landed further south at Anzac Cove.

Australia and New Zealand both entered the war behind Britain on an upsurge of patriotism - not surprising given that the then population of Australia who were of European descent was 96% British. ANZAC recruiting remained entirely voluntary throughout the whole of the war and the response from both the Australian and NZ populus was magnificent. Some 332,000 troops served overseas, of whom 212,000 were wounded and 60,000 were killed, a casualty rate of more than 82%.

There is no doubt the ANZAC's suffered terrifically during the Dardanelles campaign. The whole campaign was badly timed and hugely underestimated the Turks and their reorganisation by the German general Otto Liman Van Sanders. However, the British suffered too - a fact that is often forgotten.

As regards the film itself - it's a lesson in why war is futile, a study of loss of innocence, a moving demonstration of comradeship and love between men under the most execrable of conditions. Harrowing and intensely compelling. Peter Weir evokes atmosphere unlike any other.

If you're English - try to forget Mel's pathological hatred of us for a couple of hours and remember why our own fathers/grandfathers who fought in that terrible war had such tremendous respect for the ANZAC troops they encountered. And of course . . . we can always think of the Rugby!

A gripping account about a duo of eccentric youths that join the Austrailian Lighthorse in 1915, during the second year of World War One. Mark Lee plays the patriotic Archy Hamilton, who was once a nationally acclaimed sprint runner in his country. Torn from becoming a proffesional athelete and the war, he decides to quit running and fight for his country. Mel Gibson puts on a believable role as the con-man Dunn, who eventually joins together with Hamilton making the ultimate duo of the century. Drawn together from across a continent, the two men meet their destiny on the rocky slopes of Gallipoli, a famous engagement with the German supported-Turks in which the British army attempted to use the Austrailians as a decoy. The under-equiped Austrailians are slaughtered by Turkish machine guns as they try to leap out of the trench. The movie has a terribly sad ending, but is an excellent view on what part the Austrailian Royal Army had in World War One.

Great story, (some elements appear to be true according to the director's interview included in the DVD, and excellent acting all round. One of the best WW1 films made.

IS THE BRAVERY OF THE TURKISH ARMY, AND THE INCREDIBLE HUMANITY LESSONS TO BE DERIVED FROM THE TURKISH COMMANDER:(SPEAKING FOR ENEMY SOLDIERS)
"Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives..you are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace.There is no difference between the Johnnies and Mehmets to us where they lie side by side here in this country of ours.. You,the mothers, who sent their sons from faraway countries wipe away your tears; Your sons are in peace.After having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well." MUSTAFA KEMAL ATATURK

Story is Australian Patriots in WWI. Who gave there lives largely a result of there British Officers Error. I saw this on the History Channel and wanted a copy for myself. I understand that when this movie was shown in Australia for the first time. The audience sat in silence for 20 or 30 minutes contemplating. Mel Gibson and Mark Lee are tops.

I really don't have much to say about this movie other than the fact that it is extremely well put together and I think that the director really captured the futility of the first World War and the terrible mistakes made by the ANZAC forces and the British. I loved the movie but the ending really did kind of suck because it was so terrible and so very quick.

A touching drama about the futility of war and the power of male friendship. "Gallipoli" stars a young Mel Gibson as a champion runner and reluctant soldier in the World War I battle of the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey. The story of his friendship with another runner (Mark Lee) and the idealistic dreams both men have of glory and adventure in the war develops into a ghastly look at the horror of a suicide mission and the waste that Australians experienced, as hundreds of their young men were slaughtered. Gibson was just another working actor at this point, not yet the megastar he is today, and he blends in with the fine ensemble cast and delivers a poignant performance, while Mark Lee steals the show as the naive boy who dreams of adventure and winds up in the horrific experience of trench warfare. A strong, emotionally wrenching war film, highly recommended.

Very touching movie. The Anzacs fought a courages war against the Turks and the Turkish army defended their country well. Kemal Ataturk who commanded the Turkish army wrote to the Anzacs;- Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives..you are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace.There is no difference between the Johnnies and Mehmets to us where they lie side by side here in this country of ours.. You,the mothers, who sent their sons from faraway countries wipe away your tears; Your sons are in peace.After having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well. Kemal Ataturk... This movie hounors the heroism and self-sacrifice that distinguished both the Anzacs and Turkish troops who took part in that bitterly fought campaign. We should learn from history and protect the human race, not destroy it. Peace and Love, Not War and Hatred.

This is an outstanding movie. A must see, especially for war movie buffs.

Among the abundance of research material I have accumulated over the years, here is a brief commentary which is relevant to this film. I would be grateful to anyone who can identify the source. "The generals thought they could do the job in three days. Land on the Gallipoli peninsula, clear it of Turks and disable the seaward defences. With a bit of luck it could all be accomplished in 72 hours. They failed too, and at a much greater cost in lives than the naval assault. For 259 days, from April 1915 to January 1916, the allied forces hung on to their toeholds on Gallipoli. A total of about 500,000 men were landed there over the course of the campaign and almost 300,000 of them became casualties. For the Turks it was a great victory and marked the time they successfully stood against the greatest empire the world had ever seen. It threw up Mustapha Kemal, an obscure divisional commander, and propelled him on the road that would lead him to become the 'Father of the Nation.' For the Australians it would provide the sacrifice that tempered their newly-forged nation in blood. For the British it was just another fiasco in a war full of them." I also want to acknowledge Ernest Raymond's novel Tell England, (subtitled A Study In A Generation), published in Great Britain in 1922 and now out-of-print. Anthony Asquith directed an earlier film version (1931) of Raymond's novel, Battle of Gallipoli.

Directed by Peter Weir and co-starring Mel Gibson (Frank Dunne) and Mark Lee (Archy), this film first focuses on Frank and Archy's childhood and youth, then shifts its attention to Gallipoli where so many of their eager and courageous comrades perished during combat with Turkish forces. So many lost their lives, to a significant extent because they were poorly-prepared for and then poorly-led in combat. To Weir's credit, he allows the narrative to unfold without (or so it seems to me) imposing his own political opinions. Some have referred to this film as being "anti-war." They may be correct but I prefer to view Gallipoli as an indictment of morally corrupt and incompetent leaders who betray the trust of youth, waste their lives to achieve unrealistic objectives, and then wash their filthy hands in the blood of those whom they have sent to their death.

The acting is consistently outstanding but even more impressive to me is the cinematography. Credit Russell Boyd with capturing a series of images which have an impact I lack the eloquence to describe. They simply must be seen. One is of naked young soldiers swimming beneath the surface of a harbor under attack and as they struggle to escape death, the water becomes pink. (I wonder if Spielberg had that scene in mind when he planned the water-level photography during the first action sequence in Saving Private Ryan.) Weir co-authored the spare but literate screenplay with David Williamson. Well-done indeed. Those who share my high regard for this film are urged to check out All Quiet on the Western Front (1930), Attack! (1956), Paths of Glory (1957), and The Big Red One and Breaker Morant (both released in 1980). The next time political and military leaders are seriously thinking about placing young men and women in harm's way, they should first be required to sit down and watch all of these films one after another...and then after taking a brief break, see them again.