GALLIPOLI

Australia, 1981, 120 minutes, Colour.
Mel Gibson, Mark Lee, Bill Hunter, Bill Kerr, David Argue, Robert Grubb, Tim Mc Kenzie.
Directed by Peter Weir.

At the outbreak of World War I in 1914, Frank and Archie are friends working on a farm in outback Western Australia. Frank is a cheeky lad while Archie is the literally golden-haired boy in training with his uncle to be a sprinter. Excited by the prospect of action overseas, they travel through the desert to Perth to enlist in the army. They raise their age and exaggerate their background in order to be accepted.

They sail to Cairo where they are to train for warfare in Turkey and Palestine. Sometimes their behaviour raises eyebrows. They mock their English superiors, play Australian Rules football in the shadow of the pyramids and generally prove themselves outgoing and rowdy larrikins.

When the military authorities judge them ready for action, they attend a formal celebration with the Australian officers and then set sail for Turkey. They relax offshore until they land at Gallipoli. They dig in on the beach, the strategy being that they attract Turkish fire while the British land safely on another beach. Orders are confused. Information is contradictory. British officers decide that the Australians and New Zealanders in the trenches must advance to the hills.

When the order is countermanded, Frank is the one who has to run to the trenches to stop the slaughter but he arrives just as the men, including Archie, go over the top. Archie has rehearsed his running training routine to help him do his best in the attack. However, he is shot almost immediately. It is April 25th 1915.

Gallipoli is a fine war movie. While it shows the reality of battle, it also highlights the futility of war and the loss of lives. It is the story of the Australian landing on the Turkish Coast at Gallipoli and the troops digging. This event quickly became the national 'myth' of the heroes of the Dardanelles, the ANZACS (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps). It is a myth of self-sacrifice and defeat which became a defining moment in Australian and New Zealand history: glory and honour from self-sacrifice. Anzac Day is an Australian public holiday.

The movie is one of Peter Weir's greatest. Mel Gibson and Bill Hunter won Australian Film Institute awards for their performances and the film won Best Film and director amongst other awards.

The screenplay by David Williamson is in three acts: outback Western Australia and the introduction of Frank and Archie; the training in Egypt; the landing and the massacre at Gallipoli.

Weir was moved during a visit, in 1977, to the site of the landing where he found relics of the veterans still lying in the sand on the beach. He says he sensed the spirit of the men and their presence. His movie is a tribute, a recreation of war and a powerful and emotional criticism of the waging of war and errors of human judgment in strategy and tactics. The score combines the classic with the modern, Albinone and Jean-Michael? Jarre. It adds to the urgency and the poignancy, especially of the freeze-frame of Archie's dying.

David Williamson's imaginative screenplay, Russell Boyd's superb South Australian and Egyptian photography are excellent. While it strikingly portrays the enthusiasm, bravado, horror and frequent futility of war, Gallipoli mirrors warmly, humorously, ironically many facets of Australian history and society: landscapes, mateship, national feeling. In a wealth of sharply defined characters and telling detail, we are offered a context for memory and reflection.

1. How well did the film deserve its acclaim and awards? Technical quality? Quality of content and treatment?

2. Audience expectations of Gallipoli: patriotism, Australian myths, the awareness of the Anzacs in ' the past, the present, shaping the future? War and anti-war issues? Nationalism in the 20th century? A late 20th century view of the first world war and Australia's participation, national feeling, myth-making and influence?

3. The colour photography: Panavision beauty, Australian landscapes and variety of locations, Egypt and the focusing on Cairo with the pyramids and Sphinx, market places, the settings for Turkey and Gallipoli itself? The period, atmosphere and flavour, decor and sets? The variety of situations glimpsed to represent 1915? The presentation of war, the special effects for the battle sequences? Contribution of the editing: changes of pace for various sequences, establishing of moods? Profiles highlighting characters, groups, tableau, movement? Musical score - classical themes, the songs? Music contributing to the atmosphere?

4. An Australian film for Australian audiences? The universal audiences? Australian pride, nostalgia, memory, vision, myths, reality, affectionate memory, ironic memory and understanding? Insight into the Australian temperament, character, heritage?

5. War themes: the eagerness of the young recruits, world war, causes worth fighting for, national spirit, the change with involvement in training and the realities of war, ultimate futilities, violence and death?

6. The range of Australian themes portrayed and explored: the meaning of the land, the remoteness of Australia - especially Western Australia, farm life, cattle and herds, family life and bonds, the aborigines, friendship and racist attitudes, the theme of the influence of literature e.g. the reading from The Jungle Book, the entertainment of the times, local races, the enlisting, travelling in Australia, the desert landscapes, camels and the wanderers of the desert, war themes, Australian masculinity, Australians overseas in places like Egypt, a new culture face to face with the old, sport in the context of the pyramids, Australian naivety, training and mateship, attitudes towards non-Australians, the behaviour in the markets, the anti-English feeling, attitude towards women, towards authority and decisions, involvement in the war with enthusiasm, with fear, the facts of the war and their brutality, privations, joy, harshness, impersonal orders and the exploitation of human beings, the facing of death? The basis for a national consciousness, national myth-making, pride?

7. The first chapter of the film in Western Australia: the setting of May, 1915, the initial focus on Archie and his running, his running embodying his spirit of competition and achievement, the comparison with Harry Lasalles (and his later taking his name)? Archie as symbolising a young man of the west, enterprise and skill - and his racing Les? Uncle Jack and the severity of his training, the reprimand after the cross-country run? Uncle Jack and his understanding of Archie? The family's reserve - especially his father wanting him to work? The way of life on the cattle spread - cattle, horses, toughness, Les and his sneering, Zack and the aboriginal bond with Archie? The exhilaration of the cross country run and its pain? The picture of home life - meals, work, the reading of The Jungle Book, farewells? Archie and his decision to go to war and his reliance on Uncle Jack? The transition to the racing meeting - the people, recreation, the running, competition, Archie's supporters, the bets (and their illegality)? The transition to the recruiting for the Light Horse and Archie's rejection because of Les's intervention? The town, Archie and Frank at his lodgings, the waitress and her comment on 'putting on dog'? The decision to go to Perth, the catching of the train, being stranded in the desert? Young men and their hopes? The symbolism of the trekking through the desert? The background of the bush and its hard and rugged way of life and its eager Australian young men?

8. The transition to Perth - recruiting, Archie's success with his disguise and the whisky? Frank's failure even after the lessons? Frank's Irish father and his comments about the war? Major Barton and his accepting Archie? Barton and his family? The build-up to the ship's departure and the atmosphere of patriotism as the troops went off to the war? Frank and his staying behind, encountering his friends from the railway?

9. The background of the time - Federation in 1901, the remoteness of the west but the sense of nationalism, the significance of the ear and patriotism - the encounter with the camel man and the conversation about the war, the family at the edge of the desert and the toasting to the men of the Light Horse?

10. The establishing of the mateship theme - Frank and the railway group? Types and wanting to fight together? Snowy's teeth and Frank's threat about them all pulling out? The bonds within the group? The bonds between Archie and Frank? Their differing backgrounds, running against each other, initial clash, the cafe and their sharing experiences, the train ride, the walk through the desert with Archie's skills, the encounter with the family and Frank's style, their helping one another in the recruiting, Archie training Frank to ride? Their catchphrase of 'See you when I. see you' ?

11. The character of Archie as hero - the genial and optimistic young man? Age. skill in running. Uncle Jack's reading of The Jungle Book about Mowgli's coming of age? Relationship with Les. with Zack? Goals, capacity for surviving? His eagerness in running away? Typifying the young men of the time?

12. The contrast with Frank and his self-preoccupation, his not wanting to go to the war, his wandering around Western Australia, skill in running? His taking advantage of situations? Relating well to people? The irony of his coming second and his mistakes? His ambitions and hopes - especially the bike shop?

13. The background to the war - and the irony of the people mispronouncing Gallipoli? The transition to the second chapter of the film: an old civilisation and the focus on the pyramids and the Sphinx, the desert? The Australians as foreigners and their regarding the Egyptians as foreigners? Remote strangers trying to cope in a new country? The clashing of new and old civilisations - and the humorous irony of the Aussie Rules match beneath the pyramids and Frank's preoccupation with the game? The infantry going on leave and the lecture about sex? The humour and the implicit racism in the encounter of the soldiers with the Egyptians - the buying of the antiques and the smashing of the shop, the encounter with the prostitutes, the parodying of the British officers riding through the city? Barney and Bill and their eagerness? Snowy and his stern prnciples and rebuking the Egyptians as well as his mates? The continued background of the pyramid and Sphinx?

14. Egypt and the preparation for Gallipoli? The training sequences - and the irony of the Egyptian men and children selling oranges? The seriousness of the battle and the comradeship when friends encountered friends, the rivalry between the Light Horse and the infantry, the wounded to be carried back! The lack of training? The ball before they went to Gallipoli , the officers and the nurses, Archie and Frank and their exuberant dancing to Strauss?

15. The mateship theme in Egypt: Frank and the group and their going round Cairo together? The encounter with Archie and Frank's leaving the group and the clash with his change of uniform and showing round the nurses? Their comment on his selling his grandmother and getting to heaven? The bond with Archie as symbolised with the race to the pyramids, carving
their names on the pyramids, climbing and handshake on the pyramids?

16. The transition to the third chapter at Gallipoli: the build-up of expectations, fears, the night disembarkation, the activity on the shore and on the cliffs, the wounded? Daylight and the crowded cliffs and beach? The scrounging and the barter, the attention to detail in the supplies and stores there? The swimming sequence and the impact of the underwater photography and the shells coming on the water, the wounding? How well did the film establish the spirit of closeness.. comradeship, endeavour at Gallipoli?

17. The strategy: the Turks as enemy, the viewing of the Turkish prisoners? Trench life, the periscopes, shooting, the danger zone? The British and their plans for the Australians and the diversion? The elaboration of the plan, the time and the different watches? The bombardment and the Turks returning to the trenches? The possibility of success and the British landing? The failure for the Australians and so many wounded and dead?

18. The preparation for the afternoon battle - the reconciliation of Frank with the group and their friendship with Archie? Snow and his diary? The group attacking, the wounded returning and dying? Frank at Snowy's death? The number of men dead, the effect of so much injury and death? The night before the second invasion - Barton and his arrangements with Archie about Frank being runner, his listening to the records and singing? The ordinary men in the trenches? The massacre at the trenches, the sending of the messages and the phone calls, the breaking of the phone link? The massacre and the decisions? The importance of the runner?

19. The final focus on the men as the prepared to die, prayers, leaving letters and symbols of themselves, the showing of so many dead?

20. The final bonds between Frank and Archie - Archie and his eagerness to fight, Frank and his running and his bravery going through the danger zone. his trying to persuade the officers about the situation, Barton blowing the whistle and Frank's final cry?

21. Archie in the attack and his running as symbolising Australian self-sacrifice? The final frame with all its echoes of the opening with Archie running and his Uncle's words about running like a leopard on springs? The completion of this portrait of Frank and Archie?

22. How well did the film capture the atmosphere of the times and its feeling, Australia at the beginning of the 20th. century, its involvement in the war, introduction to the world? The background ethos and style of the Australians of the time, humour and ironies, ideals., bonds, mate~ ship?