40,000 HORSEMEN

Australia, 1940, 101 minutes, Black and White.
Grant Taylor, Betty Bryant, Chips Rafferty, Joe Valli.
Directed by Charles Chauvel.

40,000 Horsemen is something of an Australian classic. It was written by Charles Chauvel and his wife Elsa, the story was by Charles Chauvel and novelist E.V. Timms. (Sir Harry Chauvel, the commander of the Australian Light Horse in Palestine during World War One, was Chauvel's uncle.)

The film was made at the beginning of World War Two - as a rousing story but as a patriotic morale-booster for the troops in the war. It showed something of the Australian spirit and heroism of soldiers in the First World War as well as the spectacular charge at Beersheba. (The charge at Beersheba was the subject of the '80s feature, The Lighthorsemen, directed by Simon Wincer and has echoes of 40,000 Horsemen - there are echoes of 40,000 Horsemen also in David Williamson's screenplay for Gallipoli, especially the Cairo sequences.) The filming was done in Sydney with the Middle East villages reconstructed at Cronulla and the actual charge filmed at Cronulla. While the film starred Grant Taylor, who began his movie career as a star with this film, it introduced Chips Rafferty in his popular image which was to remain with him for another 30 years until his last film, Wake in Fright.

The film stands up quite well today, even though it has to be seen in its time. There is a contrived espionage romance sub-plot which looks rather creaky. However, the war sequences are particularly strong (even though the Germans are presented in a caricature way).

1. The impact of 40,000 Horsemen in its time? In retrospect? The films of the Chauvels? The atmosphere of World War Two, the memoir, patriotic spirit and propaganda?

2. The black and white photography, the use of Sydney locations for the Middle East? The war effort, government interest? The battle sequences, the charge? The importance of the musical score and the rendition of Waltzing Matilda?

3. 1940 and the memories of the First World War, the heroism, the support for Britain, Australian nationalism? The effect of the memories for the Second World War?

4. The background of the cavalry, Australian horses, transported to the Middle East, the horsemen, their skills, reputation? The reaction of the Germans? Their courage, their experience and the charge itself?

5. The structure of the film: the war, the Anzacs in Cairo and the preparation for war, the battles, the charge? The focus on the various places, the strong memories of the battles of the war? The people? The build-up to the Palestine campaign - in the spirit of nationalism after Gallipoli?

6. The Aussies seeing themselves as heroic, their attitude towards the Poms? The presentation of the Germans, their cruelty - and the caricatured characters? The portrait of the Turks?

7. The Australian diggers, Red, Larry and Jim? The presentation of their backgrounds? In Cairo, teaching the Arabs Two-Up? Winning, winning their clothes, putting the bloomers on the donkey? Going into the club? The nightclub sequences? The drinking and the gambling - yet the call to action? Their experience of the long desert ride? The battle sequences and their heroism? Their drinking? Red and his being lost, the experience of being alone, the boy in the desert, getting back to his unit? Jim and Larry, their fighting - their deaths? The image of the Ocker heroes? The Chips Rafferty image - the way it was presented and developed? Laconic, humorous, heroic? Understatement?

8. Juliet and her father, the setting for German cruelty, espionage? The sheiks and their roles? The French? The death of the father, Juliet's escape, with the sheik, disguised as a boy, helping Red? Carrying the guns? The war involvement, overhearing information? Her meeting Red again, as a girl, falling in love? In action? The return? The happy ending?

9. Red as the hero, his background, his friendship, talking with Jim and Larry, the separation, the rescue, the encounter with Juliet, his being captured, overhearing the information, his escape? The news of the deaths of his friends? The information for the leader of the charge? The charge itself, his knowing about the power in Beersheba, saving the town from being blown up? The happy ending?

10. The Germans and their strategies, their attitude towards the Australians, despising them and their hats, underestimating their horsemanship? In Beersheba and the plan to blow it up?

11. The build-up to the war sequences, the long rides in the desert, the battle sequences and the way they were staged, the build-up to the charge, the riding, the fighting?

12. The film as an Australian cinematic achievement for 1940? Its contribution to the Australian spirit?