HT120 Blog 4 - Australian Movie

The Best Australian Film of All Time:

My chosen movie is Gallipoli (1981). This movie was directed by Peter Weir and starred Mel Gibson and Mark Lee. It tells the story of several young men from rural Western Australia who enlist in the Australian Army duing World War I. They are sent to Turkey to take part in the Gallipli campaign. The climax of the movie occurs on the ANZAC battlefield at Gallipoli and depicts the futile attack at the Battle of Nek on 7 August, 1915.

Although Gallipoli contains a significant number of historical inaccuracies for the sake of dramatic effect, it does faithfully portray life in Australia in the 1910s. It aims to capture the ideals and character of the who joined the fight in World War I. Mel Gibson described the film as, 'Not really a war movie. That's just the backdrop. It's really the story of two young men.' Gallipoli aims to focus on mateship and the friendships developed by the soldiers on the field.

The story of the ANZACs has dramatically shaped the way Australians live today. There were five 'digger-like' qualites which emerged from the ANZACs when they faced hardship during the Gallipoli campaign. These attributes are:

1. the ability to remain cheerful with a good sense of humour, even in the most difficult of times
2. the ability to be resourceful when they had no supplies, for example by making hand grenades from empty tin cans
3. the spirit of mateship in which a soldier would risk his own life for his mate's
4. Australian courage, which was shown on the very first landing at Anzac Cove where the soldiers continued to charge up on to the beach straight into the line of Turkish fire
5. the notion that people all deserve the same amount of respect, no matter what their background is (Skwirk 2009).

Australians still hold these values dear today, and most Australians would say say that they aspire to have these values too.

The Anzac legend is important because it encourages Australians to remember the soldiers who sacrificed their lives for their country. The legend has made such an impression on Australians that we continue to commemorate the landing of the ANZAC soldiers on the shores of Gallipoli on 25 April each year.

It is for these reasons that I believe that Gallipoli is the best Australian film ever made. It contains a message that appeals to every Australian.

References:

• IMDB 2009, Gallipoi (1981), http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082432/ [Accessed November 13, 2009].
• Rotten Tomatoes 2009, Gallipoli, http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1008074-gallipoli/# [Accessed November 13, 2009].
• Skwirk 2009, The Anzac Legend, Red Apple Education Ltd., http://www.skwirk.com.au/p-c_s-14_u-42_t-46_c-136/the-anzac-legend/nsw/history/australia-and-world-war-i/gallipoli-and-the-anzacs [Accessed November 13, 2009].

Photo Sources:

• Wikipedia 2009, Gallipoli, image, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gallipoli_(1981_film) [Accessed November 13, 2009].