Gallipoli Movie Review
The film Gallipoli takes place during World War I's Gallipoli campaign in 1915. The two main characters in the film are Archy and Frank. Archy and Frank are from Western Australia and they both enlist to fight in Gallipoli. Archy is an extremely fast runner who meets Frank at an athletics competition. We can see from the beginning that Archy is eager to join the war. After being turned down because he was underage, he goes to Perth, anxious for someone to accept him into the light horsemen. Frank, however, is skeptical about Australians wanting to join the war. He tells Archy that it's "not our war to fight". Despite this statement, Frank eventually joins up into the Infantry.
The story revolves around Frank and Archy's experiences during the war, including their training in Egypt and on the beach of Gallipoli, as well as in the trenches. The mood of the film changes from light-hearted to somber, when at first Frank is thrilled to be reunited with his friends who signed up into the infantry, while later he realizes the terrible consequences of war. Said consequences become apparent as Frank's friends are killed and also when Archy must run up out of the trenches, only to face his own death.
It would seem to me that Gallipoli is not a war drama; war dramas are more subtle. Gallipoli came across as a film about mate-ship and honor. The relationship between Archy and Frank, the two protagonists in the film, is designed to symbolize and exemplify the old Australian concept of mate-ship. (Gammage)
The central characters, Archy and Frank, have two obviously contrasting personalities. Archy is a patriotic young man who is strong, courageous and determined to fight for his country in World War I. Frank, on the other hand, is cunning, more realistic and cynical. In the beginning of the film, they compete with each other in a running race, and they also disagree with each other about the meaning of fighting at war. After a series of difficult adventures, the
The story revolves around Frank and Archy's experiences during the war, including their training in Egypt and on the beach of Gallipoli, as well as in the trenches. The mood of the film changes from light-hearted to somber, when at first Frank is thrilled to be reunited with his friends who signed up into the infantry, while later he realizes the terrible consequences of war. Said consequences become apparent as Frank's friends are killed and also when Archy must run up out of the trenches, only to face his own death.
It would seem to me that Gallipoli is not a war drama; war dramas are more subtle. Gallipoli came across as a film about mate-ship and honor. The relationship between Archy and Frank, the two protagonists in the film, is designed to symbolize and exemplify the old Australian concept of mate-ship. (Gammage)
The central characters, Archy and Frank, have two obviously contrasting personalities. Archy is a patriotic young man who is strong, courageous and determined to fight for his country in World War I. Frank, on the other hand, is cunning, more realistic and cynical. In the beginning of the film, they compete with each other in a running race, and they also disagree with each other about the meaning of fighting at war. After a series of difficult adventures, the
Cited: Books Broadbent, Harvey. The Boys Who Came Home - Recollections of Gallipoli. ABC Books, 2000. Gammage, Bill, and David Williamson, and Peter Weir , eds. The Story of Gallipoli - The Film about the Men who made a Legend. University of Queensland Press, 1994. Winter, Denis. 25 April 1915 - The Inevitable Tragedy. University of Queensland Press, 1994. Internet Battle of Gallipoli. modified 23:27, 25 April 2006. Wikipedia, a trademark of Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Gallipoli>. "Battle At Gallipoli, 1915," EyeWitness to History, www.eyewitnesstohistory.com (2001). The Gallipoli Campaign. Ministry for Culture and Heritage, New Zealand. <http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/war/gallipolicampaign>.