Pozieres

Pozieres is one of the first documentaries I saw to use the "interview" style - using actors to play the characters being interviewed by the documentary maker, and re-enacting scenes rather than simply narrating. The technique has since become much more common and it is very effective in this documentary, allowing the viewer to see the participants as real people rather than abstract figures.

One of the most striking features of this film is the matter-of-fact way the narrator provides a short biography of each of the soldiers "interviewed." It nearly always ends with line "...and will be killed in eight months" (or three weeks, or two years, the recurring theme being that nearly every soldier featured was subsequently killed in action).

It is a very emotional, very personal and deeply moving account of the largely unremembered Battle of Pozieres, where Australia lost 23,000 men in seven weeks, nearly as many casualties as in the entire eight months of the Gallipoli campaign. The final scene, returning to the modern village of Pozieres, examines the legacy of the Australian soldiers that is still relevant today, and is sure to bring a tear to every Australian eye.

An excellently directed, acted and narrated docu-drama. Graphic, even disturbing at times, but incredibly moving. I first saw this on ANZAC day 2001, on television and was reduced to tears. An amazing tribute to the Australian Soldiers and the people of Pozieres. This film does not glorify war (some of the scenes are quite horrific), but honours the soldiers who fought and died. It is quite a history lesson for those of us whose memories do not extend back to the Somme and WWI - the debate over Australia's involvement in the war; the conscription debacle; the injury tolls; the aftermath of battle; the social effects of the war at home. I would recommend viewing of this to all Australians and all those interested in the History of War. I have shown this film to classes at the High Schools where I have taught.

'This remarkable film, an ugly, horrifying story, brilliantly and simply reconstructed.' —

Show of the Week, Sydney Morning Herald

'It is a masterpiece, pulling off the remarkable achievement of instilling a tragically humanized reality into a distant war and a near forgotten tragedy.' Marrying newsreel footage, photographs,a brilliantly researched narration and finely acted vignette style re creation of soldiers at the Western Front and their loved ones at home, this moving documentary offers viewers a real taste of a ridiculous battle. This is a great film.' —

The Herald Sun

'Gone are the days of dull, staid documentaries. Today, the good ones rival film for creative storytelling and presentation. One such documentary is Pozieres.' —

West Australian

'Pozieres is a remarkable docudrama that takes us to the tiny village of Pozieres in Northern France, drenched with Australian blood in 1916 during one of the bloodiest battles of the Western Front. Australia suffered 23,000 casualties - the 1st Australian Division lost 5,000 men in three days and Pozieres was turned to powder and blown away. The style of Pozieres brings to life a well-worn historical subject for a contemporary television audience. Scripted and narrated in the present tense, using diggers personal letters and diaries, the camera takes us on a journey from the point of view of 'witnesses' to the tragedy and the horror of war. Using this inventive camera style, diggers are interviewed and questioned about their experiences before and after battle, filmed as though they are protagonists for our nightly news. It's an honest account of both fear and bravery.' —

NSW Premier's History Awards

This documentary contains no footage of the time; actors play real characters (most of them died in the war) and a narrator provides additional information. If you have read official historians you may have been led to believe that WWI was solidly supported by the Australian public, and that Australian identity as a nation was forged by participation in the war. However, this film is not John Keegan history; it is real history.

The documentary begins with Australians (some of them survivors of the Gallipoli disaster) ordered to take and hold the village of Pozières as part of the Somme offensive. They did that courageously and suffered horrendous casualties for no gain at all; the whole offensive failed to attain any of its objectives. General Haig was displeased with Australian soldiers, repeatedly calling them "colonials," and accusing them of not understanding "modern war." Haig considered them "subversives," even objecting to mixing Australian and British wounded in hospitals. Haig requested from Australian Prime Minister Hughes the right to shoot Australians for insubordination (there was no death penalty in the Australian Army). To his credit, Hughes flatly refused.

Then there was the home front. All Australians in WWI were volunteers. As the stream dried up, Hughes called a plebiscite on implementing a conscription law. It was close, but the proposal was strongly opposed by many women and most trade unions and Catholic clergy and was defeated. On the negative side, there were ugly incidents concerning Germans (and ethnic Germans) in Australia, but these were hardly unique among the countries participating in the war.

If you (like most of us) have been exposed to flag waving accounts of WWI this film is an antidote.

For such a seemingly low budget film, the acting was superb, so natural and very Australia. Harrowing statistics but very watchable.