Anzacs

I remember seeing this movie on UK tv many years ago. From what I can recall it was an excellent portrayal of the events of that time. Whilst not always historically depicted and not always well acted I do remember eagerly consuming each episode as it was shown. A more sophisticated audience from nowadays might be less satisfied with the offering. All I can say is my family have it as top of my most wanted for either video or dvd. Alas, its available on neither. Roll on the BBC's repeat of this well worth watching film.

I thought it was quite a good series. I can't imagine how this could be reduced to a 2hr? tele-movie without losing just about everything good about it. I'm Australian, and this was produced for Aussies, no apologies for that. It's about time, rather than the usual good and bad Hollywood and to a lesser extent Brit efforts. If you don't know a Zac from a Brass Razoo, well we've had to put up with your slang and slight cultural differences for long enough. But I digress, this showed a part of history which has been long ignored, both here and overseas. In Australia we know full well the tale of Gallipoli, however the further efforts on the Western Front have largely been ignored. It's also good to see mention of the Home Front politics regarding conscription which severely divided the nation at the time and the Diggers response, which left it the only Allied fully volunteer Army in WW1. All in all I throughly enjoyed it, a good mix of believable characters, action, behind the lines antics and the Home Front drama, well worth seeing if you can get the original 5 part series.

For reviewers

Some of the previous commentators have said they wouldn't mind getting a copy of this. The only place I know that sells it is the Australian War Memorial. As you don't want URL's I won't include one however I'll leave it to you to phrase this part if you want to include it. Stuart Coates

Just watched this recently on video. Shows how the Australians performed during World War One. Many humorous moments. The title music is very good. Shows the historical aspects of this war accurately and gives us an idea what it was really like for the soldiers. Recommended viewing.

Excellant drama that charts the story of an ANZAC (Australian New Zealand Army Corps) volunteer regiment from Gallipoli through to the end of the war. It is a story of tragedy and triumph, laughs and tears and is a series I can't wait to get the opportunity to watch again.

This is an interesting chronicle of the ANZACs, the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps.

One reason my fellow reviewer here might not have enjoyed this film is that it was created for an entirely different culture (Australia). To brand it as "bad" simply because it isn't American is patently unfair.

This made-for-TV production is really aimed squarely at the Australian audience, who still revere the memory of the ANZACs, the troops who suffered horrendous losses at Gallipoli in WWI. The heroism of the ANZACs, who fought so bravely and with such determination, was such that the Turkish enemy erected a monument to them.

While it is true that the film (culled from a five-part mini-series), is not riveting entertainment compared to something like "Centennial" or "War and Rememberance", it does outline the feelings, views, and politics of the day faced by the ANZAC forces.

The Australian and New Zealand viewpoints of the Great War are rarely on display, and here we have all of the various sentiments played out before us. The overall feeling (still is tangible today), is that the incompetence and arrogance of British officers (under whom the ANZAC force operated), were directly responsible for the waste of lives in pointless charges against the heavily entrenched Turkish forces.

The mini-series is positively anti-colonial in regards to the portrayal of the British as uncaring, and more interested in saving British lives than that of the Aussies or New Zealanders.

Paul Hogan will most likely be the only familliar face for American viewers. I would recommend the Mel Gibson film "Gallipoli" for those looking for a familliar cast and a relatively big budget look. That film also has more weight to it, and is more stylized.

While "ANZACs" does come off as a bit like "light drama", or perhaps almost a glorified soap opera, if someone is interested in the topic of WWI, and the Australian and New Zealand participation in particular, the mini-series is worth a viewing. For scholars studying the events in this theater of the war, is a must see to examine both the attitudes of the day, and at the time the mini-series was made.