Gallipoli

An extremely good effort. Given that this production did not have a Hollywood blockbuster budget it has to be given top marks. When I saw the previews with the 'back home' flashbacks I was worried that this would be one of those war movies where there are just flashes of action interspersed among long 'back in Australia' scenes. My fears were unfounded – back home scenes were just a few minutes at a time and did bring meaning to the story. The action was intense and brutal and very convincing. At least one critique here on IMDb said the acting was poor. I disagree. Kodi Smit-McPhee was the perfect boy soldier. He certainly didn't overact; in fact his performance was somewhat subdued (when Robert DeNiro or Al Pacino do this we call it genius acting). And I couldn't fault any of the other actors either. This show – although it is a mini-series – has made it into my top ten war movies, right alongside "Saving Private Ryan", "A Bridge Too Far", "Generation War", "Black Book", "Stalingard" and "Full Metal Jacket". On a scale of 0 to 9 I give it a 9.

One powerful memory I have of growing up was a photograph on the mantelpiece in my Grandmother's house of her brother who was killed on the second day at Gallipoli. He was a signaller; it would have been hard to get insurance for a man whose job was to stand up in full view and wave a couple of brightly coloured flags. Inevitably his luck ran out - he was 21 years old.

Even without that family connection, I have always found the Gallipoli campaign fascinating, not just for the battle, but for what it means to Australians, and how our collective memory about it has changed over the decades. Each generation reinterprets it to fit the times we live in.

And that is the big problem for any filmmaker: which Gallipoli do you make? The one with the Anzacs as exceptional warriors who showed the British, Turks, and the world a thing or two - more or less the memory that existed between the two world wars and into the 1950's - or do you go for the Anzacs as tragic victims, sacrificial lambs to the incompetence of senior officers and politicians; the image that has been finely-honed over the last couple of decades.

The filmmakers have gone for something between the two. Getting the tone right was the critical thing. There is no glorification of war here. The series is built around pale-looking Thomas 'Tolly' Johnson played by Kodi Smit-McPhee, although hardly the epitome of the Bronzed Anzac, he nonetheless demonstrates inner strength as the campaign progresses.

And as for the first day of battle, which occupies the whole of the first episode, I think the filmmakers caught a feeling for the event as described in the many histories, however there are two things worth pointing out.

The first could be put down to artistic licence. Although real shots of the terrain are married with recreations shot in Australia, the hills beyond Anzac Cove were actually more densely covered in underbrush in the beginning of the campaign than shown in this depiction. Of course it would have been just as hard to film in dense brush as it was to fight a battle in it.

My other point is more critical. What about the Kiwis? New Zealanders have often felt that Australians have hi-jacked the whole of the Anzac story - not so if you read C.E.W. Bean - but they may have a point here. Although the filmmakers have gone for an impression of the landing, with an amalgam of actions fought by various units, it seems to take place mainly on the left of Anzac. New Zealanders do appear in later episodes, but the scriptwriters could easily have included them on the day of the landing because in reality they arrived with fresh troops in the afternoon to reinforce the exhausted Australians on the left - it was a decisive moment.

That aside, this is a brave attempt to tell a complex story. Although some budget limitations do show - the big Turkish counter-attack needed a bigger canvas - the aftermath with the armistice and the burial of the bodies really hits home.

It's more polished than the "Anzacs" mini-series, but does not eclipse Weir's "Gallipoli" that 'buddy movie' par excellence set against one momentous event in a big campaign. Instead, this "Gallipoli" covers that big campaign including the Diggers on the beach, the Turks in the hills facing them, the High Command at sea sipping scotch and sodas, the journalists trying to expose the whole mess, and even a few flashbacks showing happier times before the war. It was a lot to cram in, but it all works once you get a feel for it, and there are touches of brilliance; John Bach's General Hamilton in particular.

There are more episodes to come, but the tone has been set. On one level, the filmmakers have made an affecting drama, while on the other, they have given those who know little of the story a better understanding about what happened in that terrible place one hundred years ago.

Those heroes who shed their blood and lost their lives! You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and Mehmets to us where they lie side by side here in this country to of ours.

You, the mothers, who sent their sons from far away countries wipe away your tears; your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. After having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well.

Gallipoli (TV series) (2015) - Glendyn Ivin

8/10

fantastic Aussie series directed by the talented Glendyn Ivin & written by Christopher Lee, stepping up to the plate with quality story telling, cinematography & production values up to the international standards… this is not a patriot story, this is a brutal recall of events that happened at Gallipoli in 1915 focusing on 4 young Aussie boys who enlisted to fight the Turks alongside the British, Kiwis, French & Indians… what unravels is an 8 month campaign of death, struggle, sickness, blistering heat & ice cold winter…

throughout there's a lot of humanity shown within the young Anzac's right up to the commanding officers, even with what seems like impossible odds to overthrow the Turks & get to higher ground… with over 80000 casualties, even more from the Turkish side, the beautiful landscape is the setting for a bloody battlefield that seems to never end or with much progress, until the last body drops to the ground …

it was great to see this story told in such a bold manner, with an amazing score by Stephen Rae, stunning cinematography by Germain McMicking & brilliant performances across the board, especially the leads Kodi Smit-McPhee, Nicholas Hope & Harry Greenwood, this is a tour De force of our nations history, something that we all should remember or should i say "lest we forget"… a haunting tale that all Aussies should embrace as a reminder of what the diggers sacrificed for our nation & the king of England…

props goes to all the local involved i know who helped make this such an amazing series Anthony Littlechild Thomas Formosa-Doyle Kat Schachte Lee Norris Robert Connolly Chris Hocking Emma Bortignon

Wow. This just got better and better. It must have been hard to have re-created such a difficult story of the Gallipoli battlefields. I have to say I was extremely impressed. The young actors were wonderful and very true to what I am sure a lot of these characters were like. I knew some of them as old men.

You really felt like you were there. To see what these poor buggers went through really went right to the heart. The director and scriptwriter managed to tell the whole story as it truthfully happened and apparently it was approved by the Australian War Memorial for being factual. I did not fully understand till now just how it all unfolded, but to see this series made it all very simple to understand just what happened. I think this should be shown in all Australian High Schools. I had always heard about the Battle of Lone Pine but when I saw this portrayal I was so shocked. Also what happened to the New Zealanders should never have happened. I think the English people should see it also as it showed a loyal bunch of Australians and New Zealanders giving their lives and losing them so a stuck up English General could add another medal on his chest.

I could not believe that this was being lied about to the Australian Prime Minister. And I was very surprised when the Aussie journalist Murdoch and his British counterpart decided to write and inform their leaders of the truth. Upon reading the letter which was circulated far and wide, the troops were finally withdrawn. Amazing story and very well told with this brilliant mini series.