Gallipoli

Rating:
Summary: An excellent movie
Review: This is an excellent movie, watch it.

However, when I visited the beaches where once the war had taken place, I cant beleive that how both sides had lost over 250,000 each in such a small landscape. Visiting The CommonWealth cemeteries, one cant thinking why did those beloved Sons,Fathers or Brothers come here ? On the Turkish side, most of the well educated men of a generation died fighting to defend their country, just 3 years later, in 1918, Ottoman Empire surrendered, English corps took Istanbul without any resistance. Just futile.

The facts about the war are much more dramatic than the movie. I think there are plenty of meterial out of Gallipoli for new books and movies.

Rating:
Summary: Horrific & Riveting
Review: I normally avoid war movies because they glorify war and I have two sons that I don't want to perish in one however my husband is Australian so I rented this movie. Gallipoli is a furious indictment of war and the colonial mentality. It presents the brave but ultimately terrifyingly futile massacre of poorly equipped ANZAC soldiers as they are slaughtered on behalf of their British allies by the Ottoman Turks in 1914. The story opens with scenes of a blond Adonis from the out back played by the indescribably handsome and morally upright Mark Lee running barefoot against a horse. Lee plays a naïve promising athlete as well as furious British empire patriot. Who secretly enlists whilst underage because he is seduced by the jingoism of hero worship and bravery that serves to conceal the wretchedness and carnage of the battle-field. He is joined in his endeavors by the older shrewder rakishly alluring but blatantly self-centered son of a rabidly anti-British, Irish Republican emigrant played by Mel Gibson. The oddball couple meet when Gibson looses all his money after a bet at a Fair. Though unwilling at first to travel with the younger man because he will be a burden the sexual chemistry between the two is immediately clear and more authentic than with any of Gibson's dowdy female costars. They eventually travel across country to enlist in Perth. Women as always are incidental in war films because they lack the requisite warrior mentality of brawn and martyrdom. Gallipoli is no exception to the rule although there are feeble attempts at macho competition for the vacuous attentions of a country blond depicted along side later lurid flashes of cheap Egyptian prostitutes on route to Gallipoli. It's obvious that the men only have eyes for each other.

In time honored tradition the lovers become separated and are united under the most horrendous circumstances imaginable. However before the films shocking climax which will leave you screaming abuse at the screen. There is plenty of gratuitous homo-erotic nudity and tomfoolery on bomb shattered beaches emphasizing the male bonding element of men against a common foe as well as Gibson's reputation as a smoldering sex-god. The films credibility is salvaged by the intensity of Lee's portrayal of the true depth of his astonishing love for the wily Gibson. This is demonstrated by his astounding self-sacrifice, which is the pivot of the story. This vision will not only leave you gasping and emotional and perhaps for some even tearful that it will remain with you long after the credits have rolled. The characters are all believable right down to the racism towards the Egyptians with Gibson's lecherous character a welcome antidote to the saintly Lee's. The banter between the ANZAC soldiers is good natured and witty which only adds to the pathos at the films core. To say that Gallipoli was a sickening waste of human life is obvious. This film is a fitting tribute to their bravery. I am still waiting for a similar cinematic tribute to African soldiers contributions on behalf of the allies in WWII. This is the first anti-colonial film and Peter Weir deserves all credit for showing a part of world history that some politicians would prefer to see forgotten. Although Gallipoli is not a "feel good movie" by any stretch of the imagination. It is still a must see because it is comparable in quality to contemporary de-glamorizing of war movies such as "Saving Private Ryan" .

Rating:
Summary: Shocking & Riveting
Review: I normally avoid war movies because they glorify war and I have two sons that I would rather not see perish in one, but because my husband is Australian I rented this movie. Gallipoli is a furious indictment of war and the colonial mentality. It presents the brave but ultimately terrifyingly futile massacre of poorly equipped ANZAC soldiers as they are slaughtered on behalf of the British by the Ottoman Turks in 1914. The story opens with scenes of a blond Adonis from the out back played by the indescribably wholesome and morally upright Mark Lee running barefoot against a horse. Lee plays a naïve promising athlete as well as furious patriot .Who secretly enlists whilst underage because he is seduced by the jingoism of hero worship and bravery that serves to conceal the wretchedness and carnage of the battle field. He is joined in his endeavors by the older shrewder rakishly handsome but blatantly self-centered son of a rabidly anti-English, Irish Republican emigrant played by Mel Gibson. The oddball couple meet when Gibson looses all his money after a bet at a Fair. Though unwilling at first to travel with the younger man because he will be a burden. They eventually travel across country to enlist in Perth. Women as always are incidental in war films because they lack the requisite warrior mentality of brawn and martyrdom. But although feeble attempts at macho competition for the vacuous attentions of a country blond are depicted along side later lurid flashes of cheap Egyptian prostitutes on route to Gallipoli. It's obvious that the men only have eyes for each other.

In time honored tradition the lovers become separated and are united under the most horrendous circumstances imaginable. However before the films shocking climax which will leave you screaming abuse at the screen. There is plenty of gratuitous homo-erotic nudity and tomfoolery on bomb shattered beaches emphasizing the male bonding element of men against a common foe. However the true depth of Lee's love for Gibson is demonstrated by his astounding self sacrifice. This vision will not only leave you gasping but will remain with you long after the credits have rolled. The characters are all believable right down to the racism towards the Egyptians with Gibson's lecherous character a welcome antidote to the saintly Lee's. The banter between the ANZAC soldiers is good natured and witty which only adds to the pathos at the films core. To say that Gallipoli was a sickening waste of human life is obvious. This film is a fitting tribute to their bravery. I am still waiting for a similar cinematic tribute to African soldiers contributions on behalf of the allies in the IIWW. This is the first anti-colonial film and Peter Weir deserves all credit for showing a part of world history that some politicians would prefer to see forgotten. Although Gallipoli is not a "feel good moving" by any stretch of the imagination. It is still a must see because it is comparable in quality to contemporary de-glamorizing war movies such as "Saving Private Ryan" .

Rating:
Summary: Gibson's a star on the rise, but this is slow
Review: Mel Gibson's star grew from this film where he stars as an Australian soldier who with his mate, (Mark Lee) can't wait to join the fight against the Turkish during WWI. One can see that Gibson was a star on the rise, but much of this film moves along slowly, until it reaches its battle scenes. There, the madness and brutality of war is revealed.

Rating:
Summary: A must-see
Review: Gallipoli is an essential movie to see. It's simply excellent. The characters are real to us, because more than half the movie doesn't really have anything to do with the war, but focuses solely on character development. It portrays extremely well the futility of war, the misconceptions and self-deceptions of many young men who want to be soldiers. It's simply an incredibly strong, involving, and honest antiwar movie that the ending, while somewhat abbreviated, is amazingly strong and effective. It really punches you in the gut. Definitely put this movie on your must see list. It is outstanding.

Rating:
Summary: What about Mark Lee?
Review: After reading all the reviews I'm amazed That nobody mentioned Mark Lee's performance.He "is" the movie. That's one of the most moving and nuanced portraits that I've ever seen. I watched the movie for the first time as a child And still today the last scene haunts me. The movie is beautifully shot,and the acting is great;But Lee's acting is what carries It,and I'll always wonder why he didn't become a major star.

Rating:
Summary: Gallipoli
Review: This is a great movie and realy worht watching. While being maily fact with only a few specs of fiction, this movie really shows the courage and bravery of the Australian light horse brigade. If this movie has the potential to win lots of awards at emies and golden globes ect. Highly reccommended

Rating:
Summary: "ITS NOT OUR BLOODY WAR"
Review: On a beach on the opposite side of the world, hot and muggy weather conditions, no doubt meaning the odour around extremely unpleasant Dusty and noisy - an unorganised hell. This was how I was the taste left in my mouth after watching the movie Gallipoli, starring Mark Lee as Archie and Mel Gibson as Frank. Gallipoli is not one of those war movies showing all action and "blood and guts", with absolutely no point beyond entertainment. We all witnessed the tremendous loss war is. We met our characters before they met each other and watched them grow together as talented runners and two completely different young men with two completely different opinions on the war. The road to Gallipoli was long and took up at least two thirds of the movie. This wasn't an accidental over write of the beginning, but an attempt to get us emotionally involved with both characters as we might have been during the war if our relatives or friends departed. In this way the structure of the settings is regularly criticised, "Why call it Gallipoli when they were only there 10 minutes," "There should be a follow up scene of how the family reacted and what happened to Frank." This reinforces the waste and ill regard for human life war really is. As we grew to know these boys we were shown in a tactful way the youth and innocence of Archie and Frank. Two complete strangers with not much in common other the destination of Perth due to Archie wanting to sign up for the war even though he was under age and Frank thinking war was a waste and quoted in saying "its not our bloody war". But one had been, and the other was about to be fooled and show their gullibility by believing the myths surrounding war. Nevertheless on their journey we see the sparks between them fly and their friendship begin to unfold. This is well acted and leaves you wondering if Gibson and Lee are actually friends in real life, not just acting excited. This according to Peter Weir, the director was due to the "vital chemistry" that went on between Lee and Gibson on camera and off. As soon as the characters are reunited in Egypt during a training battle we are reminded of their friendship. They are supposed to be practising shooting each other and we witness them hugging and jumping. They are rejoicing, yelling and are tremendously excited taking none of what they are doing seriously. This to me showed the innocence and juvenility of these boys, along with Archies easy going, layed back approach, in contradiction to Franks denial of his fear and ignorance of the reservations he is feeling about what they are about to embark on. The characters emphasized the films theme. The main theme I personally picked up on was that of the 'myths of was'. Why young men were so willing to lie about their age in order to go to what I describe as hell. The main myth shown was gullible young men being convinced that war was going to be fun. Some kind of adventure and a way to experience new and foreign countries sold to them as exciting a holiday from their monotonous homes in Australia and New Zealand. They later found out it was far from what they expected and this was well depicted with the lighting, all blue and dull. The music also on the arrival of the troops on the beach was deep and moody setting the scene for the devastation that followed. The noise and sound effects were impressive and showed how stressful it would have been with guns firing non stop, twenty four hours a day. The camera work was also something to be admired, especially the scene when the two main characters decide to again block out the the reality of where they are and swim in the sea while bullets pierce through the water around them. It showed the seriousness of how close the bullets really were. The setting also was a contradiction to their home, a safe and peaceful place. The space and wide open planes, as appose to the small trenches all cramped where nothing is safe, established as men watch their friends blood is splattered on them. This is followed by the point that breaks my heart. Here are our ANZACs, young men giving up everything to help our commonwealth leaders, and we are stabbed in the back when the high and mighty British officers use us as their shields. Ignoring the fact that they weren't just numbers dying with no one caring. They were men, individuals, fathers, brothers, sons, uncles, grandfathers, and maybe in there could have been national heroes, for example brilliant runners. All had futures, all had pasts. Archie and Frank fit in a number of these categories which makes us want them to live. In conclusion, I highly recommend this movie as an educational way of opening the eyes of people who have personal connections with young men who fought in WW1. Along with anyone with a heart and is grateful to what the men of war have done for us. It is real and does not shelter the main characters from heartache like most war movies. As much as we want a happy ending it was not realistic with the true scenes from Gallipoli. It was well researched and it definitley showed. The direction, acting and all round production of this movie is a credit to all involved, especially the novice director Peter Weir.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best war films made.
Review: While Gallipoli is only a "war" movie for about the last 45 minutes, it is still among the best war movies made. In fact, I believe that the attention paid to character development, which fleshes out the characters and makes them more than just uniformed soldiers to the viewer, is really what makes this a great anti-war film.

I first saw this film in 8th grade, when my history class was studying the Great War and its causes. The callousness of the British officers as depicted in the movie was probably somewhat exaggerated, and there are historical inaccuracies in the film, but these are minor points best left to be argued by people who don't have a life. (Like those who argue about certain points of detail in "Saving Private Ryan")

All in all, I rate this movie among other anti-war greats as Stalingrad, Cross of Iron and Platoon.

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding
Review: My son has seen Saving Private Ryan six times and I've tried but the movie is simply too violent. Gallipoli drives home the same point that youth is wasted on war and older men make the decisions to send the young to their death. The scene that absolutely captivates me is the high ranking officer listening to Bizet's duet from the Pearl Fishers, drinking champagne on his wedding anniversary knowing full well what will take place at dawn. Speilberg could never attain that with the amount of gory violence in his movie.