Gallipoli (1981)

From NetFlix:

Australian Director Peter Weir takes on one of his country’s
most tragic moments in history: the World War I confrontation
with the German allied Turks. As the film leads up to the
battle in act three, we get to know the young men destined to
be casualties of war. A young Mel Gibson (on the heels of his
successful turn in Mad Max) plays one of the innocent doomed.
This poignant war drama swept the Australian Film Institute
Awards with eight wins.

I have classified this film as a “Classic”. It is old but not dated. Mel Gibson
is so young I almost did not recognize him. Wikipedia offers a long
detailed account of the battle at Gallipoli. This battle is very important
to both New Zealanders and Australians. What appeals to me is the
naturalness of the actions. There are no special effects. The entire
emphasis of the film is the close friendships that develop between the
men over the course of the film. But you have to watch this movie
with the understanding that almost every one of those men are
about to die (needlessly as it turns out). There is no bloodshed
whatsoever, and no violence whatsoever.

Leave a Reply