Gallipoli (1981)

Two Australian sprinters face the brutal realities of war when they are sent to fight in the Gallipoli campaign in Turkey during World War I.

Director:

Peter Weir

Writers:

Peter Weir (story), David Williamson (screenplay),

Stars:

Mark Lee, Bill Kerr, Harold Hopkins

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 11 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mark Lee	...	Archy Hamilton
Bill Kerr	...	Jack
Harold Hopkins	...	Les McCann
Charles Lathalu Yunipingu	...	Zac (as Charles Yunupingu)
Heath Harris	...	Stockman
Ron Graham	...	Wallace Hamilton
Gerda Nicolson	...	Rose Hamilton
Mel Gibson	...	Frank Dunne
Robert Grubb	...	Billy
Tim McKenzie	...	Barney
David Argue	...	Snowy
Brian Anderson	...	Railway Foreman
Reg Evans	...	Athletics Official 1
Jack Giddy	...	Athletics Official 2
Dane Peterson	...	Announcer

Storyline

The story of a group of young Australian men who leave their various backgrounds behind and sign up to join the ANZACs in World War I. They are sent to Gallipoli, where they encounter the might of the Turkish army.

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Plot Keywords:

horse | gallipoli | peninsula | australia | army | 

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Taglines:

Peter Weir's film of...Gallipoli

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | History | War

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 August 1981 (USA)

Also Known As:

Galipolje

Filming Locations:

Adelaide Railway Station, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

Box Office

Budget:

AUD 2,600,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Australian Film Commission, The, R & R Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

David Williamson adapted his screenplay from Bill Gammage's book "The Broken Years" which is a collection of diary excerpts and letters from around 1000 soldiers who all fought at Gallipoli.

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Goofs

When the ANZAC artillery begins firing on the Turkish trenches just before the climatic battle scene, the guns do not kick back and some have bits of rust around the muzzle edges which indicate that the artillery pieces are not operational weapons at all for they are just popping white smoke out of the muzzles with the camera violently shaking to simulate the guns being fired.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Jack: What are your legs?
Archy Hamilton: Springs. Steel springs.
Jack: What are they going to do?
Archy Hamilton: Hurl me down the track.
Jack: How fast can you run?
Archy Hamilton: As fast as a leopard.
Jack: How fast are you going to run?
Archy Hamilton: As fast as a leopard!
Jack: Then let's see you do it!

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Connections

Featured in 20 to 1: Great Aussie Movies (2006)

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Soundtracks

"THE PEARL FISHERS"
Music by Georges Bizet
Performed by Leopold Simoneau and Rene Bianco
Polygram Records

User Reviews

A great anti-war film

Peter Weir has long been one of my favorite directors, and he has had a career consumed by subtle, quiet, lingering films. He can make the most banal concept seem thrilling and suspenseful; a perfect example is the Harrison Ford film "Witness." It could have easily become a stupid, insulting, exploitative "thriller." The ending is, in retrospect, quite ridiculous. But Weir has a strange ability to make anything seem realistic.

"Gallipoli" is one of his older films, from 1981, and it stars a huge cast of names - most famous today, of course, Mel Gibson...whose name is now splattered across the front of the DVD case.

The story is a true one and follows a group of young Australian men who join the ANZACs in World War I. They are sent to Gallipoli, and amidst personal and emotional turmoil they must learn to band together and fight the Turkish Army.

The movie is long, as another reviewer on the site points out. But all of Weir's films are. What I didn't like about his most recent - "Master & Commander" - is that it used special effects (exteriors of ships, etc.) and action sequences (raging storms) to compensate for the slow bits... and came across (to me anyway) as quite dull and down-trodden.

"Gallipoli" is a great film - slow, subtle, low-key. It's a bit like an Australian version of "All Quiet on the Western Front." I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys slower films and can appreciate character-driven dramas. Don't go near it if your attention span was dimming during "xXx2."