The Lighthorsemen (1987)

In 1917 when the British forces are bogged down in front of the Turkish and German lines in Palestine they rely on the Australian light horse regiment to break the deadlock.

Director:

Simon Wincer

Writer:

Ian Jones (screenplay)

Stars:

Peter Phelps, Nick Waters, John Larking

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Peter Phelps	...	Dave Mitchell
Nick Waters	...	Lighthorse Sergeant
John Larking	...	Station Master
John Heywood	...	Dave's Dad
Di O'Connor	...	Dave's Mum
Shane Briant	...	Reichert
Ralph Cotterill	...	Gen. Friedrich von Kressenstein
Bill Kerr	...	Gen. Sir Harry Chauvel
Grant Piro	...	Charlie
Tony Bonner	...	Col. Murray Bourchier
Serge Lazareff	...	Rankin
Gary Sweet	...	Frank
John Walton	...	Tas
Tim McKenzie	...	Chiller
Jon Blake	...	Scotty

Storyline

Palestine, 1917. The British advance has been stopped by the Turkish line running from Gaza to Beersheba. The latest attack on Gaza has failed. The attacking forces included a regiment of Australian mounted infantry, the Light Horse... Lighthorseman Frank is wounded in a skirmish with Bedouin. He is replaced by a young soldier, Dave, who proves to be a crack shot, but reluctant to fire at the enemy. Dave proves himself during a German biplane attack. Recuperating in hospital, he meets a sympathetic nurse, Anne... The regiment is called upon for a bold flanking attack on Beersheba. But how do you convince the Turks the main attack will come at Gaza? And how do you attack across a desert without water?

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Plot Keywords:

soldier | world war one | desert | epic | year 1917 | 

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Taglines:

The Lighthorsemen are coming... and nothing can stop them.

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

The picture was practically completely filmed entirely on location without any filming done on sound stages except for one war room interior scene which was shot at the Channel Nine television studios in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

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Quotes

Dave: Hey, Scotty, you're not Scotch, are you?
Scotty: No.
Dave: Then, why do they call you Scotty?
[Scotty thinks]
Scotty: Cause I'm Irish.

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Alternate Versions

The English cut in the UK reportedly ran about thirteen minutes less than the Australian release.

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Connections

Edited into The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles: Palestine, October 1917 (1993)

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Soundtracks

AUSTRALIA WILL BE THERE
Music and lyrics by W.W. 'Skipper' Francis
By Arrangement with Allans Music (Australia) Pty. Limited

User Reviews

RKO Pictures presents a new 1987 movie!

This colossal 1987 production - believe it or not - from RKO PICTURES is an Australian film closely resembling LAWRENCE OF ARABIA in its intent and rightly compared to ZULU. With a huge cast of Oz actors and directed by PHAR LAP (look it up) warhorse Simon Wincer it is basically about the last massive charge in the Middle East desert during World War One....an event still on the yearly Australian military forces roster of "Anzac" celebrations. Many other comments on this site will give you details of the history of the event and rightly applaud this lavish spectacular film. RKO Pictures had reformed with some co financing in the 80s and this is one of their few productions. BEST LITTLE WHOREHOUSE and THE BORDER are two others that spring to mind produced with Universal Pictures. With a $7 million budget and all of it on screen THE LIGHTHORSE became the last of the truly international films from Australia in the 80s. Others of this time are GALLIPOLI and CAREFUL HE MIGHT HEAR YOU and THE MAN FROM SNOWY RIVER and WE OF THE NEVER NEVER...each are films made with a lavish widescreen cinema release in mind and each huge Oz successes. THE LIGHTHORSEMEN is well worth the 140 minutes or so of carefully paced storytelling, all laced with Aussie humor and superb design and photography. The charge in the last two reels is truly breathtaking and on a cinema screen was particularly overwhelming, rivaling the battle charge in LAWRENCE OF ARABIA for sheer thrilling visuals. No CGI in this film... it is all real and scary and played and filmed for keeps. One thrill for cinema owners of the day was to have the film commence with the original cinema scope RKO logo...beeping away from the tower on top of the world. Wonderful!

Details

Official Sites:

South Australian Film Corporation Umbrella Entertainment - Blu Ray

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 April 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Jinetes de leyenda

Filming Locations:

Outback, South Australia, Australia

Box Office

Budget:

AUD10,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$23,645, 10 April 1988

Gross USA:

$33,779

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$33,779

Company Credits

Production Co:

FGH, Film Victoria, International Film Management

Technical Specs

Runtime:

131 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1