Mark Lee – Gallipoli – DVD
Mark Lee – Gallipoli – DVDAs an English woman (I hate the term Brit – surely it’s racist, isn’t it? A bit like Paki or Frog?) I have the utmost respect for the ANZAC’s. However – after reading a few of the reviews posted here, I’m not going to sit by and allow my own country to be denigrated.There were thousands of British troops at Gallipoli as well as a smaller French contingent – under the command of Sir Ian Hamilton, a man acknowledged for his excellent bravery, but lacking the decisive qualities needed for the leadership of such an expedition.In fact – despite the well-known WW1 poem about the Australian buried at Suvla Bay, there were mainly British forces put ashore there, (the famous ‘Lost Battalion’ of 1/5th Norfolk Reg. being one of them.) Most of the ANZAC forces landed further south at Anzac Cove.Australia and New Zealand both entered the war behind Britain on an upsurge of patriotism – not surprising given that the then population of Australia who were of European descent was 96% British. ANZAC recruiting remained entirely voluntary throughout the whole of the war and the response from both the Australian and NZ populus was magnificent. Some 332,000 troops served overseas, of whom 212,000 were wounded and 60,000 were killed, a casualty rate of more than 82%.There is no doubt the ANZAC’s suffered terrifically during the Dardanelles campaign. The whole campaign was badly timed and hugely underestimated the Turks and their reorganisation by the German general Otto Liman Van Sanders. However, the British suffered too – a fact that is often forgotten.As regards the film itself – it’s a lesson in why war is futile, a study of loss of innocence, a moving demonstration of comradeship and love between men under the most execrable of conditions. Harrowing and intensely compelling. Peter Weir evokes atmosphere unlike any other.If you’re English – try to forget Mel’s pathological hatred of us for a couple of hours and remember why our own fathers/grandfathers who fought in that terrible war had such tremendous respect for the ANZAC troops they encountered. And of course . . . we can always think of the Rugby!
