|
|
Gallipoli is an inspirational film. It is used as a historical source as it depicts the events of World War 1 in Gallipoli during 1915. Young Archibald Hamilton (known as Archy) was an athlete, a sprinter motivated by the phrase of running “as fast as a leopard”. Frank Dunne was also a sprinter who met Archy after losing to him in a race. Archy was eager to join the Light Horse and fight for his country, however he was underage and his parents wouldn’t allow him. After Archy was discovered to be enlisting underage without parental consent, Frank suggested enrolling in Perth where no one could expose him, thus beginning the adventures of the two, who became best buddies along the way. Frank being hesitant to join the army decided to enlist in the Light Horse with Archy. Yet, he had no skill for riding a horse and was denied a place in the Light Horse, so he joined the infantry instead, forcing the two to go their separate ways. Eventually, the two friends are reunited and Frank is allowed to join the Light Horse with Archy. They were sent to the Nek for an attack against Turkey. After losing a friend in the infantry battle, Frank is fearful of the battle and is appointed the messenger instead. The planned attack at the Nek was to begin at 4 o’clock and last 30 minutes before the men would leap over the trenches and run across no man’s land to the Turkish trenches and attack. However, the attacks were called off 7 minutes too soon allowing the Turks to reload their guns and shoot all the men who attempted to run across no man’s land. Being practically murder of the cavalry, Frank was sent to consult the Australian commander as the British demanded to push on. With the message of halting the attack of the cavalries, he ran back to the trenches, but was too late to stop the fourth line, including Archy, from going over the trenches. The main themes of this movie were war, mateship, bravery and heroism. Obviously, war was a major part of the film. We learnt about Australia’s part in World War 1. We see how it has affected the everyday lives of many as they enrol in the infantries and cavalries to fight for their country. The tactics and techniques they used in the war are demonstrated to us. They trained their men in Cairo doing activities that required effort and teamwork eg. Soccer. Setting infantry against cavalry, they had practice wars. The war and decision making on the Gallipoli peninsula was clearly demonstrated.
|
