Backbencher

The film Gallipoli begins in the state of Western Australia. Our two primary characters are Archy Hamilton and Frank Dunne. They both have a passion for running and other athletic pursuits. Archy's Uncle Jack has high hopes for him, but when war breaks out Archy decides to join the army in the light horse. At first Frank has doubts in joining the army, but he too joins up with the infantry with several of his mates. Frank and his mates are shipped to Egypt for training and Frank happens to meet Archy again. The ANZACs amuse themselves with games and the city of Cairo until they have orders to ship out.

ANZAC Cove is the final scene in the film, but the focus is not placed on the guns and explosions. The Australians remain the focal point of the story, as Frank and Archy huddle in a trench. Frank is made a dispatch runner and Archy remains with the rest of the group. Archy is to be part of an attack, but it goes horribly wrong. The colonel orders the first of three waves to go over the top. The major wan to halt the attack due to the precise Turkish fire. Frank arrives to headquarters with a dispatch, but the colonel refuses to call off the attack. Frank rushes to the general to call off the attack, but it is too late. The final wave goes over the top with Archy.

This film is great because the focus is not the war but the relationships formed by the men. The men are seen as naïve and eager for war, which is true. The romantic notion of war is what these men believe in, but the reality of it is that war is hellish. The bonds of friendship know no bounds, but they are futile in the hands of other men. Frank tries to do everything in his power to save his mate, but he fails. Gallipoli, the film and the battle, is about futility and mateship. War is still a very romantic notion in the hearts of many Americans but not for Australians or New Zealanders.