Australian Screen

Teacher’s notes

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This clip shows Archy Hamilton (Mark Lee) and Frank Dunne (Mel Gibson) collecting water bottles in the trenches. They encounter soldiers playing a shooting game, hitting targets held up by the Turks, and are introduced to some of the realities of war, such as inedible food and a half-buried corpse, with which some of the soldiers casually shake hands. They attempt a shortcut back to the beach, but are advised against it by another digger, who light-heartedly warns them of its deadliness. Returning to the beach, a scene of frenzied activity, they see soldiers making their own bombs.

Educational value points

• Gallipoli makes an important contribution to the war film genre in its vivid portrayal of life in and behind the trenches of Gallipoli. The tight framing and the movement of the camera in the clip emphasise the claustrophobia and panic felt in the spaces where men waited to die, while the dust, noise and explosions create a colourless, bleak hell on Earth. This determination to show the realities of war contrasts with a national historical tendency to glorify the sacrifices of soldiers at Gallipoli.

• The gradual loss of innocence of the characters is progressively revealed, reflecting the experiences of many who enlisted in the First World War. Weir suggests that while initially Frank and Archy view signing up as an adventure or game, when they arrive at the front, the reality of war becomes unavoidable. The characters they encounter in the trenches in this clip are not heroes, but ordinary men enduring a pointless and protracted struggle to survive. Frank and Archy become increasingly aware of their own expendability.

• The clip illustrates director Peter Weir’s interpretation of how Australian soldiers used humour in the face of adversity. The importance of humour as an attribute of the Australian national identity and as a characteristic of the 'digger’ is shown in the soldiers’ playful and casual approach to the enemy and even to their own dead. This approach is underscored by the film’s dialogue, with soldiers joking together amid exploding shells and using familiar, humorous expressions such as 'strewth’ and 'mongrels’.

• Australian soldiers at Gallipoli are presented as being resourceful and creative under fire. The film subscribes to a national image of Australians as being able to get themselves out of a tight spot through courage and initiative. The periscope rifle, for example, was invented by Australian Lance-Corporal William Beech and assembled in makeshift workshops on the beach. It allowed soldiers to take aim at the enemy without endangering themselves.

• The clip provides an example of how the Turkish opposition is portrayed throughout the film. Weir bypasses opportunities to show the Turks as real people, instead suggesting that they are an unruly and anonymous threat, thus serving the needs of his narrative by anchoring the point of view in the Australian camp. Ironically, although the figures are debated, Turkey suffered greater losses than Australia (an estimated 86,692 deaths to Australia’s 8,709). Gallipoli also created a great hero for Turkey in army commander Mustafa Kemal, known as Kemal Ataturk (1880–1938), who eventually founded the modern Turkish state.

• Mel Gibson (1956–) is shown in a role that contributed to his rise to fame. Gibson’s character in Gallipoli is an ordinary reckless young man who develops into a reluctant hero struggling against adversity, in some ways similar to the role he played in the Mad Max series (1979, 1981, 1985). Gibson won an Australian Film Institute (AFI) Award for Best Actor in a Lead Role (1981) for playing Frank. This early success has culminated in his status as one of the world’s most well-known actors. he is also an acclaimed director, having won an Academy Award for Braveheart (1995).

Frank and Archy explore the trenches for the first time.
Soldier 1 That’s it. Nearly there. 11 o’clock. Go!
A man fires his rifle over the top of the trench.
Archy Did you get him?
Soldier 1 Have a look for yourself.
He looks through a mirror attached to a stick.
Turkish soldier in opposing trench Hello, Australia!
Soldier 2 New blokes, are you? There you go.
He offers some hard bread.
Archy No, thanks.
Soldier 2 Alright when we landed, but the Turks have had us pinned down here ever since. You blokes have been brought over to get ready for a big push.
Archy That’s good. We’ve been here for days and haven’t seen a Turk yet.
Frank I’m in no hurry.

Archy and Frank continue through the trenches.
Frank Water bottles? Water bottles. Bottles.
Soldier 3 Keep it clear.
A soldier hurls a grenade over the trench.
Soldier 3 Morning Abdul!
Frank continues.
Frank Bottles…
Soldier 4 Hey mate, hey, got a smoke?
Frank Smoke, yeah.
Soldier 3 Keep your head down!
Frank Have two. Got any bacon?
Soldier 4 Yeah, but I’m a bit short on the champagne.
Ahead of them, soldiers pass a corpse embedded in the wall and shake the outstretched hand.
Soldier 5 Good on you, mate.
Soldier 6 Pleased to meet you.

Frank and Archy approach a man sitting in the sand distributing tin cans for bomb-making.
Soldier 7 Hey, where’d you think you’re going?
Frank Eh, short cut to the beach, isn’t it?
Soldier 7 Shortcut to a muddy cemetery.
He holds up a tin and enemy fire shoots it.
Soldier 7 There you go. What do you reckon?
Frank Thanks mate.
Soldier 7 Yeah, righto pal.
Frank Hey, head down!

Soldiers on the beach are preparing bombs.
Soldier 8 Rightio, on the way, on the way.
Soldier 9 You’ve gotta be joking! What are you two mongrels up to? A massive bomb detonates nearby.
Soldier 10 Strewth!