Gallipoli

The fate of two friends and athletes during World War I. A film with an anti-war, humanist message and a haunting, tragic ending that will always remain in my memory. Mel Gibson fans will enjoy this one too, this film opened his path to worldwide fame, as well as Peter Weir's. (08/05/2003)

The answer to the question of whether Gallipoli is a bad war film is not all that clear-cut. Peter Weir is one of those filmmakers who have a brilliant command of both form and content, and that's why I was unpleasantly surprised by Gallipoli. Indecision is the main stumbling block of the entire film. For an hour and a half, Weir indecisively narrates about the theme "war is foolish," juxtaposing an idealist with a realist and letting it all unfold slowly in the very blatantly cheap setting of the endless Australian desert. In the last half hour, as if the budget had miraculously increased in size, he heads to Turkey and tries to achieve pure war action. However, unfortunately, it is not very war-like, and it's not so much about giving off a cheap impression, but rather that this material does not suit Weir at all, and he handles it quite indecisively and awkwardly. And yet there is a strong directorial involvement throughout. The "idea" of conveying the horrors and cruelty of war is what he wanted to express, but the presentation's form fluctuates, and not even the excellent performance by Mel Gibson in the lead role can change that. (01/07/2005)

A war drama built on seemingly boring and overlong foundations, and yet Weir turns out to be a brilliant architect, capitalizing on a slightly dull first half through the war part and, above all, in a completely devastating ending that perfects the carefully plotted motif of existence next to death, and escaping therefrom. It begins somewhere under the pyramids and continues on the coast of Turkey, where the film maintains boyish carefreeness despite the backdrop of the war. But the impression that heroes will simply exist alongside historical turmoil is constantly etched in something fatal that creeps into the film. The hunch of tragedy, the inevitable moment when small worlds collide with the great and death monumentalized by the massif of the Egyptian pyramids descends from the pedestal, continues to strengthen and eventually turns into terrifying certainty. There is no sentimental calculation, but rather enormous weight and depressing helplessness. There's a huge amount of directorial brilliance, patience and timing in the film. But I was incredibly irritated by the completely mismatched synth buzzing... temporality requires attention here, otherwise Gallipoli is a timeless durable gem. (04/04/2011)

When watching Gallipoli, I recalled the Czech film Tobruk and realized the difference between someone who tries and wants to do something, and someone who knows how and has the resources. Gallipoli is an epic film about a not-so-well-known episode of World War I when, thanks to Churchill's idea to eliminate Turkey from the war with an unexpected landing near Istanbul and a decisive attack on the main center of the Ottoman Empire, Australian soldiers found themselves in the center of the war turmoil and learned a lesson from trench warfare, as the original plans of Churchill quickly became obsolete due to Atatürk's tenacious defense. The first half of the film introduces us to the main hero and his romanticized youthful ideas about a military career and the emergence of friendship with his sports rival played by Mel Gibson. The film does not rush, but that does not harm the story. Weir knows how to convey the atmosphere and tell the story in a way that imprints it on the viewer's mind. In the second half, tension builds after the first combat experience, leading to an unparalleled massacre in the final scene. Overall impression: 80%. It's not a film I would put in the absolute genre peak, but I can't criticize anything essential about it either. (12/05/2013)

The massacre in Gallipoli with excellent direction by Peter Weir is a perfect example of how old Britain despised its colonies. A classic story through and through about friendship, just enhanced by the environment where it takes place. Sand everywhere, whether in Australia or Africa, gets under your skin. Young Gibson is excellent, as is his mate Mark Lee. The First World War isn’t the subject of many films, especially not the Australians’ part in it, so just for information it’s a must watch. (11/12/2013)

Of course, a fully realistic (anti-)war film can never be made, but if you're asking for one that's 90% realistic, I'd say this is the one. And that ending! (18/09/2007)

Excellent Australian film, which primarily demonstrates the power of well-written characters in the screenplay. It is not so much about what is happening, but primarily about getting to know the characters. They become absolutely essential and thanks to them, you can truly experience the moments that are historical in this context. (01/05/2015)

Young Mel Gibson gives a pretty decent performance in one of the main roles, but Mark Lee keeps up with him. A strong last twenty minutes, including an uncompromising ending, lifts Gallipoli from the dust of oblivion. The utter futility of sending Australian soldiers into battle to certain death speaks volumes about the senselessness and horror of war. (75%) (29/06/2021)