Gallipoli (1981 film)

Gallipoli
Gallipoli
	Australian theatrical release poster
Directed by	Peter Weir
Screenplay by	David Williamson
Story by	Peter Weir
Produced by	Robert Stigwood; Patricia Lovell;
Starring	Mel Gibson; Mark Lee;
Cinematography	Russell Boyd
Edited by	William Anderson
Production; company	Associated R&R Films
Distributed by	Roadshow Film Distributors (Australia); Paramount Pictures (International);
Release dates	7 August 1981 (Sydney); 13 August 1981 (Australia);
Running time	111 minutes
Country	Australia
Language	English
Budget	A$2.8 million
Box office	A$11.7 million (Australia); $5.7 million (US)

Gallipoli is a 1981 Australian war drama film directed by Peter Weir and produced by Patricia Lovell and Robert Stigwood, starring Mel Gibson and Mark Lee. The film revolves around several young men from Western Australia who enlist in the Australian Army during World War I. They are sent to the Gallipoli in the Ottoman Empire (in modern-day Turkey), where they take part in the Gallipoli campaign. During the course of the film, the young men slowly lose their innocence about the purpose of war. The climax of the film occurs on the Anzac battlefield at Gallipoli, depicting the futile attack at the Battle of the Nek on 7 August 1915. It modifies events for dramatic purpose and contains a number of significant historical inaccuracies.

Gallipoli provides a faithful portrayal of life in Australia in the 1910s—reminiscent of Weir's 1975 film Picnic at Hanging Rock set in 1900—and captures the ideals and character of the Australians who joined up to fight, as well as the conditions they endured on the battlefield, although its portrayal of British forces has been criticised as inaccurate. It followed the Australian New Wave war film Breaker Morant (1980) and preceded the 5-part TV series Anzacs (1985), and The Lighthorsemen (1987). Recurring themes of these films include the Australian identity, such as mateship and larrikinism, the loss of innocence in war, and the continued coming of age of the Australian nation and its soldiers (later called the Anzac spirit).

^ Gallipoli (1981), classified 08/10/1981 British Board of Film Classification
^ Stratton, David. The Avocado Plantation: Boom and Bust in the Australian Film Industry, Pan MacMillan, 1990, pp. 22–24.
^ Gallipoli at Box Office Mojo

[BBFC-1] Gallipoli (1981), classified 08/10/1981 British Board of Film Classification

[stratton2-2] Stratton, David. The Avocado Plantation: Boom and Bust in the Australian Film Industry, Pan MacMillan, 1990, pp. 22–24.

[3] Gallipoli at Box Office Mojo

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