the Film That Revived the Anzac Legend: How ‘Gallipoli’ Rekindled a Nation’s Memory
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The Anzac legend, born from the tragic aftermath of World War I, experienced a powerful resurgence thanks to the 1981 film Gallipoli, directed by Peter Weir and starring a young Mel Gibson. While the memory of the Great War and Australia’s role in it had begun to fade by the 1960s and 70s – with dwindling numbers of surviving veterans and a nation grappling with opposition to the vietnam War – Weir’s film reignited a national consciousness surrounding the sacrifices made at Gallipoli and beyond.
A Legend in Decline
Following World War I, which claimed an estimated 15 million lives, Australia’s participation was viewed by historian Carolyn Holbrook as a “nation-making role.” This early iteration of the Anzac legend was steeped in “warrior mythology” and the “glory of the British empire,” as she explains in ABC iview’s When the War is Over. However, by the latter decades of the 20th century, commemoration of the conflict waned.
Crowds at Anzac Day services dwindled, and it was widely anticipated that the tradition would disappear along with the last of the original “diggers.” Recognition of battles fought over 60 years prior was simply not a priority, and, according to Dr. Holbrook,the values associated with that era began to feel “outdated.”
The Resurgence Through Cinema
That trajectory shifted dramatically with the release of Gallipoli in 1981. The film brought the story of the Gallipoli campaign – and the harrowing realities of war – back into the public consciousness. Dr. Holbrook asserts that without this artistic intervention, the Anzac legend might have been lost entirely.
The film’s impact stemmed, in part, from its powerful depiction of the human cost of war. Playwright David Williamson, Austra
lia’s screenwriter for Gallipoli, recalls the intention to portray the senselessness of the conflict. The film vividly depicts the disastrous charge at the Battle of the Nek, where 600 Australian troops charge across open ground towards Ottoman trenches.In a mere 15 minutes, 234 were killed and 138 wounded. Bean’s words captured the senselessness of the sacrifice, highlighting how the battle claimed “the flower of the youth of Western Australia.” Weir and Williamson aimed to convey this futility and tragedy through the experiences of Archy and Frank.
A Lasting Legacy
Gallipoli was a critical and commercial success, earning nearly $12 million at the Australian box office and receiving accolades at the 1981 Australian Film Institute Awards and the venice Film Festival. The film’s impact extended far beyond the cinema. In 1985,Anzac cove was officially recognized by the Turkish goverment,and in 1990,then-prime Minister Bob Hawke became the first Australian leader to attend an Anzac Day ceremony at Gallipoli.
Today,thousands of Australians,particularly young people,make a pilgrimage to Gallipoli each year. Demand for attendance at the 100th anniversary commemoration in 2015 was so high that a ballot system was implemented, with over 42,000 Australians applying for 4,000 available passes.
Dr. Holbrook believes the film tapped into a deep-seated emotional connection to the Anzac legend, even if that wasn’t the filmmakers’ primary intention. “I think the impetus was to make somthing that highlights the futility and the tragedy of war,” she says. “But I think ironically, what they did – certainly not deliberately – is rebirth the Anzac legend.”
Williamson, however, hopes the film’s core message about the horrors of war is not lost. “I would’ve been more proud if the film had left a much broader impression that we will never be involved with a senseless war again,” he states. “That’s in my heart. That’s what I was doing it for.”
Watch When the War is Over free on ABC TV and ABC iview.
