This past week in lecture we watched the movie Gallipoli. Gallipoli is about two boys who were on the verge of becoming men by joining the Australian Army during the First World War. They had to undergo many struggles to get there and learned about the realities of life along the way. The final scene contains the battle between the Australians and the Turks and is one of the main climaxing points of the entire film.
I am an exchange student, so I personally enjoyed the movie. It not only gave me insight on some of Australia’s history but also some idea of what Australia’s identity is. The movie contained many characteristics and values of Australia such as mateship, bravery, courage, and sacrifice. I found it very interesting that the movie ended in defeat and yet Australians still celebrate and recognize this event.
During lecture we discussed how a film is identified as Australian and what makes it a national cinema. Is it the fact that the actors, directors, and producers are Australian; is it the purpose of who and what the movie is about; or is it the location where the movie takes place that makes a movie “Australian”? These questions are still unanswered and I believe they will come up in every movie discussion.
We also discussed the two articles that we had read. Freebury’s article titled, “Screening Australia: Gallipoli – a study of nationalism on film”, expresses the idea that Gallipoli is not so much a movie about the war as it is about Australia’s national identity. I agree with Freebury. I thought she shared many good thoughts about how it expressed the ideals that Australia is all about. She also had the strong opinion that, “film, above all other cultural forms, has the means to give Australia an image of itself. It is the most powerful medium for projecting a ‘national identity’. I think that this brings up a good point. If it wasn’t for movies or TV, I really would not have much idea about what Australia is and what it stands for. Granted, I’m sure a majority of the information I get from film is not exactly accurate; however, it’s more of the truth than I would have known if I had never seen any film about Australia.
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