Anzacs mini series on DVD
On Three DVD's
Region Free - Plays on all DVD players UK, USA etc
We are UK based, all our items are posted from the UK
£23.99 Sale
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Anzacs (1985) ~ Rare Australian Mini Series on DVD
Starring: Andrew Clarke, Paul Hogan
Director: George Miller, John Dixon : Pino Amenta
Release Date: October 28, 1992
Episode Synopsis:
Episode 1 - Covers the pre-war, recruiting, training, Gallipoli and withdrawal
Episode 2 - Arriving in France, the battles of the Somme and Poziers
Episode 3 - The Somme winter offensive, the battle for the Hindenburg line, Blighty leave, Ypres, Menin Road and Broodseinde Ridge.
Episode 4 - The third battle of Ypres, the German Offensive of 1918, Amiens and Hazebrouck
Episode 5 - The coming of the Yanks, the appointment of Monash, the big push, Armistice and home.
Including Featurette-Making Of-History in the Making-The Making of Anzacs
Plot Synopsis
Looking back with the advantage of hindsight it is easy to see why Australia became involved in WWI.
The ties to Great Britain were still exceptionally strong, even though we had become a federation some 14 years previously.
England was at this time still the world's only true "super power". Its command of the sea was still absolute and its far flung empire was still the envy of all who saw it.
It would be many years before the break-up of the last great colonial empire began, but in 1914 she was still one of the most formidable military powers in the world.
Therefore, when the call to arms came after the declaration of war it was with much gusto and fervour that so many young men stepped forward to answer the calling and only at the end of the war, with over 50,000 dead, 200,000 plus wounded and almost 10% of the country in service would the terrible cost be counted.
The First World War was nothing short of a bloodbath. Many of those who took part in it never really recovered and an entire generation was lost to the stupidity of it all. As one of the characters in the series remarks, "it's like 4 years of our lives simply gone and we can't tell a soul about it", and that tends to be reflected in the historical accounts as well.
The military accounts of the day didn't differentiate the different countries involved on the British side and dispatches merely mentioned the victories and not who was involved. It was only the appointment of Sir John Monash as the commander of the Anzac forces that saw any small recognition given to the role of the diggers in the war at all, something that has blurred much of the history created by this relatively small group of men given the vast numbers involved throughout the conflict.
Anzacs then is an attempt to put into perspective the role of the Australians during the years 1915, when they were first employed at the landings at Gallipoli, all the way through to the end of the war in 1918. The story concerns a fictitious company of men under arms in the 8th Battalion formed and trained in Victoria. The first episode is a primer of how they got together including the friendship between Martin Barrington (Andrew Clarke), Dick Baker (Mark Hembrow) and his sister Kate (Megan Williams).
At the train station on the way to the Broadmeadows Army Camp (which is nothing more than a cow paddock when they arrive, indicating the true state of preparedness at the time) is Pat Cleary (Paul Hogan), the typical Aussie larrikin. At the camp they are joined by Roly Collins (Christopher Cummins), Tom McArther (Patrick Ward) and Bill Harris (Jonathan Sweet). From there you follow them through the training camp where they are commanded by Lt Harold Armstrong (Tony Bonner) with whom the men form an instant ond. Alongside this thread is that of Dick Baker's sister, Kate, who joins up as a nurse and provides the romantic slant to the storyline. After basic training the boys are sent off to fight against the Turks and landed at Anzac Cove where they earn their first reputation at Gallipoli. Mounting casualties mean replacements who are brought in to strengthen the company including one Private Flannigan (Jon Blake) who becomes an integral part of the unit. Eventually though, the attempt to force a backdoor into Germany is called off as a dismal failure and the troops are withdrawn leading on to the next episode.
The episodes in the series follow the various battles that the Aussies fought in. New characters are introduced as members of the company die off or are replaced due to injury including people like 'Kaiser' Schmidt (Shane Briant), 'Dingo' Gordon (Jim Holt), 'Puddin' Parsons (Alec Wilson) and L.C.P.T. Bluey (Peter Finlay) who all have their own storylines. In the end, though, it is only a select few who manage to make it to war's end. But the series isn't simply about the combat. It also offers up a slice of life at home at the time. The parish priest, Reverend George Lonsdale (Robert Coleby), is initially someone who offers comfort, but who becomes a pariah due to the fact that it is he who must deliver the telegrams telling the families of the death of a loved one. Dick Baker's mother (Sheila Kennelly) is another who must bear up to both her children being 12,000 miles away and a swag of other minor subplots which are covered in some detail. It is probably true that the tragedy of war is often most visited on those forgotten and left behind and the series does a reasonably good job of conveying some of that angst.
All-in-all, this is a very watchable and enjoyable series and deserving of a place in any collection. Given the period when it was made and the budget it was made for, it makes a fair fist of almost all aspects that it covers. This is certainly no Saving Private Ryan for grittiness and raw power but the dedication to detail was evident throughout. The direction and casting were excellent, as was the script in general, and the attempts to accurately portray the conditions of combat were quite exceptional. The whole series carries with it an air of authenticity, right down to the attitude of the men both to each other and their superiors. I guess it was no wonder that General Haig wanted the death penalty reintroduced. How factual this all was is probably for the historians to argue over, and there was a fair amount of jingoism and flag waving, but nothing too untoward. Given the passage of time since this was made though, the series still bears up well and is definitely one of the best mini-series ever made in this country.