Lest we forget. It was called `The Great War’. Many stories have been told about the First World War from all perspectives and at all levels. ANZACS gives an Australian perspective, following the 8th Battalion of the AIF, including recruitment, fighting and death of many of it’s members. More than just another lesson in gallantry that was the Dardanelles campaign, we get to see a larger, untold story of Australia’s crucial involvement on the Western Front.
No single motion picture paints a more complete picture of Australia’s involvement in World War One than ANZACS. Parts of it inevitably remind the viewer of `All Quiet On The Western Front’, `Gallipoli’ and `A Fortunate Life’, with some added drama to keep from HAVING too many battle scenes. As well as following the 8th, ANZACS gives a strategic viewpoint with Prime Ministers and Generals all used to good effect.
In a grand effort produced by Geoff Burrowes in the mid 1980s, ANZACS went to air in 1985 as a mini-series on the Nine Network. The selected cast is very good, with Andrew Clarke in the lead, Jon Blake, Megan Williams and Paul Hogan all sharing their slant on the Australia and the Australian of the era. The original cost of production was over 8 million dollars, which would be easily accounted for by the sheer scale of some of the scenes from the frontline.
This is unmistakably an Australian production made for Australian audiences, the ANZAC mini-series has been transferred well onto DVD, requiring three discs.
EXTRAS
This DVD release features a short introduction by Geoff Burrowes and a very good `Making of Anzacs’ which follows the final episode on disc three.