Gallipoli - The Frontline Experience (2005)

Gallipoli - The Frontline Experience is an important documentary film that was first aired in 2005. It was released on DVD in 2005 and 2012. The total running time is ca. 116 minutes. Here are a few basic facts about it:

** Written and directed by Tolga Örnek

** Narrated by Jeremy Irons and Sam Neill

** Photography by Volker Tittel

** Musical score by Demir Demirkan

Tolga Örnek is a Turkish filmmaker, who has directed several documentary films, including Mount Nemrud – Throne of the Gods (2001) and The Hittites – A Civilization that changed the World (2004).

His film about Gallipoli follows a chronological line from the beginning of the campaign in February and March 1915 to the end of the campaign in December 1915 and January 1916.

During the First World War, the allied powers – Britain, France, and Russia – were fighting against the central powers: Germany, Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire. The purpose of the Gallipoli campaign was to knock the Ottoman Empire out of the war.

The first version of the plan called for Allied warships to sail through the Dardanelles and attack the Ottoman capital Istanbul. This did not go well. Two attempts to force the narrow strait were stopped by the Ottoman army in February and March 1915. But the allied high command did not abandon their plan. Instead they decided to add a military landing to the original plan.

The second version of the plan called for allied soldiers to land on the Gallipoli Peninsula and knock out the Ottoman forts which were blocking the strait. Once this was accomplished, the navy would sail to Istanbul and carry out the original plan. This did not go well, either. The military landing, which began in April 1915, was unable to capture the peninsula. A long war of attrition followed, with endless and bloody attacks and counter-attacks, month after month.

The allied soldiers came from England and Ireland, from Australia and New Zealand. The troops from Australia and New Zealand were known as Australia & New Zealand Army Corps (Anzac). In Australia and New Zealand the day of the landing - 25 April 1915 - is known as Anzac Day.

The film is based on a detailed study of primary and secondary sources. From hundreds of letters and diaries written by soldiers on both sides of the frontline, the director selected ten cases which he follows as closely as possible:

FROM ENGLAND

** Ellis Silas, 1885-1972

** Joseph “Joe” Murray, 1896-1994

** Guy Nightingale, 1890-1935

FROM NEW ZEALAND

** George Bollinger, 1890-1917

** Walter “Bill” Leadley, 1884-1970

** Percival Fenwick, 1870-1958

FROM AUSTRALIA

** Joe Cumberland, 1893-1915

** Oliver Cumberland, 1889-1915

FROM THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE

** Ahmet Mucip, a Turkish soldier

** Saladin Nadir, a Turkish officer

Several experts were interviewed for this film. Their names are listed here in order of appearance:

** Nigel Steel, Imperial War Museum

** Robin Prior, University of New South Wales

** Les Carlyon, Australian author

** Christopher Pugsley, Royal Military Academy Sandhurst

** Ashley Ekins, Australian War Memorial

** Peter Hart, Imperial War Museum

** Jenny Macleod, University of Edinburgh

** Gürsel Göncü, Turkish author and editor

If you google the names of the ten soldiers and the eight experts, you can find additional information about all of them (except the two Turkish soldiers).

Since the focus of this film is on the frontline experience, you can understand that there is a lot about death and destruction here. Many soldiers are wounded or killed on both sides. However, the war is not the only problem. The sanitary conditions are horrible. During the hot summer of 1915, many soldiers are struck down by diseases, such as diarrhoea. There is more. In November 1915 the peninsula was hit by a rainstorm that flooded the trenches followed by ice cold weather. Many soldiers were attacked by frostbite and some soldiers even froze to death.

By the end of 1915 the British high command finally realised that this plan was never going to work, and therefore it was decided to evacuate all the remaining troops. Evacuation began in December 1915 and was completed in January 1916.

Once the campaign was over, it was possible to take stock of the situation: almost half a million soldiers had been wounded or lost their lives (counting both sides). The allied forces had lost lives and wasted precious resources on a project that had to be abandoned. Perhaps it should never have been started.

Who was responsible for this slaughter? Two names are mentioned in the film: Herbert Kitchener (1850-1916), who was minister of war, and Winston Churchill (1874-1965), who was minister of the navy (First Lord of the Admiralty). Churchill had to take the blame when news about the Gallipoli disaster became public and he had to resign from the government. However, Kitchener was not affected by the scandal.

The Gallipoli campaign is not only a sad story, it is also an important story because it is part of the real world. Tolga Örnek has done a good job here. Using letters and diaries written by soldiers who fought in this campaign is a good idea because his film becomes personal and emotional. He can give us the frontline experience.

Some of his witnesses survived Gallipoli, but not all. The Cumberland brothers from Australia were both wounded on the day they landed: 25 April 1915. Both were evacuated to Egypt. Joe to Alexandria and Oliver to Cairo. On 5 May Joe died from his wounds. He is buried in Alexandria. Oliver recovered and returned to Gallipoli. After a battle near Lone Pine in August 1915 he was reported missing. His remains were discovered seven years later, in 1922. He is buried in Lone Pine War Cemetery. His tombstone is shown in the film. Beneath his name the following words are written:

“A brave young life 
that promised well.

At the word of God 
a hero fell.”
 

LINK ** 837 Private Joseph Hilton Cumberland

LINK ** 1087 Private Oliver James Cumberland

The film ends with a quotation. A long letter written by a Turkish soldier, Mehmet Tefik. It is a highly emotional text. He knows he may not survive this campaign. He writes to his father and mother, urging them to take care of his wife and his child as best they can. One week later he was killed.

REVIEWS

The film received positive reviews in the media. Here are three examples:

** Lisa Nesselson in Variety: 

“A thorough recounting of the carnage when Allied forces attempted to take the Dardanelles Strait and the title peninsula in Turkey during WWI, Gallipoli serves up the paradoxes and idiocy of battle as expressed in letters and journals written by the men (on both sides) who were there... Clear, informative and frequently moving narration by Jeremy Irons and Sam Neill ties together six years of research by vet documaker Tolga Örnek. Drawing heavily on surviving correspondence, and skillfully illustrated with a blend of still photos, period footage and re-enactments, [the] film keeps talking heads to a minimum. It brings to life long-dead adversaries who did their duty despite massive casualties from artillery, mines and the ravages of dysentery… Tech credits are top notch.”

** Richard Phillips on World Socialist Website: 

“Like most contemporary war documentaries, Örnek’s movie—Gallipoli: The Front Line Experience—uses archival photos and film footage, as well as aerial photography and dramatizations to provide a detailed account of the military campaign. But Örnek’s use of the letters and diaries of 10 soldiers—British, Australian, New Zealand and Turkish—selected from scores discovered by his research team gives it an extraordinary human dimension and immediacy.”

** Louise Keller on Urban Cine File: 

“A potent and magnificent documentary, Gallipoli impacts emotionally through its humanity and intensely personal stories. It has taken filmmaker Tolga Örnek six long years to research, write, produce and direct this outstanding film that documents the thoughts of soldiers who fought on all sides of this futile fiasco of a war. Although Örnek’s script concisely recounts the circumstances and events that took place in the lead up to the nine month war, in which tens of thousands of soldiers lost their lives, it is not a story about who won or lost. Everyone lost in this shocking conflict, when young men not only fought against each other, but against extreme weather conditions, severe hardships like the ravages of disease, flies and lice.”

CONCLUSION

I agree with the positive reviews. Tolga Örnek has created an important film. I am not surprised. I have seen some of his earlier works. His films about ancient history in Asia Minor – Mount Nemrud and The Hittites – are both impressive. With this film about the Gallipoli campaign he lives up to the high standard he set for himself with his earlier works.

Gallipoli – The Frontline Experience is recommended for the armchair traveler and for the real traveler who want to visit the peninsula and see the remains of this battlefield in person.

A visit to Gallipoli is recommended, if you are in Turkey.

PS # 1. For more information about this topic see Revealing Gallipoli, a documentary film released on DVD in 2005 and 2011. It is available online. Another documentary film is Gallipoli: The Untold Stories. This film by Jonathan King runs for ca. 1 hour and 13 minutes. It was released on DVD in 2005. It is available online.

PS # 2. Australian television is currently showing a new series about Gallipoli. Episode 1 aired on 9 February 2015. Episode 2 on 16 February 2015. Episode 3 on 23 February 2015. The total number of episodes is seven.

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Gallipoli – The Frontline Experience,
Directed by Tolga Örnek,

Released on DVD 2005 and 2012,
Total running time ca. 116 minutes

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