Revealing Gallipoli is an excellent documentary film
that was first aired in 2005. It was released on DVD in 2005 and 2011.
There are two episodes. Each episode runs for ca. 50 minutes. The total running
time is ca. 100 minutes. Here are a few facts about it:
** Directed by Wain Fimeri
** Produced by Tony Wright
** Narrated by Hamish Hughes
Episode 1 covers the background of the Gallipoli
campaign, the naval battle in the Dardanelles (February and March 1915) and the
military landing on the beaches of the Gallipoli Peninsula in April 1915. Episode 2 covers the
remaining part of the campaign: the battles on land from May 1915 until the
withdrawal in December 1915.
The story of Gallipoli has been told before. Why do I
think Revealing Gallipoli is an excellent documentary film? My answer comes
in three parts.
PART ONE
In general I like this film, because the manuscript is
well written, the film is well organized, and the camera work is well done.
PART TWO
More specifically, I like this film because of its
perspective. One perspective is geographical. There are three presenters:
** Keith Jeffery from Ireland
** Peter Stanly from Australia
** Savas Karakas from Turkey
Keith Jeffery covers the view from Ireland (and
England); Peter Stanly covers the view from Australia (and New Zealand), while
Savas Karakas covers the view from Turkey (or, more precisely, the Ottoman
Empire). Savas Karakas has a personal connection with this event: his
grandfather was one of the soldiers who fought in the Ottoman army against the
allied invasion. His father named him Savas, which is the Turkish word for “battle.”
Another perspective is social and economic. The film
presents the top leaders on both sides of the battle: top politicians and top
officials. This is no surprise. But it does not stop there. It does more than
that. The film also presents some of the ordinary soldiers who fought in this
battle. Some of them fought for the allies, while others fought in the Ottoman
army. In this way the film becomes more personal. We can see unfolding events,
not merely from the top but also from the bottom of the social and economic
pyramid.
PART THREE
The presenters
take the viewers to all the relevant locations. As we sail through the
Dardanelles, we can see how narrow it is. And we can understand why the army of
the Ottoman Empire was able to block the strait and prevent the allied ships
from passing through it. As we stand on the beaches of Gallipoli, we can see
how steep the cliffs are. And we can understand how difficult it was to make a
landing here.
The presenters
also take us to some of the hills of Gallipoli Peninsula. The allied soldiers
wanted to capture them, but in most cases they were unable to do so, because
the Turkish forces got there first. In short: the film shows us the importance
of the local geography.
INTENTIONS AND
REALITY
The allies planned
to sail through the Dardanelles, attack Istanbul, and knock the Ottoman Empire
out of the war. Perhaps it was a good plan, in theory. But the plan had one
important flaw: it could not be implemented. When we look at the Gallipoli
campaign from the side of the allies, we have to say that almost everything
went wrong. In fact, the only thing that went well was the evacuation that took
place in December 1915. Everything else was a huge disaster.
How could this
happen? How could the allies embark on a plan that was so flawed? As the film
explains, many factors were involved here:
** The allies
overestimated their own talents and resources
** The allies
underestimated the talents and the resources of the enemy
** The navy and
the army did not cooperate well. The navy did not trust the army and vice versa
** The navy and
the army worked with maps that were outdated and inaccurate. That is why they
did not understand the importance of the local geography** The allied plan was no secret: the Ottoman army was ready the first time when the allied ships tried to force the strait in February and March 1915 and the second time when the allied troops landed on the beaches of the Gallipoli Peninsula in April 1915. The allied campaign was doomed to failure from the very start
The allies should
have abandoned their plan as soon as their naval operation turned into disaster
in March 1915. They did not do this. Instead they added a military invasion to
the original plan. They should have abandoned the new and revised plan as soon
as the military invasion turned into disaster in April 1915. They did not do
this. Instead they decided to hang on and to carry on, even though there was
never any realistic hope that the plan could be implemented.
The Ottoman Empire
was weak in the beginning of the 20th century, but it was not yet broken. It was
still able to defend itself. It did not fall apart when it was attacked by the
allies. The Turkish soldiers fought back, defending their homeland with a
ferocity and tenacity, which was totally unexpected among the allied leaders.
Both sides refused to give up.
Thus the campaign
went on for month after month, even though the line between the two sides
hardly moved. Towards the end of the year the allied leaders finally admitted
that the situation was hopeless, and in December 1915 the remaining forces were
withdrawn (quickly and quietly).
War is always a
tragic event: soldiers are wounded or killed. In modern wars, civilians often
suffer as well. The soldiers who took part in the Gallipoli campaign paid a
heavy price. On both sides. Almost half a million were wounded or killed.
Sometimes a war may be necessary. Sometimes a war may be justified. When
soldiers are is wounded or killed in action, we must hope that their mission served a
good purpose and that it achieved a good result. Unfortunately, this was not
the case here: the allied soldiers who fought in the Gallipoli campaign were
wounded or killed for nothing.
Revealing
Gallipoli is a sad story about a tragic event. But it is also an important
story about a significant episode, an important part of the First World War. If
it shows us anything, if there is anything to learn from this horrible event,
it is the futility of war.
MUSTAFA KEMAL ATATÜRK
The film ends with
a quotation: the famous words written by Mustafa Kemal in 1934. He was the Turkish
officer in charge of the Ottoman army on the Gallipoli Peninsula, and he became
a national hero because he was able to stop the invasion and force the enemy to
withdraw. In 1923, a few years after the end of World War One, he proclaimed
the Republic of Turkey and he served as the first president of the new republic
for more than ten years (from the foundation until his death in 1938). Because
of this he is known as Atatürk, the father of the Turks.MUSTAFA KEMAL ATATÜRK
Today his words
are written in English on a large monolith that is erected near Anzac Cove
where the soldiers from Australia and New Zealand (Anzac) landed on 25 April
1915. Savas Karakas reads Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s words of reconciliation. I quote
them as they are written on the large monolith:
“Those
heroes that shed their blood
and lost their lives...
You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country.
Therefore rest in peace.
There is no difference between the Johnniesand the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side
here in this country of ours...
You, the mothers, who sent [your] sons from faraway countries,
wipe away your tears.
Your sons are now lying in our bosom
and are in peace.
After having lost their lives on this land they have
become our sons as well.”
Revealing Gallipoli
is an excellent documentary film. It is recommended for the armchair traveller
as well for the real traveller who wants 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
background information about this film, see the article “Gallipoli revealed” by Wendy Tuohy
in the Australian newspaper The Age, 21 April 2005 (available online).
PS # 2. For more
information, see Gallipoli - The Frontline Experience, a documentary film
directed by the Turkish filmmaker Tolga Őrnek (released on DVD in 2005 and 2012).
PS # 3. For more
information about Anzac, see Anzac Girls by Peter Rees (2014). The first
version of this book (published in 2008) inspired the Australian television
series Anzac Girls first aired in 2014 and released on DVD in 2015.
PS # 4. Australian
television is currently showing a new television 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.
No comments:
Post a Comment