Bravery In The Film Gallipoli By Peter Weir

Peter Weir re-created one of the biggest historical events in New Zealand through the tragic tale of Archy Hamilton, an innocent boy who lost his life in Gallipoli during 1915. The audience is emotionally weaved into the film by use of music, dialogue, tracking shots and close ups to create a climax of a despairing ending to the film Gallipoli. Courage was the main theme communicated by Weir throughout the film. The film exposes an underlying message for teenagers, to be brave in our everyday lives when wanting to achieve your goals

Peter Weir portrayed Archie hamilton as the innocent yet determined and brave young man living in Western Australia. An important idea developed in the film was Bravery. This is an important idea because it shaped the whole setting and

ambience of war, as throughout the film thousands of men's lives are lost bravely through battle. During the second scene in the film we witness Archie working with a stereotypical bully who continuously tears down Archie's success. “Running is for girls, boxing is for boys”. The low camera angle on the bully creates a more dramatizing and hierarchy affect, as a high camera angle pans down on ARchie making him look small and innocent. IN the opening scene we see Archie race with his uncle and is qualified to run in a competition that could change his life, therefore the viewers already know of Archie's success and is drawn in by the use of dialogue and camera technique to see what kind of character Archie is.“ALright then, you're on! First one back to the post... me on foot and you on horseback”. Bravery is thoroughly show throughout this first scene as Archy's sheer determination in himself allows him to stand up to an older more powerful person trying to tear him down. The director used fast paced music accompanied with Low camera shots of Archy running across the hot western desert, injured and dehydrated as he races for his self worth and perseverance . This is relatable to every teenager across the globe, as well all have experienced a bully or someone trying to tear us down. The high camera angle close up shot on the bully's face creates a familiarity of when we have ever felt small and defeated by someone who wants nothing more than to tear us down Archy Hamilton took the bet and courageously defended his title by winning the race. This is also symbolic as the race represents the many hardships Archie must find on his long and hard journey during his life.

Close up shots were an effective technique the director used to create an impacting and courageous effect on the viewers. Archie reaches PErth before being taken over to Gallipoli to join the other thousands for the “Final Push” against Turkey. He is then killed in battle. Throughout the scene before his death the director to allow the audience to get a sense of what the soldiers were going through. This film technique goes hand in hand with music to allow the viewers to take in the various negative emotions enveloping these young men. During the scene in the trenches, the close ups allow the audience to clearly see the distress and terror in the facial expressions the soldiers had and can relate this to another experience where they may have felt similar emotions. This allows the viewers to emotionally connect with these men. This was to reinforce the theme of courage once the viewers had an understanding of what they were being asked to do. The director cleverly incorporated these camera shots to grasp the audience’s attention. This was to exaggerate to the viewers the amount of courage it took to run straight into your death and once again Peter Weir linked this scene to the Gallipoli Campaign, as this was how over 130,000 innocent lives were lost. We are shown letters being written to loved ones, soldiers placing wedding rings on their triggers and medals being hung on the walls of the trenches by daggers. This in yet another underlying message for Teenagers, to never take your family for granted. THis is efficiently communicated by the camera shots showing the distress of leaving your family and home behind, creating the impacting feeling of appreciation for everything the generation has.

Dialogue is one of the main techniques that Weir used to connect the opening and ending scenes to create the impacting ending the film Gallipoli is known for. This technique was used during the scene of the trenches as Archy was awaiting his death. “What are your legs? Springs, steel springs.” This motif Archy starts to say to himself gives the audience a foreshadowing realization that the protagonist was about to run his last race. The director connects this to the opening scene as this is how the film begins, with Archy and his uncle training in Australia. The use of the whistle being blown, the motto and the race are all factors that contributed towards the last scene becoming a near replica of how the film began. As Archy starts to repeat the words his uncle taught him, his voice begins to gradually increase in projection, although the viewers can conspicuously see his hands shaking as he grips his gun for support. When he finished his motto, courage is once again portrayed through the soldiers prepared ready to run away from their loved ones and towards their only escape from the war. The outcome this technique has on the viewers is that we can see the change in Archy, from a young carefree boy, to a hollow and frightened man wishing to run towards his innocence one last time, even if it’s into the cannon's mouth. - Not only does this resemble bravery but it shows resilience, just as Archy still chose to run into enemy trenches without so much as a tear shed which resembles an act of courage in the face of adversity. The film is based of the real-life gallipoli campaign during (1914-1915), which helped shape New Zealand as we know it today. When the younger generation watches this film, it teaches the lesson of appreciation for those who fell to save our future.

IN conclusion Peter Weirs use of close up shots, music and tracking shot showed the young audience how the theme of bravery is the main theme throughout this film.

The director weaved a captivating emotional tapestry by playing on the audience’s previous knowledge of Gallipoli, with a manipulation of people’s sense of injustice, a taste of hatred at the idiocy of war, he pulled this together by superb screen play to leave the heart pumping of every viewer. This movie affected teenagers by exploiting the harsh reality of what really happened during Gallipoli by the use of music, for causing a slowing effect as the viewer takes in the full meaning of the scene along with close ups to exaggerate the theme of courage. Peter Weir tied these techniques along with dialogue and tracking shots to reenact the horrible way lives were lost in Gallipoli during 1914-1915. AN important message for teenagers was clearly showing throughout the film on a young man who lost his life, while fighting bravely for what he believed in. Teenagers communicate this message of the importance of fighting and being brave when standing up for yourself and your goals and appreciating everything we have, as it one day may be

gone.