Gallipoli (PG) PRESENTED IN 35MM FILM

Gallipoli at The Revival House Perth

In 1915 Western Australia, two young sprinters from vastly different backgrounds form an unlikely friendship. Archy Hamilton (Mark Lee) is an idealistic country boy who dreams of serving the British Empire, while Frank Dunne (Mel Gibson) is a cynical railway worker from Perth who initially wants nothing to do with the war. Despite their differences, both men enlist and end up training together in the Light Horse regiment in Egypt. As they experience the excitement of Cairo and the growing bonds of military brotherhood, they remain unaware of what awaits them. When their unit is sent to the beaches of Gallipoli in Turkey, the reality of war—incompetent British command, Ottoman Turkish defenders holding the high ground, and the futility of charging across open ground into machine gun fire—transforms their adventure into tragedy. The ANZAC legend is forged in blood and sacrifice as these young Australians face an impossible battle.

Director Peter Weir crafts Australia's definitive anti-war film, a 1981 masterpiece that builds slowly from sun-drenched outback and youthful optimism to the horror of the Gallipoli trenches. The film's structure is deliberate—we spend extensive time with Archy and Frank before the battle, making us care deeply about their fates. Gibson and Lee create genuine chemistry, their friendship anchoring the film's emotional power. Russell Boyd's cinematography contrasts the beauty of Western Australia and Egypt with Gallipoli's desolate beaches, while Brian May's score builds from pastoral to tragic. Weir's direction eschews conventional war movie heroics, instead showing the waste and futility of sending men to die for strategic blunders. The final freeze-frame remains one of Australian cinema's most devastating images, crystallizing the senseless loss of a generation.

Original format and audio experience of this film faithfully reproduced by The Revival House. Presented in 35mm film unless noted otherwise.

When: Saturday, April 25th at 2:00PM
Where: The Revival House at the Como Theatre
Rating: PG (The content is mild in impact)

Weir's powerful anti-war masterpiece captures the ANZAC spirit and sacrifice—experience this Australian classic on ANZAC Day, in 35mm film.

Presented by: The Revival House Perth