Anzacs (1985)
Anzacs
1985Anzacs was a 1985 5-part Australian miniseries set in World War I. The series follows the lives of a group of young Australian men who enlist in the 8th Battalion of the First Australian Imperial Force in 1914, fighting first at Gallipoli in 1915, and then on the Western Front for the remainder of the war.
Seasons & Episode
The survivors are shipped to France where they are rewarded with a chance to basically do it all again. They do manage a little time off in London, before returning to France to get shot at all over again, only this time over a much longer period, until the Germans finally run out of cattle before the Allies, and surrender.
It is incredible how much of World War I was fought with a 'let's see who has the last man standing' mentality. It makes for infuriating viewing as so-called military strategists come up with one poorly planned counter-attack after another with almost total disregard for the lives of the men involved. It is as if they are playing with toy soldiers. "Let's just keep throwing men and machines at each other until one side has nothing left."
Led by General John Monash, they became a crack fighting corps of the British Army. While making up only five per cent of the Allied forces, the Anzacs played a crucial role in winning the “war to end all wars”. Their efforts were instrumental in Allied victories in numerous key battles, including Messines, Hamel, Amiens, Mont St Quentin and the Hindenberg Line.
A nice inclusion after hours of living in the pockets of these characters, is History in the Making - The Making of Anzacs. At 45 minutes it manages to squeeze a lot of quality stuff in, such as interviews with key cast and crew, and more technical aspects of filmmaking such as stunts, effects, costuming, design and the music. It is narrated and has the same technical specifications as the feature.
Anzacs was a 1985 5-part Australian miniseries set in World War I. The series follows the lives of a group of young Australian men who enlist in the 8th Battalion of the First Australian Imperial Force in 1914, fighting first at Gallipoli in 1915, and then on the Western Front for the remainder of the war.