Gallipoli Essay

A relevant idea in the film Gallipoli, produced by Peter Weir, is that war is a tragic waste of life. Weir made this idea seem relevant in the world today by using film techniques including music, dialogue and symbolism. Gallipoli is the story of a young man who went off to World War One. This particular film narrates the story of an eighteen-year-old from Western Australia who boarded a troop ship bound for Gallipoli. These soldiers fought the Turks in a campaign to capture Constantinople in 1915. It was Archy Hamilton’s sacrifices that highlighted the main idea that war was a tragic waste of life. Music is the first technique used to show us that war is a tragic waste of life, an idea that is relevant in the world today. Adagio in G Minor was a fitting sad and sombre piece. It was played along with blue lighting and visual effects such as the smoke when the soldiers crossed from Lemnos to Gallipoli. This piece of music really made me feel sad. It really helped to convey the sombre mood. The blue lighting and smoke also helped to add to the tension of the scene. This scene reminded me of animals heading off to a slaughterhouse. The superior officers acted as the humans, whilst the soldiers acted as the animals. It was these attitudes towards life and society that really helped me to understand that war is a tragic a waste of life. The officers’ attitudes showed that they did not seem to care about the soldiers’ lives or personalities. They just wanted to win the war. This idea is backed up by the dialogue between Major Barton and Colonel Robinson. â€Å"If the Turks get back in their trenches we’ll get cut to pieces! † â€Å"I still say you must go. † This attitude of the officer’s also has relevance in today’s world. There are still people out there nowadays who are so ambitious that they do not care what is in their way or who gets hurt. They are determined to reach their goal, for example a parliamentary race for election or an athlete’s fight for a champion title. Dialogue is a technique used to show us that war is a tragic waste of life, an idea that is still relevant in the world today. In the opening scenes we are shown a tracking shot of Archy sprinting and his ‘world-class’ time. This is showing us a brief snapshot of Archy’s talent. Later in the film Uncle Jack says to Archy, â€Å"You’ve got the God-given ability to be amongst our very greatest. † This piece of dialogue really conveyed to me the extent of his talent and that he could go far. This is why I was dismayed to find out that Archy was killed in action. The enemy does not care who is in the firing line or what the opposition’s personal talents are, they are just there to win the war. So not only is war a tragic waste of life, but a waste of talent too. Eric Bogle’s hit single ‘And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda’ also backed up this idea. In the song he mentioned the â€Å"wounded and maimed. † This refers to those men like Archy, who had the potential to go far but war got in the way. Their talents were wasted or never had the chance to develop, because their countries were fighting over a minor issue that could have been resolved. This idea is also relevant in the world today because everyone has the potential to do or become something great. You just have to look deep inside yourself to find it. That is why it makes me so sad to see people wasting their talent and potential over one silly and stupid mistake and then end up going to jail. Another technique used to show that war is a tragic waste of life is symbolism. Symbolism is also used to show that this idea is still relevant in the world today. One example of this would be the use of watches. We are shown a close up shot of Uncle Jack clocking Archy’s record-breaking time. Later in the film, before Archy goes over the top of the trench, we are shown him hanging up the watch along with his other meagre possessions. This shows us that it means something to him. I believe this is because it reminds him of back home, his friends and family. The watch is also a symbol of Archy’s talent and is something that brings Uncle Jack and Archy closer. I also believe that the use of watches is used to symbolise death and that death runs on it’s own clock. This idea is also relevant in the world today when people face the tragedy of cancer. We cannot control whether we will be alive tomorrow, we just have to let life run its course. It made me really sad to see the watch being hung up on the bayonet because I felt it brought me to the end. Also, when Uncle Jack is saying goodbye, he said, â€Å"Take care of it boy. This is referring to the watch. This statement reinforces Archy’s youth by using the word â€Å"boy†. It also reinforces the meaning of the watch for him. To conclude, the techniques used to show that war is a tragic waste of life are music, dialogue and symbolism. These techniques were also used to show this main idea’s relevance in today’s world. I think the world today has become smarter than the days of world wars. There will still be skirmishes, but mankind has become smart enough to know not to sacrifice everything all over again.