Two Australian sprinters face the brutal realities of war when they are sent to fight in the Gallipoli campaign in the Ottoman Empire during World War I.
Direction
Weir's desert vistas that seduce before they betray.
Cinematography
Golden hour running shots vs. grey trench claustrophobia.
Score
Bruce's triumphant synths mocking the boys' doom.
Director
Peter Weir
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The beach running scenes were filmed in South Australia, not Turkey — those iconic cliffs are actually Port Lincoln's untouched coastline doubling for Gallipoli.
Released during a resurgence of Australian nationalism, the film paradoxically became ANZAC myth-making while brutally dismantling it — still debated at dawn services today.
AU
