| Gallipoli | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Tolga Örnek |
| Produced by | Hamdi Döker Burak Örnek |
| Written by | Tolga Örnek |
| Narrated by | Sam Neill Zafer Ergin Demetri Goritsas Jeremy Irons |
| Music by | Demir Demirkan |
| Cinematography | Volker Tittel |
| Editing by | Maria Zimmermann |
| Distributed by | Cinema Epoch Dogus Group |
| Release date(s) | March 18, 2005 (Turkey) |
| Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | Turkey |
| Language | English Turkish |
Gallipoli (Turkish title Gelibolu) is a 2005 film by Turkish filmmaker Tolga Örnek. It is a documentary about the 1915 Gallipoli campaign, narrated by both sides, the Turks on one side and the British soldiers and Anzacs (soldiers of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) on the other side.[1]
Contents |
Through the use of surviving diaries, letters and photographs from both sides, the film shows the bravery and the suffering on both sides. The film also contains: interviews with international experts, location landscape, underwater and aerial photography, 3-D computer animations and re-enactments of trenches.
A DVD in Region 1 was released in February 5, 2008 by Cinema Epoch.[2]
When the film was released in France, Variety magazine film critic, Lisa Nesselson, reviewed the film favorably, writing, "A thorough recounting of the carnage when Allied Forces attempted to take the Dardanelles Straits and the title peninsula in Turkey during WWI, Gallipoli serves up the paradoxes and idiocy of battle as expressed in letters and journals written by the men (on both sides) who were there...Clear, informative and frequently moving narration by Jeremy Irons and Sam Neill ties together six years of research by vet documaker Tolga Ornek. Drawing heavily on surviving correspondence, and skillfully illustrated with a blend of still photos, period footage and re-enactments, film keeps talking heads to a minimum. It brings to life long-dead adversaries who did their duty despite massive casualties from artillery, mines and the ravages of dysentery...Tech credits are top notch."[3]
In a review of the film in the World Socialist Web Site (a publication of the International Committee of the Fourth International), Richard Phillips discussed the style used by the filmmakers, writing, "Like most contemporary war documentaries, Örnek’s movie—Gallipoli: The Front Line Experience—uses archival photos and film footage, as well as aerial photography and dramatisations to provide a detailed account of the military campaign. But Örnek’s use of the letters and diaries of 10 soldiers—British, Australian, New Zealand and Turkish—selected from scores discovered by his research team gives it an extraordinary human dimension and immediacy."[4]
Australian film critic Louise Keller also discussed the impact and purpose of the film, writing, "A potent and magnificent documentary, Gallipoli impacts emotionally through its humanity and intensely personal stories. It has taken filmmaker Tolga Örnek six long years to research, write, produce and direct this outstanding film that documents the thoughts of soldiers who fought on all sides of this futile fiasco of a war. Although Örnek's script concisely recounts the circumstances and events that took place in the lead up to the nine month war, in which tens of thousands of soldiers lost their lives, it is not a story about who won or lost. Everyone lost in this shocking conflict, when young men not only fought against each other, but against extreme weather conditions, severe hardships like the ravages of disease, flies and lice."[5]
For this film, Tolga Örnek has been awarded an honorary medal in the general division of the Order of Australia.[6]