Legion 4 | 30 Dec 2015 9:23 a.m. PST |
Saw this movie on HBO. Thought it was very well done as well as sad and evocative. I'm not an expert on this period. But fairly well read, what do the WWI gamers think ? |
steamingdave47 | 30 Dec 2015 10:39 a.m. PST |
Watched it on a 14 hour flight. Enjoyed it, there were a few "stereotypes" such as the officious British officer who tried to kick the Russell Crowe character out of Turkey, but overall I thought it portrayed the stupidity and incompetent handling of the Gallipoli campaign well. There were some slightly outlandish happenings, such as the escape of Crowe and the Turkish officer after the train was ambushed, but you expect this sort of thing in films and TV dramas. It didn't take sides; there were sympathetic characters on both the ANZAC and Turkish sides. It also made me aware of something I did not know about the aftermath of WW1 and the conflict between Greece and Turkey. Bit of romance in it, but not too much to make it soppy! Not a WW1 gamer, so can't comment on it from that point of view. |
stephen phillip | 30 Dec 2015 10:56 a.m. PST |
I thought it was good. You might want to check out the aussie tv series Gallipoli. Here in nz we had a tv series called we went to war. Imho the aussie one is really execellent and potrays the stupidity of the whole campaign. The british high command should have been court martialed |
BattleCaptain | 30 Dec 2015 11:19 a.m. PST |
See also A Very Long Engagement for a similar story set in France. |
Who asked this joker | 30 Dec 2015 12:46 p.m. PST |
I liked the movie fine. I especially liked that his hunt lead him to my father's home town of Afyon. |
Unlucky General | 30 Dec 2015 12:49 p.m. PST |
Crimea, The Boer War … ah, the list goes on for incompetent and bloody minded campaigns but British high command of any period is no better or worse than everyone else. Can anyone name a consistently well run campaign of WWI by anybody? What's interesting is to look at the blunders of success – not just of failure. Wellington (for example) almost completely botched the 100 Days but because in the end he won (yet again – very reliable) his errors are glossed over. It's the same with most military history I suspect. |
Schogun | 30 Dec 2015 1:23 p.m. PST |
My wife and I enjoyed the movie, too. Thought the title was a misnomer, but he did use his "powers" to find his sons. Also thought they could have found a fetching Turkish actress for the love interest…but I can't complain about Olga Kurylenko. |
Bobgnar | 30 Dec 2015 2:02 p.m. PST |
An interesting movie with the Greco-Turkish War as background, especially if you like Tommy Guns You Can't Win 'Em All Unlucky, do you mean by the British or just anybody. If the latter, how about Paul Emil von Lettow-Vorbeck link "Crimea, The Boer War … ah, the list goes on for incompetent and bloody minded campaigns but British high command of any period is no better or worse than everyone else. Can anyone name a consistently well run campaign of WWI by anybody?"
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D A THB | 30 Dec 2015 3:43 p.m. PST |
Court Marshalled like Malone was meant to be? He refused to follow orders to attack as he wanted to rest his men, while leaving the Aussies out on a limb. Our gaming group had a personal tour conducted by Lt Gen (Rtd) Rhys Jones of the Gallipoli display at the Wellington War Museum. I get the impression that quite a few myths have been exploited for political ends and the actual history gets distorted. Honesty how anyone managed a successful campaign in that era still amazes me. They did not even have maps for Gallipoli, but the NCIS generation think that every detail is available at their fingertips to download. |
KSmyth | 30 Dec 2015 9:18 p.m. PST |
Saw the movie on HBO last week. I really enjoyed it. I thought the acting was decent, and the plot was good if a bit far-fetched at times. I think what it portrayed best was the sense of loss after the end of the Great War, whether an Australian family or a Turkish family. I'd watch it again. |
stephen phillip | 30 Dec 2015 11:19 p.m. PST |
D a thb malone court marshalled? What for? Looking out for the welfare of his men? Have you read any of the material available about the man or are you basing your conclusions on a tour lecture? |
Legion 4 | 31 Dec 2015 1:03 a.m. PST |
Thanks gents, I agree with most of what you have said. I found it well done. And it appears it was filmed in Turkey. I recommend it as well … |
Doctor X | 01 Jan 2016 12:02 a.m. PST |
I was prepared to be disappointed but found it was pretty good. The 1919 Greek/Turkey war was an interesting background. |
Legion 4 | 01 Jan 2016 10:02 a.m. PST |
I thought so as well. Many don't realize the Turks and Greeks were at odds before, during and after WWI … |
Inkpaduta | 02 Jan 2016 9:00 a.m. PST |
I enjoyed it. Saw it last night. Good film. |