H231 Assignment 2

Derek Edwards

19990793

THE LIGHTHORSEMEN

Critical Review and Bibliography

PART 1: FILM INFORMATION

PRINCIPAL CAST AND CREDITS

Director: Simon Wincer

Writer: Ian Jones

Cinematographer: Dean Semler

Executive Producer: Antoni I. Ginnane

Producers: Ian Jones and Simon Wincer

Director of Photography: Dean Semler

Editor: Adrian Carr

Music: Mario Millo

Produced by: Picture Show/RKO

Distributors: Cinecom International Films

Evergreen Entertainment

Films Jaques Leitienne

Hoyts Distribution

Medusa Communications

Peter Phelps as Dave Mitchell

John Walton as Tas

Tim McKenzie as Chiller

Jon Blake as Scotty

Gary Sweet as Frank

Sigrid Thornton as Anne

Nick Walters as the Lighthorse Sergeant

John Larking as the Station Master

John Heywood as Dave’s Dad

Di O’Conner as Dave’s Mum

Shane Briant as Reichart

Ralph Cotterill as Gen. Sir Harry Chauvel

Grant Piro as Charlie

Tony Bonner as Col. Murray Bourchier

Serge Lazareff as Rankin

Patrick Frost as Sgt. Ted Seager

AT THE BOX OFFICE

The Lighthorsemen is included in the Australian Film Commission’s ‘Top Australian film’s at the Australian box office’ list at number 83. The film grossed $1,617,288 in Australia after its release in 1987. It was also released in Canada, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States in 1988 (figures not available).

INTERVIEWS/REVIEWS

I found it very hard to locate relevant interviews with the makers of The Lighthorsemen. Ian Jones and Simon Wincer have had other successful projects since The Lighthorsemen, and any material I came across deals with other films such as The Man From Snowy River (1983) and Crocodile Dundee in L.A. (2001). However, I did find some reviews that offer contrasting opinions of the film. The fact that there are such a limited number of reviews available on-line show that the film does not fare well on the contemporary critical horizon of cyberspace.

Reviews can be found at:

http://www.suntimes.com/ebert/ebert_reviews/1988/05/293041.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpsrv/style/longterm/movies/video/thelighthorsemenpgkemply_a0ca13.html

http://reviews.imdb.com/Reviews/04/0414

http://reviews.imdb.com/Reviews/345/34512

ON-LINE PRESENCE-THE SEARCH FOR INFORMATION

The volume of material on the internet of any given topic is a good measure of its current value. As such, I would say that The Lighthorsemen is fast becoming obsolete. Most of my internet search engine entries yielded fewer than thirty results- even less if searches are limited to Australian websites. This is indicative of the lack of coverage Australian cinema receives- not only internationally, but domestically as well. This notion bears more truth as a film ages, especially with regard to ‘B’ grade films.

The film’s presence online is limited to reviews, comments, and cast and crew lists. My search for information on this film was hindered by its lack of coverage within Australian websites. Although basic details of its release and production could be found, the film has little or no presence in academic discussion on the internet. This may be due to the fact that it was largely received as an average film by critics and in the fifteen-odd-years since its release opinions have not changed. Also, because the fact that the film was released well before the internet was established, a lot of relevant material may not have found its way onto the world wide web. The films rather poor online presence made it quite hard to extract relevant information for this assignment.

PART II: CRITICAL REVIEW

Simon Wincer’s The Lighthorsemen deals with Australian soldiers’ involvement in the Middle East during the first World War. The story follows the Light Horse regiment of the Australia-New Zealand Army Corps as it seizes Beersheeba from Turkish and German forces. British forces had reached a stalemate in Palestine and in 1917, 800 Australian Lighthorsemen overcame 4000 Turkish-German defenders to change the course of the war in the Middle East. This historical backdrop provides yet another opportunity to depict Australian identity as triumphant in the face of extreme hardship in a retrospective, nostalgic way.

The film’s main storyline follows Dave Mitchell, a young man from the rural-urban fringe of Melbourne, as he enlists in the Lighthorse regiment and tries to win the approval of his peers when he replaces the wounded Frank. Scottie, Tas, Frank, and Chiller are a band of soldiers whose strong friendship was galvanised on the battlefields of Gallipoli, and when Frank is shot in a skirmish with Bedouin, crack-shot Dave is assigned as his replacement. Initially, Dave is met with hostility form the remaining three, especially from Tas, the senior member of the group.

Upon his arrival, Dave’s expert marksmanship is proven during target practice, impressing all but Tas. Tas’ contempt for Dave is quickly justified when an encounter with a small band of Turkish cavalry reveals that Dave can not shoot at another human being. He can shoot rabbits but not people, and he starts to realise that he is not cut out to be a soldier. The groups’ disapproval of Dave is worsened upon receiving the news of Frank’s death; Tas is especially angry and disillusioned that a Gallipoli ‘hero’ has been permanently replaced by a kid who won’t even fire at the enemy, let alone kill.

At this point in the film, almost out of nowhere, a German plane armed with machine guns and manually deployed bombs attacks their base camp. This provides the opportunity for Dave to prove his bravery. He rescues a group of horses from enemy fire and wins the respect of his peers, including Tas. He receives a badly cut hand, which leads to a fever and the chance to introduce the love interest, Anne, while being treated in an army hospital.

After Dave has recovered, he is soon in another situation where he must kill. An ambush on Turkish scouts once again shows Dave to be morally conflicted. He doesn’t provide covering fire, but is the first to attend to the wounded on the battlefield. While he shoots an injured horse out of compassion, a Turkish soldier rides up behind him and draws his sword. Just as Dave looks like he may kill the enemy in self-defence, Tas kills the Turkish soldier. Although Dave has won the respect of his peers, it is now glaringly obvious that he can not continue to place the lives of his fellow soldiers, and his own life, in jeopardy. Tas convinces him to leave the armed division of the Lighthorse, and join the medics as a mounted stretcher carrier. This situation not only solves Dave’s moral dilemmas, but also provides the opportunity for Dave to get closer to Anne, the nurse.

At this point in the film, it changes pace somewhat and the lead up to the final showdown begins. Planning tents and discussions between seasoned generals make up the next few scenes to press one fact on the audience; the daring raid on Beersheeba depends upon taking their water wells intact. If this is not achieved, then the men and horses will die of thirst in the unforgiving desert. The enemy is tricked by false documents into thinking there is an imminent raid on Gaza, not Beersheeba, and the premise for a remarkable military victory is set. If it sounds to you like a laboured plot that serves merely as a lead up to the final climax, I would agree. It takes over an hour and a half of shallow subplots and military genre cliches to get to the point of the story.

Personally, I found the film watchable, but it is a case where the final scenes are a reward for sitting through a very average story line. It seems as if there is too much going on in the plotlines that do not really matter to the outcome of the story. At the outset of the film, the audience is introduced to Dave as the main character but screen time is then quickly devoted to the four ‘comrades’ as they display cliched Aussie stereotypes- mateship, the ocker hero, humility, and contempt for (British) authority. Frank’s exit from the story comes across as an excuse for the re-introduction of the main character, Dave- he tries to take on a number of Bedouin against all odds, and gets shot in the leg. This would be a relatively minor injury, yet it results in his death. The reason offered for his demise is a broken heart- his wound turns sceptic after hearing that his girlfriend has married- which borders on laughable.

Sigrid Thornton’s Anne seems to be thrown in to sell the film in the romance genre, as well as a war/drama/historical film. Although the characters of Anne and Dave are based on real people, their love affair has the feel of being tacked on to appeal to a broader audience. The incident that destines them to meet is another case that borders on laughable. In rescuing the horses to prove his bravery, Dave sustains a rope cut to his hand. A few minutes later, he is delirious from fever in a hospital bed. The Florence Nightingale syndrome ensues, and the story has a love affair.

The film also tries to offer the perspective of the ‘other’, i.e. the point of view of the enemy forces. In a lot of war films, the enemy is dehumanised; a kind of faceless demon whom it is unquestionably right to kill. This film does give a face to the Turkish and German forces, but not in a humanitarian way as you might expect. The Turkish and German generals do serve to develop the plot from both sides of the conflict, but they are mostly used to deliver dialogue that tells the audience how effective the Australian Lighthorsemen would be if only they weren’t under the command of the incompetent British. This presents another cliche that runs common to Australian war films- the short-sightedness of the British military, and the intrinsic greatness of Australian character, especially on the battlefield.

The plotlines jump around so much that you would be excused for thinking the main story is any of the above mentioned. It could be the story of four Gallipoli mates, the morally conflicted new arrival, or a wartime love story. All of these themes have been done before this film a number of times, and it leads me to conclude that The Lighthorsemen tries to be too many things to too many people. In trying to do this, it falls short in each area resulting in a film that would have been much better if it could make up it’s mind on which direction to follow.

The film lacks the distinct anti-war sentiment of such previous Australian war films such as Gallipoli (Weir, 1981). The characters with whom the audience is positioned to identify and barrack for all survive, and the final charge is a celebrated success. In fact, the only real anti-war theme is displayed through Dave and his incapacity to kill another human. Even this is passed over pretty quickly without much depth; the killing is left to those who can, while Dave moves on to serve as a stretcher bearer. In this film, even those with pacifist inclinations can find a place in the armed forces.

Perhaps the entire production was an excuse to recreate one of the last great cavalry charges in history. The final half-hour of the film is very well done, and it does help to appease a slow moving, cliched plot. The planning and technical expertise of the final battle scenes (not to mention the cost) make it seem as though the rest of the film was put together only to lengthen its running time.

Panoramic long shots of the Lighthorsemen’s approach across the desert are visually stunning. Remote controlled cameras on cranes allow close-ups of the horses and soldiers as they charge into Beersheeba that put the audience right in the thick of the action. The importance of water is illustrated by filming the soldiers at rest through the rising heat waves of the desert. Wincer’s style and use of camera technology make these last sequences memorable, but unfortunately the film has already fallen short before the final destination is reached. If you want to see an Australian war film with similar themes, then Gallipoli or Breaker Morant (Beresford, 1980) would be a more rewarding choice.

CIRCUMSTANCES OF PRODUCTION AND RELEASE

The Lighthorsemen was made with a budget of around $10 million. It was released in Australia in 1987 to modest reviews. The following year (1988) it was released for overseas markets but did not make enough money to register on any overseas box office lists I came across.

The film received a moderate response from critics in Australia and abroad upon its release. American critics, such as Roger Ebert, seem a bit tired of Australian war genre films by 1988, and stop just short of labelling it a glorification of war. After the worldwide acclaim of Weir’s Gallipoli (1981), any production that lends itself to genre comparison is against tough competition. Critics agree that it is no Gallipoli, but the final charge on Beersheeba is so carefully constructed and executed that it makes amends for a lacklustre plot.

Wincer and Jones have been long-time associates in the Australian film and television industry. They worked together on such series as The Sullivans (1976) and Homicide (1964). The film was somewhat of a return home for Wincer- by the time of its production, he had already established himself in Hollywood, and he was chosen to head the production of the Australian war epic.

The characters and plot of the film were conceived with the aid of extensive historical research and interviews with World War 1 veterans who fought in the Middle East. Most of the lead characters were based on real people. The filmmakers attempt to accurately recreate 1917 Palestine involved a lot of careful planning and thought. The resulting realism of the shooting locations gives the film a greater sense of truthfulness.

The Lighthorsemen was shot at locations including Hawker, Victoria and South Australia which work well to simulate early 20th century Palestine.

PRIOR AND SUBSEQUENT WORK OF THE FILM-MAKERS

Simon Wincer- Director/Producer

Simon Wincer has had a long and distinguished career in Australian television and cinema as a director. His TV credits include Homicide, The Sullivans, Chopper Squad and Young Ramsay. He was the executive producer for The Man From Snowy River.

Wincer is yet another Australian filmmaker who has had successes in Hollywood making TV miniseries, series, and feature films. He directed the acclaimed Lonesome Dove mini-series, The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles series and a number of The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones features for video release. He has also made several films for television. Below is a list of his films as director:

Snapshot (1979)

Harlequin (1980)

Phar Lap (1983)

The Man From Snowy River (1983) (Executive Producer)

D.A.R.Y.L. (1985)

The Girl Who Spelled Freedom (1986) (TV)

The Last Frontier (1986) (TV)

The Lighthorsemen (1987)

Bluegrass (1988) (TV)

Lonesome Dove (1989) (TV mini-series)

Quigly Down Under (1990)

Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man (1991)

Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: The Daredevils of the Desert (1992)

Free Willy (1993)

Lightning Jack (1994)

Operation Dumbo Drop (1995)

The Phantom (1996)

Flash (1997) (TV)

Escape: Human Cargo (1998) (TV)

The Echo of Thunder (1998) (TV)

PT Barnum (1999) (TV mini-series)

Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: The trenches of Hell (1999)

Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Oganga, the Giver and Taker of Life (1999)

Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Adventures in the Secret Service (1999)

Crossfire Trail (2001) (TV)

Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles (2001)

Ponderosa (2001) (TV series)

Monte Walsh (2003) (TV)

The Young Black Stallion (2003)

Ian Jones- Writer/Producer

Ian Jones has been involved in Australian film and television for over forty years as a writer/director /producer. Heavily involved in the production of early Australian television series, he wrote and directed Homicide (1964), was writer/director/producer of Hunter (1967), and was director/executive producer of The Sullivans (1976). As a feature filmmaker, he has written Ned Kelly (1970) and The Lighthorsemen (1987). He was producer for The Lighthorsemen and The Box (1975).

Dean Semler- Cinematographer

Dean Semler has been one of Australia’s leading cinematographers with 45 films and television productions to his credit. Included in this list are Mad Max 2 (1981), The Coca-Cola Kid (1985), Mad Max 3 (1985), The Lighhorsemen (1987), Young Guns (1988), Dances With Wolves (1990), The Power of One (1992), Waterworld (1995), The Bone Collector (1999), We Were Soldiers (2002), XXX (2002) and The Alamo (2003). Semler is another example of Australian filmmakers who are currently sought after for big-budget productions in Hollywood.

AUSTRALIAN FILM AND ITS VALUE/ A MEDIUM SIZED ENGLISH LANGUAGE CINEMA

Judging by The Lighthorsemen, Australian film loses more value as time goes by. While the film still exists in internet databases and film websites, it does not warrant the inclusion of all related information on the world wide web. Critics from large American newspapers such as The Washington Post and The Chicago Times did not warm to it at the time of release, which did not help its exposure in large overseas markets.

Currently, the film has little market value- it probably only leaves the video store for study purposes such as this assignment. At its time of release, it did not fare too well from critics, and even though the internet has allowed fans of the film to voice opinions, it is still generally thought of as an average film at best.

More importantly, internet research reveals a lack of domestic coverage for Australian films such as this one. Most reviews I found were from overseas sources, indicating that its importance to Australian cinema has been overlooked, or at best marginalised with time. It appears that Australia is quick to forget the moderate successes of even its most talented people. By the time The Lighthorsemen was made, Wincer had already made it in America- perhaps Australian critics were/are reluctant to praise ‘deserters’ who make it big overseas.

Generally, Australian films are valued domestically, but only exceptional works are revered overseas. This film seems to be neither. It is a case where it has been overshadowed by other Australian war films at home, and where it barely registered at overseas box offices. It is indicative of the period in which it was produced; before 10BA tax incentives were totally withdrawn and a lot of substandard films were made for tax breaks. As such, overseas critics may have had a predisposition that many Australian productions at this time were hardly worth viewing, let alone writing positively about. For Australian films to be valued abroad, they have to be innovative and outstanding. The Lighhorsemen is neither.

Australia is a medium sized English language cinema, and it suffers from the competition of larger nation’s film industries, especially Hollywood. The film did make it across the Pacific, but did not make any big waves. In one respect, The Lighthorsemen could be seen as a success for making it onto the shores of America (and Europe). At home the direct competition for the box office dollar, often from American productions, makes it harder for Australian films to have a lasting impact. If a film makes little noise domestically, then it is that much harder for it to be heard overseas.