12th ANNIVERSARY: 25 April (2015)

         Today is the 12th anniversary of the start of this blog.  My original mission statement was to watch and review all the movies in Military History magazines 100 Greatest War Movies.  After I finished that task I turned to reviewing other movies in my quest to produce a list of the 100 BEST war movies.  I have watched and reviewed over 800 movies at this point and my to-be-watched list is still big.  I still come upon outstanding movies.  Some are animated movies.  I even review documentaries.  But only once have I reviewed an animated documentary.  Here is that review.

            “25 April” is a New Zealand animated documentary about Gallipoli.  It come out in the centennial year of the disastrous invasion.  It was directed  by Leanne Pooley.  The movie opens with a POV shot of an attack in no man’s land.  The soldiers are black and white, the copious blood is a vibrant red.  The format is interviews with various participants.  There are six.  The screenwriter used diaries, letters, and memoirs.  One of the soldiers is a sniper, another is a nurse, and a third is a school teacher who becomes a stretcher bearer.       

            April 25 is when the New Zealand troops landed.  The animation is surreal and hellacious.  “Nothing went according to plan.”  No shit.  The Aussies and New Zealanders have trouble getting to the high ground.  The wounds are graphic.  The movie covers all the famous events in the campaign.  These include the truce to bury the dead which results in some fraternization with the Turks.  Also, the bathing at Anzac Cove, under fire. After HMS Triumph is torpedoed and sunk, the Royal Navy pulls out (like Guadalcanal).  It covers the attack on Chunuk Bair and the landing at Suva Bay.  It goes all the way to the evacuation.

            I’m not a big fan of documentaries, but this one impressed me.  I like war films that are different and this one certainly is.  The format works well.  The six interviewees are interesting and offer a variety of experiences.  There is no interviewer to slow things down.  The six are not patriotic talking heads.  Some are cynical and some are critical.  But all are lower ranks, so we don’t get the perspective of the generals.  That would have balanced the movie better, not that there is much positive that can be said about Gallipoli.  However, it would have been nice to know why these people went through hell. 

            The animation is amazing and the sound effects match it.  This makes the combat quite visceral.  The movie also does an excellent job on soldier life.  They talk about the lice, the flies, the heat, and the poor food.  One of their activities is scorpion fights.  Men die from dysentery.  There is an interesting sequence on a hospital ship.  The movie is informative on virtually every aspect of the ANZAC experience.  For that reason, it is firmly anti-war.

            “25 April” is one of the best animated war movies.  It is unique (as far as I know) in that it is a documentary.  I could see students paying more attention (and not falling asleep) for this documentary.  Perhaps this is the future of documentaries.  The director was not constrained by the need for footage.  The people being interviewed are of the appropriate age.  You can even have one who died in the campaign.  If you have seen “Gallipoli”, you owe it to yourself to learn about the campaign.  I can think of no better way than to watch this outstanding movie.

GRADE  =  A