CLASSIC or ANTIQUE? Tell England (1931)

 

                “Tell England” is a British film about the Gallipoli campaign in WWI.  It is alternately titled “Battle of Gallipoli”.  The movie was based on the novel by Ernest Raymond.  It was co-directed by Anthony Asquith (“Carrington, VC”) and Geoffrey Barkas.  Barkas worked on camouflage for Gen. Montgomery before the Battle of El Alamein.  The deception included 600 tanks disguised as lorries.  Asquith also wrote the screenplay.  The movie was originally meant to be a silent film.  There are title cards like you would see in a silent movie.  The title is a reference to the Spartan monument at Thermopylae.

                It is basically a buddy film set in war.  Kind of similar to Mel Gibson’s “Gallipoli” in that respect.  Rupert (Tony Bruce) and Edgar (Carl Harbord) are best friends.  Edgar is daring and Rupert is a stick in the mud.  Suddenly, they are in the army.  The movie is in a hurry to get to Gallipoli so there is no enlistment and no training.  Not even a montage.  For some reason the movie depicts fighting on the beachhead before our duo arrives.  The British assault a Turkish position.  We get some POV from the perspective of a Turkish machine gun.  The scene looks surprisingly like “Saving Private Ryan” to the point where you wonder if Speilberg was influenced by the movie.  There are quick intercuts between the machine gun and the British soldiers.  Meanwhile, Rupert and Edgar are living it up on the voyage over.  Being upper class, they are both officers and have bat men.  After they arrive, Rupert gets promoted to Captain, instead of the seemingly more qualified Edgar.  We are given no explanation for this.  The two men have switched personalities.  Naturally, there is going to be command dysfunction.

                The movie is very micro.  We get no idea of what is happening outside the field of the camera.  You won’t get an understanding of the campaign.  However, you will get the impression that it was not worth the losses.  The movie is not patriotic flag-waving.  It  does have some interesting cinematography.  There are quick cuts before they became standard in war movies.  Other than the character arcs, the movie is predictable.  The acting is average and it is really just a two man show.  At least they don’t overly emote like in silent movies.  The combat may be gritty, but the sets are too pristine.  Although there is a reference to picking lice, the trenches and dugout are far from the reality of WWI trench warfare.  The dialogue is average, some of it is soldier banter, but mostly we get officer talk.

                “Tell England” is a trifle.  It is not in a league with other WWI movies from that era.  It is more of an antique than a classic.  If you have seen all the other ones, go to You Tube and watch this one.  It’s only 80 minutes long. 

GRADE  =  C    

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