Gallipoli-The Frontline Experience (2005)

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General		Extras
Category	Documentary	Main Menu Audio & Animation Featurette-Gallipoli Featurette-Making Of Audio Commentary-Director Tolga Ornek Theatrical Trailer
Rating
Year Of Production	2005
Running Time	118:08
RSDL / Flipper	RSDL (39:01)	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Tolga Ornek
Studio Distributor	Roadshow Home Entertainment	Starring	Sam Neill Zafer Ergin
Case	Amaray-Transparent
RPI	$34.95	Music	Demir Demirkan

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) English Audio Commentary Dolby Digital 2.0 (320Kb/s) English Dolby Digital 2.0 (320Kb/s) Turkish Dolby Digital 2.0 (320Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.78:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	1.78:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	English for the Hearing Impaired	Smoking	Yes, Only in background of extras.
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

    No other event has shaped the national identity of Australia, particularly that of the Australian military, as has the battle of Gallipoli in the first World War. It defined the ANZAC persona that is still widely recognised today when we think of Australians at war. It also had an enormous cultural impact on the Turks, marking one of the last great victories of the Ottoman empire.

    Numerous documentaries have been made on the battle over the years, but none have approached it in quite the same fashion as Gallipoli- The Frontline Experience. In director Tolga Örnek's own words:

    These goals are stunningly realised in Gallipoli- The Frontline Experience. The events of the battle are told by narrators, including Sam Neill, reading letters sent home by 10 soldiers. Some from Turkey, some from Australia, some are British and some Kiwi. All are from differing backgrounds, but all echo common themes and feelings in what they had to say. There is minimal narration by Jeremy Irons, not taken directly from letters, that tells the ongoing events of the battle, but this mainly bridges the narrative between letters from soldiers.

    This approach evokes a powerful documentary that is straight from the heart, perfect for anyone seeking a remembrance day tribute. That said, this approach may frustrate anybody looking for a conventional documentary on the battle of Gallipoli. The sets, costumes and locations, all compiled with great assistance from the Australian War Memorial, are certainly flawless, but there is not a lot of dry information presented in this film. Viewers may occasionally get lost in the engaging narrative and not have a clear picture of the events, particularly if you are not already familiar with the events of the battle. Whilst I would certainly recommend this film to anybody interested in in the Battle of Gallipoli, I cannot recommend this film alone. You will get much more from this film if you are already familiar with the subject matter.

    In some regards, Gallipoli- The Frontline Experience is a lot like The History Channel's version of a music video. The visuals are not essential to the narrative, indeed they only correspond directly about twice when tactical maps are shown, but they enhance the film enormously. The cinematography is nothing short of spectacular. The sharp images and delicate use of colour and shadow have created some stunning images, as harrowing as they may be.

Video

    The film is presented in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio that is 16x9 enhanced, which is the film's original aspect ratio.

    The film was originally shot in HDTV video and has made a very good transition to the DVD format. The image is generally quite sharp for the re-enactment footage, particularly for something from a digital source that was shot on location. The colour depth is very natural and frequently quite striking. The use of light and shadows throughout the film is excellent, with bright light neatly coming over the trenches and deep, clear shadows in the trenches. The video is not compressed at a very high bitrate, but this has not had a negative effect as there is very little fast motion and a significant portion of the video involves slowly panning across static images and other simple photography that does not require high bitrates.

    The only significant video artefact among the recently shot video is evident in the interview footage. There is a noticeable amount of noise in the blacks during the interviews. This is mostly in the matte black background to the interview subjects and quite ignorable, but this issue jumps right out when the interview subjects are wearing black clothing (e.g. at 49:46 during the interview with Peter Hart of the Imperial War Museum).

    The archive film reel footage varies considerably in quality and understandably displays a lot of film artefacts but, rather than detract from the feature, this tends to enhance the visuals by keeping a sense of authenticity about them.

    The RSDL layer change occurs at 39:01 during a pause in the music and while a static image has already been on screen for a couple of seconds. This transition is unlikely to be noticeable at all for most viewers.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

    Four audio tracks are available - an English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps) track and English language, Turkish language and English Commentary Dolby Digital Stereo 2.0 (320 kbps) tracks. All the tracks are of excellent quality, and the stereo tracks are encoded at higher than normal bitrates.

    The sound in Gallipoli- The Frontline Experience is exceptional. The narrators all capture the emotion of the film effectively without giving way to cheesy melodrama at any point (as could easily happen with this kind of source material). Brilliant use of surround sound effects and deep bass enhances the soldier's stories to the point that viewers can easily become lost in the film. I can think of no other documentary that has even come close to using sound so effectively.

    The score is evocative and fits the film well. It is quite a unique balance of contemporary and classic music with touches of Turkish instruments that engross the viewer. Much like the other audio components, the score captures the heartfelt mood of the film without taking it a step too far. It is powerful music, but shows a level of restraint that many a Hollywood blockbuster could learn from.

    One track of English subtitles for the hearing impaired is present. It appears to reflect the dialogue quite accurately (unlike the subtitle tracks on the extra features).

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Main Menu Audio & Animation

Featurette - Gallipoli

    An 8:24 featurette that begins with a trailer in English, then proceeds with a Turkish voiceover and no subtitles. Oddly, an English subtitle track is present, but does not contain any subtitles. From what I could gather it is an abbreviated making of featurette. This feature is ultimately a bit of a misfire, unless you speak English and Turkish.

Featurette - Making Of

    A very thorough 46:12 making-of feature that is split across 6 chapters. It covers virtually everything imaginable including the origins of the film, the research, the prop and set development, the cinematography, the score, and the relationship the filmmakers forged with the interviewees. It is in a mixture of English and Turkish with hard-coded subtitles that display either English or Turkish subtitles as appropriate. Like the other featurette on this disc, a separate English subtitle track is present that contains no subtitles.

Audio Commentary - Tolga Örnek (Director)

    An excellent audio commentary from director Tolga Örnek explains the production thoroughly. There is little dead air in this commentary and much of what the director has to say is fascinating. This is one of the better commentary tracks I have listened to.

Theatrical Trailer

    A laughable theatrical trailer that seems primarily focussed on attracting an audience of Americans who are probably not familiar with the battle of Gallipoli. Some decent footage from the film with the "trailer guy" voice spouting generic cliché after cliché to the point that it could be advertising almost any war film ever made! Presented in 1.78:1, but not 16x9 enhanced.

    This film is currently only available in Region 4.

    A powerful tribute to both sides of the epic battle of Gallipoli. This will not tell viewers everything they may want to know about the battle, but provides an intimate look into the frontline experience on both sides of the trenches.

    The video transfer is excellent, though minor HD video artefacts are visible during interviews. The sound is second to none for a documentary feature.

    Highly recommended viewing.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall