Australians at War (2001)

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General		Extras
Category	Documentary	Main Menu Introduction Menu Audio
Rating
Year Of Production	2001
Running Time	445:27
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered Dual Disc Set	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Geoff Burton Michael Caulfield Tim Clark David Goldie
Studio Distributor	Roadshow Home Entertainment	Starring	None Given
Case	Soft Brackley-Transp
RPI	?	Music	Roger Mason

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 2.0 (224Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.78:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	1.78:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	None	Smoking	Yes
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

    If there can ever be a time to discuss war and the part that our country has played in it, then this is a suitably significant moment. With the world gripped by the recent events in the United States and the conflict in Afghanistan currently dominating the news, a contingent of Australian troops are once again being asked to assist in a conflict away from our shores. Australians At War is an eight hour documentary series that screened on the ABC earlier this year. It commenced, fittingly, on Anzac Day, April 25 and ran for eight weeks. It was commissioned by the Australian Commonwealth Government in co-operation with The Australian War Memorial to commemorate the Centenary of Federation celebrations that have been occurring this year.

    It starts with the fleeting participation by a NSW contingent in the Sudan in 1885, to our much larger effort in the Boer War in South Africa in the late 19th Century, details our involvement in both World Wars, Korea, Vietnam, and all the conflicts in between. It also delves into what we have learnt from these wars and the reaction of the men and women who were there and those at home. It finishes up by having a look at our more recent efforts as peacekeepers in such places as Bouganville, Cambodia and Timor.

    The series is narrated by John Stanton, who is instantly recognisable and has a extremely good narration voice, although rather than just having him narrate the whole history, it is also told by actors in the readings of poems, letters, and diaries from the people who were involved in the conflicts at the time. There are also several interviews with many of the survivors. They offer many insights and recount the personal experiences of their involvement. There are hundreds of still photographs, much archival and present day footage, and many re-enactments and excerpts from feature films such as Anzacs and The Lighthorsemen.

    Anyone who has had the privilege of visiting the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, which is amongst the best and most thought-provoking museums I have ever been to (and one that all Australians should visit at least once in their lives), will know that Australia has a wide and varied war history. For a country that hasn't had to fight a battle on our own soil we seem to pop up in all manner of conflicts around the world ready to lend a hand. This documentary series really only introduces the conflicts of the last century. A full eight hours could easily be dedicated to WWI alone, but this is is still a fantastic effort and represents very good value.

    The eight episodes are summarised as follows;

Episode 1 - Running Time 55:47 minutes.

    In the first part of this series, titled 'We're on a long trek now' Australia's involvement in the Boer War is detailed. This war in South Africa between Britain and the Boers took nearly three years. The highlight of this episode is the rare interview footage with several Boer War veterans filmed in 1973.

Episode 2 - Running Time 54:34 minutes.

    World War One is afforded two episodes, given the importance and length of the conflict. The first is 'Who'll come a fighing the Kaiser with me' and details what was the first real test of the soldiers of Australia and the one that shaped much of our nature and defined a couple of national icons as well. The landing at Gallipoli is the focus. Several original Diggers are featured in interviews, the most amazing of these being Sergeant Jack Lockett who at 109 years old is just incredible (anyone who remembers him carrying the Olympic torch in the relay last year will understand). After the recent death this week of one the surviving WWI veterans, there are apparently only 17 remaining in this country, so to capture the words and thoughts of them now is a priceless addition to our history.

Episode 3 - Running Time 55:30 minutes.

    World War One part 2 is titled 'Mateship was the Greatest Thing'. After Gallipoli, Europe and the Middle East beckoned for the AIF. The Infantry was sent to France while the Light Horse turned to a desert war against the Turks in Palestine. Mud and dust and plenty of trenches.

Episode 4 - Running Time 56:00 minutes.

    World War Two is also featured in two episodes. This episode is titled 'Here we go again'. The Rats of Tobruk and the fall of Singapore. With Japan entering the war, the need to defend our own soil for the first time was something quite foreign to Australians, and difficult considering most of our forces were in Europe.

Episode 5 - Running Time 55:58 minutes.

    World War Two part two is titled 'The Thin Khaki Line', and follows the Japanese advancement on South East Asia and the Australian's attempts to push them back in Papua New Guinea. The Kokoda trail is a name that all Australians will recognise.

Episode 6 - Running Time 55:45 minutes.

    'The Forgotten War' looks at probably the least well-known of all conflicts that Australians have taken part in, that of the Korean War. There is also a brief mention at the end of this episode of the even lesser known Malayan and Indonesian emergencies.

Episode 7 - Running Time 55:46 minutes.

    'Trying not to remember' looks at the most controversial of conflicts, The Vietnam War. The protesters, conscription, and some quite amazing footage (including colour) of the Australians in Vietnam are the highlights here. The famous battle of Long Tan features extensively.

Episode 8 - Running Time 56:01

    Titled 'Faith enough for all of us', this episode does not feature a particular conflict, but looks at what our involvement in the wars of the last century have meant to us as Australians and what we have learnt from them. It investigates Anzac Day, and examines the memorials that have sprung up over the years in almost every town in the country. The most amazing of them all - The Australian War Memorial in Canberra is shown extensively.

Video

    The first time I saw this documentary was when it premiered on the ABC earlier this year. I was on holidays at the time, and at the mercy of a 34cm television in the bush. This made for quite a small picture as this is actually presented in an aspect of 1.78:1. It unfortunately does not feature 16x9 enhancement.

    As you would expect, with archival footage from almost every year of the last century, the quality of the video runs the full gamut of quality. Sharpness is excellent for the recent interviews with all the old diggers, though the archival material suffers from age and old technology and varies greatly in sharpness. Grain is almost non-existent and though it is plentiful there is low level noise only evident on some of the older source material. The newer footage is clean and free of almost all problems.

    Despite a picture that is dominated by black and white archival footage, when colour footage is shown there are some pretty decent colours on display. Skin tones are natural and the blacks are true and deep.

    There is a minor MPEG artefact that is quite prominent. It occurs on disc one at 6:35 in Episode 4 and results in a brief one second distortion of the picture. Not too serious, but very noticeable and most certainly a problem with the compression.

    There is a mild shimmer to some of the sharper edges in the still photography, though most of the moving footage is free of this type of artefact and it is certainly not that serious or overly noticeable.

    There are no subtitles present.

    The set contains two single sided, dual layered discs. I am presuming that there are two episodes on each layer on each disc as I noted no layer changes.

Video Ratings Summary

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

Audio

    Quite a reasonable and well-mastered Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround track is provided. This being the only option, it is the soundtrack of choice and the one that I listened to.

    Dialogue is by way of narration by the very well-known John Stanton and interviews with many ex-service men and women. There are absolutely no audio sync problems. It is very clear, centre speaker focussed, and is very easy on the ear. A real joy to listen to and really does add to the documentary experience.

    There is quite a distinct musical score that pervades much of the documentary. This can also be purchased on compact disc from ABC shops.

    There is almost no surround activity and no subwoofer use.

Audio Ratings Summary

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

Main Menu Introduction

    Features a intro to some of the other ABC products available (documentaries, dramas, etc).

Menu Audio

    The main theme playing in Dolby Digital 2.0.

    As one would expect, this title is not available in Region 1.

    This is a quality documentary series that will certainly not answer every question about our involvement in war in only 8 hours, but it is truly a fantastic starting point. While not quite in the league of the genre defining 'The Civil War' by Ken Burns (which I will be first in line to buy when it is released on DVD), it is a pretty fine effort that is an absolute must for any history buff, student, or anyone just wanting to learn a little more about our past military experiences.

    The video is average given much of the source material is archival and extremely old, though the newer interview material is very sharp and clean. There is one minor MPEG artefact, that while not serious does detract from the overall package.

    The audio is pretty good for a Dolby Digital 2.0 surround track.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall