Interpretation of World
War One:
Gallipoli versus Blackadder
Plymstock School History
Department
Aims:
How has WWI been
interpreted?
Which is version better for
understanding WWI?
Can we ever begin to understand
what it was like to be in World
War One?
Over the next two lessons you will
be watching two very different
interpretations of WWI.
Movies and TV are often ways in
which we learn a lot about the past.
In these lessons I will be asking
you to evaluate their usefulness to
historians and to think about how
film makers get their messages
across.
Answer the following questions
to aid your comparison:
How are the ordinary soldiers portrayed?
How are the generals portrayed?
How realistic is the setting?
What emotions does the film create?
How does the writer/director achieve these
emotions?
Interpretation One: Gallipoli
Set in 1915, Gallipoli tells the story of the
ANZAC’s, Australian and New Zealand
soldiers who fought for the British Empire
during World War One.
Like most soldiers in the conflict, our two
hero's, Archie (Mark Lee) and Frank (Mel
Gibson), had no idea about what they were
letting themselves into, they were just swept
along on a spirit of adventure and patriotism.
Archie
Frank
Turkey has joined the war on the side of Germany,
and by closing the entrance to the Black Sea, has cut
Britain's Russian ally off from outside supplies.
The British government decides to invade Turkey,
march on its capital Constantinople and knock the
Turks out of the war.
Lee and Gibson back home in Australia were
promising athletes, a fact which has a direct bearing
on the story.
We join the film with the Australians pinned on the
beaches of the Gallipoli Peninsular by the Turks.
More Australians are being ferried in by boat in
order to prepare for a fresh attack. The plan is to
distract the Turks while the British land a force
ashore further down the coast.
Further Research
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gallipoli_
%281981_film%29
Interpretation Two:
Blackadder
Set in 1917, on the Western Front in France,
Blackadder Goes Forth shows the latest incarnation
of the Blackadder family gene pool.
Our anti hero,Blackadder and his company of men,
have been stuck in their trench for three years.
Blackadder, a professional soldier has become
predictably more cynical, though his companions,
George and Baldrick, seem to retain some of their
optimism and a lot of ignorance.
All three of them await fresh orders on the next ‘Big
Push’ to end the war. What will Field Marshall Haig’s
strategy be? Will his deputy, General Melchett bring
sanity to the situation? Can Blackadder avoid going
‘over the top’?
Darling
Melchett
George
Blackadder
Baldrick
Answer the following questions
to aid your comparison:
How are the ordinary soldiers portrayed?
How are the generals portrayed?
How realistic is the setting?
What emotions does the film create?
How does the writer/director achieve these
emotions?
John MaCrae
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place….
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields
Further Research
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodbye
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