Fantastic!

Better Late Then Never

I was totally surprised at how great this film.You could feel your paranoia rise as the film went on and as you gradually learned the details of the real situation.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

Great WW1 drama series. Covers a group of Australian soldiers and their adventures in Gallipoli and the Western Front during WW1. From their times as civilians until the end of the war.Gritty, yet light-hearted, it captures the spirit of the ANZACs, yet doesn't glamorize war. Very emotional too, especially towards the end. The camaraderie and general vibe remind me of Band of Brothers, just with a less watertight plot.Well worth watching as an education into the real ANZACs, their backgrounds and the sacrifices they made.

I first saw this mini series many years ago now and unfortunately have never seen it since and am unable to find it on video. I liked this series mainly because fortunately people today will never know what it is like to be at war with another country and the lengths people were stretched to. Australia did not have to help Britain and many people must be aggravated that these men and women died for a cause that they didn't have to. This series showed these people as a book, in the beginning they were young and carefree, in the middle they lost their innocence of that life and the end all grown up and life would never be the same again. How lucky we are today!!

A sometimes-humorous, sometimes-serious look at Australian soldiers during the Great War, from enlistment, through training, to several campaigns, culminating in the huge battles in France, to the end of the war and back home. The miniseries contains all the elements of an entertaining show: pathos, humour, and accuracy of detail and period. Paul Hogan plays Pat Cleary, a whimsical parody of the knockabout characters of the turn of the century with the irrepressible and uniquely Australian sense of humour. Watch particularly for the character "Flanagan", played by Jon Blake, who gives a stunning portrayal of the epitome of the returned soldier. A brilliant performance and excellent character development.

I must premise this review by saying that I was only able to watch the abbreviated video version of Anzacs, which was released in North America. This is a seriously truncated version of the mini-series, and it shows. My suspicion is that all anyone who see's this version is being shortchanged, certainly I felt so and I don't feel it's fair to try to review the series adequately based on a chopped up version.Therefore, I'll restrict my comments to the premise of the film, and what I could observe of the acting and production. First, the premise. The story of the Anzac's in the First World War is one of the great stories, and tragedies, of that dreadful conflict. Enthusiastic, if only partially trained, the Anzac's were first commited to the Gallipoli campaign in Turkey, an event which matched or exceeded any carnage seen on the Western front. Commanded by British generals whose incompetence exceeded even that of Douglas Haig and his crony's, they were slaughtered in their thousands fighting a useless and ill lead campaign. The Anzac's eventually were forced to surrender their hard won slivers of Turkish soil when the campaign was abandoned. Subsequently sent to the Western Front, they were placed under the command of 'Butcher' Haig and his merry men, where such joys as Paschendale and other acts of carnage ensued. Despite their repeated abuses at the hands of British idiots, the Anzac's gained a reputation as hard and skilled fighters, showing innovation and courage in a war marked mainly by incompetence and slaughter.Alas, the video version of the movie captures little of the true story of the Anzac's, focussing instead on the quite weak stories of the characters. A tepid love story between nurse and a soldier ensues, various secondary characters die, and most gratingly, Paul Hogan does his interpretation of a WW1 Sgt. Bilko. The combat scenes are poorly portrayed, and little is done to even try to capture the true horror experienced by the Anzac's in both Gallipoli or France.On the positive side, some effort is made to capture the utter incompetence of the British generals commanding the Anzac's, and there is a recognition in the film of the tragedy of superb soldier's lives being utterly wasted in utterly useless assaults. If more emphasis has been placed on this and the actions of the soldier's in the trenches, it is possible that a very gripping story might have ensued.Overall, I think that the series would probably be worth seeing, as it does deal with a part of history that has been ignored for too long. It must be remembered that this mini-series is now over 15 years old, and the production values reflect that era. North American audiences should avoid the truncated video, as it does little justice to the subject.7 out of 10, in acknowledgement of an attempt to honor brave men sacrificed needlessly.