Genres

Visitors Review

innocuous 2012-05-24 23:15:44

Worth every cent just to see the final battle.

I have watched this movie at least five times. Initially, I was alittle disappointed by the tedium of the first half of the movie. Ibegan to realize, however, that the first half of the movie is a prettygood reflection of military life prior to the second half of the 20thcentury: long periods of boredom and routine punctuated by majorconfrontations.I've noticed that a few reviewers have remarked on the final "cavalrycharge," which suggests to me that they really weren't paying muchattention to the movie. The final charge on the Turkish positions is somuch more awe-inspiring given the usual tactics of the Lighthorsemen.One of the most thrilling moments is when the Aussies prepare to meetthe enemy on horseback and, instead of pulling out the classiccavalrymen's sabers, draw their bayonets for the charge. You almostwant to laugh at the sight of 16" knives against the well-emplacedTurks.This is one of the few war movies based on actual events that is fairlyaccurate, too. Take a look at some of the sites dedicated to the 4thLight Horse Briagde and you will see what I mean. A letter from one ofthe actual participants to his brother is an almost perfect descriptionof the events as shown in the movie.**** out of ***** if only for the charge

Harry-18 2012-05-24 11:22:29

One of the best charges (horse) seen.

I have done horse charges for films before, this one is great. Theintensity, apprehension, and desperation is well portrayed in the charge.The horsemanship was excellent. The relationship between the riders andtheir horses appears authentic. In prior researches that I have doneaboutcavalry and mounted infantry, this kind of relationship truly existed.Thelove story is somewhat weak, however, this may be cultural.This movie was recommended viewing from a fellow "cavalryman" and I canappreciate why he recommended it.

Mike Chapman 2012-05-24 02:48:52

Recommended viewing.

Historically accurate and meticulously researched, this is one of the genreof "federation-era" war productions in the 1980's by the Australian filmindustry. The high-quality movies and mini-series of this collectionincluded such titles as "Breaker Morant", "Gallipoli" and "ANZACS", and onecan see obvious similarities in the techniques and methodology used intheirproduction. This, however, does not detract from their appeal or theirentertainment value; quite the reverse, in fact. The formula for this genrewas to take an historically-documented campaign and translate it asfaithfully as possible to the big screen, with emphasis oncharacterisation,accuracy of detail and background.The formula works, because the characters are believable, and thesituations, events and settings have been faithfully re-created. Much ofthebackground and information for this genre came from personal diaries andmilitary archives preserved over the years, which adds credence to theplots, the action and the stories."The Lighthorsemen" highlights the campaign of the Australian mountedriflesin the North Africa battleground of the Great War, and culminates with thelast successful action of horse-riding troops in combat. Without givingawaythe story too much, the taking of Beersheba in the closing days of 1918 wasa decisive event in military history, and the screen portrayal of thisaction will have you on the edge of your seat.Masterful performances by Jon Blake, Shane Briant and Bill Kerr (allveterans of this movie formula,) the attention to detail, the drama, andtheoccasional humour make for a very entertaining movie. It's recommendedviewing.

penguin2212 2012-05-23 11:36:49

One of Australia' best

This is an excellent film with surely the finest cavalry charge everfilmed. In this movie the horse is King and the care taken toillustrate the vital interaction between these magnificent animals andtheir riders is great to behold. The acting and direction are goodwithout the need for big names. It has had a number of releases, thebest being a 2.35 wide screen laser disc version in the USA. Australiahas released a DVD version but it is dreadfully truncated being cut to1.78 from the vastly more meaningful aspect ratio of the laser disc. Onthe big screen this film makes a fantastic impact and every effortshould be made to see the original wide screen version in this way.Highly recommended.