''Anzacs'' (named for members of the all volunteer army formations) is a 1985 Australian five-part television

miniseries In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...

set in World War I. The series follows the lives of a group of young Australian men who enlist in the

8th Battalion (Australia) The 8th Battalion was an infantry battalion of the Australian Army. Initially raised in 1914 for the First Australian Imperial Force during the First World War the battalion was completely recruited from Victoria, Australia, Victoria and formed ...

of the

First Australian Imperial Force The First Australian Imperial Force (1st AIF) was the main Expeditionary warfare, expeditionary force of the Australian Army during the First World War. It was formed as the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) following United Kingdom of Great Bri ...

in 1914, fighting first at

Gallipoli The Gallipoli Peninsula (; ; ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles strait to the east. Gallipoli is the Italian form of the Greek name (), meaning ' ...

in 1915, and then on the Western Front for the remainder of the war. It follows in the wake of

Australian New Wave The Australian New Wave (also known as the Australian Film Revival, Australian Film Renaissance, or New Australian Cinema) was an era of resurgence in the worldwide popularity of the Australian cinema, particularly in the United States. It began ...

war films such as ''

Breaker Morant Harry Harbord "Breaker" Morant (born Edwin Henry Murrant, 9 December 1864 – 27 February 1902) was an English horseman, bush balladist, military officer, and war criminal who was convicted and executed for murdering nine prisoners-of-war ...

'' (1980), ''

'' (1981), and precedes '' The Lighthorsemen'' (1987). Recurring themes of these films include the Australian identity, such as

mateship Mateship is an Australian cultural idiom that embodies equality, loyalty and friendship. Russel Ward, in ''The Australian Legend'' (1958), once saw the concept as central to the Australian people. ''Mateship'' derives from '' mate'', meaning ''f ...

and

larrikinism Larrikin is an Australian English term meaning "a mischievous young person, an uncultivated, rowdy but good-hearted person", or "a person who acts with apparent disregard for social or political conventions". In the 19th and early 20th centurie ...

, the loss of innocence in war, and also the continued coming of age of the Australian nation and its soldiers (the

Anzac spirit The ANZAC spirit or ANZAC legend is a concept which suggests that Australian and New Zealand soldiers possess shared characteristics, specifically the qualities those soldiers allegedly exemplified on the battlefields of World War I. These ...

Production

The series was the idea of John Dixon who originally wanted to make a documentary. In 1979 he approached Geoff Burrowes and they decided to make a drama of 16 one hour episodes. Patsy Adams Smith was brought in as consultant. It was decided to pull back to 13 hours, and then Burrowes hired James Mitchell and John Clark to work on scripts with Dixon. By 1983 they had 13 scripts but Burrowes was dissatisfied and decided to make it into five two-hour scripts.

Episodes

Cast

Main

Andrew Clarke Andrew Clarke may refer to: * Andrew Clarke (British Army officer, born 1793) (1793–1847), Governor of Western Australia *Sir Andrew Clarke (British Army officer, born 1824) (1824–1902), Governor of the Straits Settlements, son of the above *An ...

as Martin Barrington * Jon Blake as Robert Flanagan *

Paul Hogan Paul Hogan (born 8 October 1939) is an Australian actor and comedian. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for his performance as ...

as Pat Cleary * Christopher Cummins as Roly Collins *

Jonathan Sweet Jonathan Sweet is an Australian film, television and theatre actor. Career Sweet's career on Australian television began when he landed a co-starring role as Neal Winton in 1969 adventure TV series '' Riptide'', an Australian production sta ...

as Bill Harris * Megan Williams as Kate Baker *

Shane Briant Shane Briant (17 August 1946 – 26 May 2021) was an English actor and novelist. Briant studied law at Trinity College Dublin but became a professional actor playing the lead in ''Hamlet'' at the Eblana Theatre, Dublin. Briant is best known fo ...

as "Kaiser" Schmidt * Alec Wilson as "Pudden" Parsons *

Peter Finlay Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...

as "Bluey" *

Bill Kerr William Henry Kerr (10 June 1922 – 28 August 2014) was a British and Australian actor, comedian and vaudevillian. Born in South Africa, he started his career as a child actor in Australia, before emigrating to Britain after the Second World W ...

as General Monash

Supporting

Tony Bonner Anthony Frederick Bonner (born 23 November 1943) is an Australian television, film, and stage actor and singer. Bonner became famous in the 1960s children's television series ''Skippy the Bush Kangaroo'', later moving on to lead roles in th ...

as Harold Armstrong *

David Lynch David Keith Lynch (January 20, 1946 – January 16, 2025) was an American filmmaker, visual artist, musician, and actor. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, Lynch was often called a "visionary" and received acclaim f ...

as Max Earnshaw * Ilona Rodgers as Lady Thea Barrington *

Elaine Lee Elaine Lee is an American actress, playwright, producer, and writer, who specializes in Comic book, graphic novels. She has also received recognition and awards for her work as a creator and producer of audio books and dramas. Her comics have b ...

as Madame *

Robert Coleby Robert Coleby (born 1947) is a British actor who has spent most of his career in Australia. Active since the 1970s, he has over 70 film and television credits to his name. Coleby has acted on stage in numerous productions for the Queensland The ...

as Reverend Lonsdale * Peter Browne as Carter

Additional

* David Bradshaw as

Keith Murdoch Sir Keith Arthur Murdoch (12 August 1885 – 4 October 1952) was an Australian journalist and media proprietor who was the founder of the Murdoch media empire. He amassed significant media holdings in Australia which after his death were expan ...

Mark Hembrow Mark Hembrow (born 1955 in Brisbane) is an Australian actor, writer and musician. He has also has worked as a producer and director. Early life and family Hembrow's parents were Vernon Charles Hembrow, a senior English Literature Lecturer at t ...

as Private Dick Baker * Jim Holt as Dinny "Dingo" Gordon * Patrick Ward as Tom McArthur *

Edmund Pegge Edmund Pegge (born 1 April 1939) is an Australian actor, who has worked in both Australia and the United Kingdom. Early life Arriving in Adelaide as a teenager, Pegge completed his education at St Peter's College before graduating from the Na ...

as Captain Young * Wayne Jarratt as Private Upton * Karl Hansen as Erik Johansen * Tony Cornwill as Karl Johansen *

Terry Brittingham Terry is a unisex diminutive nickname for the given names Teresa or Theresa (feminine) or Terence, Terrance (masculine). People Male * Terry A. Canales, American politician * Terry A. Doughty (born 1959), American district judge * Terry A. ...

as Private Morrissey * James Wright as 'Edward Kelly' *

Vincent Ball Vincent Martin Ball, (born 4 December 1923) is an Australian retired actor of film, theatre and radio active in the industry for nearly 55 years (with a brief return) firstly in Britain starting in the late 1940s and then his native Australia ...

as Rupert Barrington *

Sheila Kennelly Sheila Kennelly (born 28 December 1937) also credited as Sheila Kenneally, is a British-born Australian retired character actress of theatre and music hall, television and film, with a career spanning over 50 years. From the late 1950s onward ...

as Mrs Baker * Howard Bell as Cyril Earnshaw *

Diana Greentree Diana most commonly refers to: * Diana (name), given name (including a list of people with the name) * Diana (mythology), ancient Roman goddess of the hunt and wild animals; later associated with the Moon * Diana, Princess of Wales (1961–1997), ...

as Mrs Collins *

Leah Steventon Leah () appears in the Hebrew Bible as one of the two wives of the Biblical patriarch Jacob. Leah was Jacob's first wife, and the older sister of his second (and favored) wife Rachel. She is the mother of Jacob's first son Reuben. She has three ...

as Marie *

Vivean Gray Jean Vivra Gray (20 July 1924 – 29 July 2016), known professionally as Vivean Gray, also credited as ''Vivian Gray'' and ''Viven Gray'', was an English-born actress who starred in film and television roles in Australia. Gray starred in ...

as Matron * Mark Mitchell as a dying German soldier * Bruce Kerr as Lancashire Colonel *

Gareth Wilding-Forbes Gareth (; Old French: ''Guerehet'', ''Guerrehet'', etc.) is a Knights of the Round Table">Knight of the Round Table in Arthurian legend. He is the youngest son of King Lot and Morgause, Queen Morgause, King Arthur's half-sister, thus making him ...

as Buffs Officer *

Chris Gregory Christopher A. Gregory is an Australian economic anthropologist. He is based at Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra, and has also taught at University of Manchester- where he was made Professor of Political and Economic Anthropology. ...

as German Sergeant *

Noel Trevarthen Noel Trevarthen was a New Zealand actor who worked largely in England and Australia, active from 1959 to 1999. Trevarthen was first based in England where he starred in '' Riviera Police'' and in extended run of ''Watch It, Sailor'' at the Apo ...

Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig Field Marshal Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig (; 19 June 1861 – 29 January 1928) was a senior officer of the British Army. During the First World War he commanded the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) on the Western Front from late 1915 until t ...

* Michael Adams as General Kiggell *

Rhys McConnochie Rhys McConnochie (born 28 December 1936) is a New Zealand-born actor, director and educator based in Australia. Career Film & television His screen appearances include the TV miniseries ''Bodyline'' as Pelham Warner and '' Darlings of the ...

Lloyd George David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922. A Liberal Party (United Kingdom), Liberal Party politician from Wales, he was known for leadi ...

* Malcolm Robertson as General Bridges *

Sean Myers Sean, also spelled Seán or Séan in Hiberno-English, is a male given name of Irish origin. It comes from the Irish versions of the Biblical Hebrew name ''Yohanan'' (), Seán (anglicized as ''Shaun/Shawn/ Shon'') and Séan (Ulster variant; angli ...

as Lt General Walker *

Reg Evans Reginald Evans (27 March 1928 – 7 February 2009) was a British-born actor active in Australian radio, theatre, television and cinema from the 1960s, after having started his career in his native England. Early life Evans started drama while ...

as General Birdwood * Chris Waters as General White * Francis Bell as Major-General Elliott * Geoff Parry as General Blamey *

Terry Gill Terry Gill (25 October 1939 – 25 February 2015) was an English Australian actor, theatre owner, producer, director and writer. A character actor, he carved a niche in Australian television playing police officers. He appeared in over 26 Austr ...

as Colonel *

Terry McDermott Terence McDermott (born 8 December 1951) is an English former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Nicknamed "Terry Mac", he is best known as a member of the Liverpool team of the 1970s and early 1980s, where he won three Europe ...

as Colonel * Peter Moon as English Batman *

Alex Menglet Alex Menglet, born ''Alexei Menglet'' in Moscow, USSR, is an actor who has found success working in Australia. Early life Menglet was born in Moscow, USSR to parents Maya Menglet and Leonid Satanovskiy. He came from a theatrical family. As a ...

as Hans

Production

The series was produced by

Geoff Burrowes Geoff Burrowes (born 1945) is an Australian filmmaker best known for the movie '' The Man from Snowy River'' (1982) and the TV mini-series Anzacs (1985); he was a founding partner of the Burrowes Film Group.David Stratton, ''The Avocado Plantati ...

for

Nine Network Nine Network (stylised 9Network, and commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of the five main free-to-air television ...

, Australia. The episodes were directed by Pino Amenta, John Dixon, or George Miller (of ''

The Man from Snowy River The Man from Snowy River may refer to: * The Man from Snowy River (poem), "The Man from Snowy River" (poem), an 1890 Australian poem by Banjo Paterson. * ''The Man from Snowy River and Other Verses'' an 1895 poetry collection by Banjo Paterson (inc ...

'' fame). The story consultant was

Patsy Adam-Smith Patricia Jean Adam-Smith, (31 May 1924 – 20 September 2001) was an Australian author, historian and servicewoman. She was a prolific writer on a range of subjects covering history, folklore and the preservation of national traditions,Adelaide ...

and the filming took place over 20 weeks. The actors playing British officers and politicians were almost all New Zealanders. Many of the extras playing the roles of Allied, American, and German soldiers were serving members of the

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia. It is a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF), along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army ...

. This was done to keep costs down so that actors did not have to learn how to act as soldiers or to have to teach them how to use the weapons. Many of the actors would also appear on the US TV series ''

Mission Impossible ''Mission: Impossible'' is an American multimedia franchise based on a fictional secret espionage agency known as the Impossible Missions Force (IMF). The 1966 TV series ran for seven seasons and was revived in 1988 for two seasons. It inspired ...

'' which was filmed mostly in Australia. In one episode, an Australian soldier remarks how much the French countryside reminds him of Daylesford back home in Victoria, Australia. This was an in-joke as some scenes were filmed near Daylesford, including the German counter-attack scene in episode 4.

Music

Australian composer

Bruce Rowland Kenneth Bruce Rowland (born 9 May 1942 in Melbourne) is an Australian composer. Biography Rowland composed the soundtrack for the 1982 movie '' The Man from Snowy River'', as well as the soundtrack for its 1988 sequel '' The Man from Snowy ...

composed the original music for the series which also popularised many old marching songs of the period. The classic Australian song '

Waltzing Matilda "Waltzing Matilda" is a song developed in the Australian style of poetry and folk music called a bush ballad. It has been described as the country's "unofficial national anthem". The title was Australian slang for travelling on foot (waltzing ...

' is heard at several points as is ' It's a Long Way to Tipperary'. Several songs from the satirical musical '

Oh, What a Lovely War! ''Oh, What a Lovely War!'' is an epic musical developed by Joan Littlewood and her ensemble at the Theatre Workshop in 1963. It is a satire on World War I, and by extension on war in general. The title is derived from the "somewhat satirical" ...

' were also used, including the title song, 'I wore a tunic', 'The bells of Hell' and other period numbers, like 'If you were the only girl' and 'keep the home fires burning' – which were performed by various actors. A 45-minute

cassette tape The Compact Cassette, also commonly called a cassette tape, audio cassette, or simply tape or cassette, is an analog audio, analog magnetic tape recording format for Sound recording and reproduction, audio recording and playback. Invented by L ...

of the soundtrack, entitled ''ANZACS : original soundtrack from the television mini series'', was released in 1985.

Reception

Well noted for its humour and historical accuracy, the series was "a huge rating success for the Nine Network when it aired". According to the review by James Anthony: "The battle scenes are terrific and the muddy trenches of the Western Front look acceptably cold and horrible.

hen again Hen commonly refers to a female animal: a female chicken, other gallinaceous bird, any type of bird in general, or a lobster. It is also a slang term for a woman. Hen, HEN or Hens may also refer to: Places Norway *Hen, Buskerud, a village in R ...

Some of the acting goes a bit astray and there is sometimes a bit too much play on larrikinism and ockerness, but overall it sits well as a quality drama with good characters." In the 2003 book ''German Anzacs and the First World War'' by John F. Williams, even more contextual detail is provided: "'Anzacs' is essentially a very long buddy movie in the form of television soap. While much care, research and funding obviously went into making the battle scenes and historical ambience as realistic as possible, the characters are two dimensional and clichéd. Even so, on occasion 'Anzacs' does offer insights that are unexpected and subtle"

International release

The series was first aired in the UK on 12–16 January 1987 during weekday afternoons. It was also repeated on Sunday evenings during June and July 1987 on BBC1 in primetime.

Media

The complete series was released on VHS in the late 1990s in Australia. A 3-disc set of DVDs is available. The DVD breaks down the content of the episodes as follows: *The Great Adventure – Australia in 1914; Outbreak of war; Recruitment; Training;

: Landing/stalemate/withdrawal. 6:43 *The Big Push – Arrival in France (1916); Nursery Sector; The

Battle of the Somme The Battle of the Somme (; ), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and the French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place between 1 July and 18 Nove ...

;

Pozières Pozières (; ) is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Geography The commune is situated on the D929 road, northeast of Amiens between Albert and Bapaume, on the Pozières ridge. Southwest of the village ...

. 6:36 *The Devils Arithmetic – The Somme Winter (1916–17); The

Hindenburg Line The Hindenburg Line (, Siegfried Position) was a German Defense line, defensive position built during the winter of 1916–1917 on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front in France during the First World War. The line ran from Arras to ...

;

Bullecourt Bullecourt () is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department department in the Hauts-de-France region region of northern France. Geography Bullecourt is situated on the Upper Cretaceous plain of Artois between Arras and Bapaume, east of the A1 ...

; Blighty Leave;

Third Battle of Ypres The Third Battle of Ypres (; ; ), also known as the Battle of Passchendaele ( ), was a campaign of the First World War, fought by the Allies against the German Empire. The battle took place on the Western Front, from July to November 1917, f ...

begins (July 1917); Menin Road; Broodseinde Ridge. 7:08 *Fields of Fire – Third Battle of Ypres bogs down (November 1917); The German Offensive (March 1918); The Battle of Amiens; Hazebrouk; Battle of Nieppe Forest. 4:52 *Now There was a Day – The Yanks are coming; "peaceful penetration"; Monash appointed Commander of the 5 Australian Divisions;

Battle of Hamel The Battle of Hamel was a successful attack by Australian Army and US Army infantry, supported by British tanks, against German positions in and around the town of Le Hamel, in northern France, during World War I. The attack was planned and co ...

; The "Jack ups" Monash's Big Push (8 August 1918)...

Armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from t ...

(11 November 1918); Back Home. 5:08 The total running time is 513 minutes (episodes plus bonus material), or 520 mins (episodes plus bonus material) for Region 2, and rated "M". The DVD also includes a featurette – Making Of: History in the Making – The Making of Anzacs. This was narrated by well known Australian actor Charles "Bud" Tingwell who had served in the

Royal Australian Air Force The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the principal Air force, aerial warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Army. Constitutionally the Governor-Gener ...

during World War II and included interviews (from the time of filming) with Geoff Burrowes and John Dixon as well as the actors who appeared in the series. A condensed movie-length version, cut down to two hours and 45 minutes from the original eight, was released on VHS in the United States. The series has yet to be released on DVD in other regions. A Region 2 3-disc DVD set is now available from Source1 Media in the Netherlands. While the box set has Dutch text on the back on the cover and optional Dutch subtitles on the discs it does provide a viable option for British or other English speaking viewers in Europe.

References

External links

*
Napoleonic Guide – ANZACs
*
History in the Media: Film and Television
{{BBC Daytime television series 1980s Australian television miniseries 1980s Australian drama television series World War I television drama series 1985 Australian television series debuts 1985 Australian television series endings ANZAC (Australia) Films about the Gallipoli campaign Cultural depictions of Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig Cultural depictions of David Lloyd George Films directed by George T. Miller

Production

Episodes

Cast

Main

Supporting

Additional

Production

Music

Reception

International release

Media

See also

References

External links