The Hero of the Dardanelles

Abstract

The hero of the Dardanelles is the first surviving feature film depiction of Australian troops of the First World War in Gallipoli and includes images of a real army camp and real soldiers, in training at Liverpool, NSW. The Hero of the Dardanelles was released on 17 July 1915, less than three months after the actual landings. Based on the sensational reports of the April 25 landings penned by British correspondent Ellis Ashmead-Bartlett, it was produced by Australasian Films and directed by one of Australia’s best silent film makers, Alfred Rolfe. The film was actually a sequel to Will They Never Come?, released on 5th April, a short recruiting drama made for the Government by Australasian Films using Rolfe, and writers Philip Gell and Loris Browne. This short film told the story of an insipid young man finding true manhood on the battlefields of France while his sports-loving brother stayed home, but nearly lost his girl because of it. The enormous popularity of this first film led Prime Minister Hughes to suggest to Australasian Films that they make a sequel. A brief scene from this film, one of soldiers firing in an open field, was used as a flash-back in The Hero of the Dardanelles, and hence survives.