The Lighthorsemen (film)
| The Lighthorsemen | |
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DVD box art
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| Directed by | Simon Wincer |
| Produced by |
Jan Bladier Antony I.. Ginnane Ian Jones David Lee Simon Wincer |
| Written by | Ian Jones |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Mario Millo |
| Cinematography | Dean Semler |
| Edited by | Adrian Carr |
| Distributed by |
Hoyts Columbia TriStar |
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Release date
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Running time
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131 minutes |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Budget | A$10,489,320 |
| Box office | A$1,617,288 (Australia) |
The Lighthorsemen is a 1987 Australian feature film about the men of a World War I light horse unit involved in Sinai and Palestine Campaign's 1917 Battle of Beersheeba. The film is based on a true story and most of the characters in the film were based on real people.
It follows in the wake of other Australian New Wave war films such as Breaker Morant (1980), Gallipoli (1981), and the 5-part TV series Anzacs (1985). Recurring themes of these films include the Australian identity, such as mateship and larrikinism, the loss of innocence in war, and also the continued coming of age of the Australian nation and its soldiers (the ANZAC spirit).
The film follows Four Australians (Frank, Scotty, Chiller, and Tas) in Palestine in 1917, part of the 4th Light Horse Brigade of the British and Commonwealth Dominion forces. When Frank is wounded and dies of his wounds, he is replaced by Dave. Dave finds himself unable to fire his weapon in combat and is transferred to the Medical Corps, where he will not need to carry a weapon, but where he will still be exposed to the fighting.
The British plan the capture of Beersheba. During an attack by Turkish cavalry, Major Richard Meinertzhagen deliberately leaves behind documents indicating that the attack on Beersheba will only be a diversion. The Australians leave for Beersheba, with limited water and supplies. They bombard the town and the 4,000 Turkish-German defenders prepare for an assault. However, the German military advisor, Reichert, believes it is a diversionary attack and advises the Turkish commander he does not need reinforcements. With time running out and water in short supply, the British command suspect any attack upon Beersheba will probably fail. However, the Australian commanders ask the British to send in the Australian Light Horse—the British consent to what they think is a suicide mission.
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Wikipedia