DVDs

The Lighthorsemen

By Richard Moore

In Australian history few people are accorded the honours given to our Lighthorsemen of World War I.

They have caught our imagination and - like the ANZACs at Gallipoli - fill us with a sense of pride at what they achieved.

They were wild and courageous and at Beersheeba in 1917 they cracked the Turkish defensive lines and opened the way for a successful Allied occupation of the key city of Damascus.

The movie The Lighthorsemen puts us in with the troopers of a mounted-infantry unit and follows them through to the majestic charge at Beersheeba that did what no other force had managed to do.

If you know Australian movies then this is a Who's Who of the local industry. There's Peter Phelps, Sigrid Thornton, the tragic Jon Blake, Tony Bonner, Gary Sweet, John Walton, Tim McKenzie, Serge Lazareff and many others. Add a touch of English class in the shape of Anthony Andrews and you have a very appealing cast. Let us put it this way, when actors the calibre of John Poulson only get one line of dialogue there must be some damn good performers in the movie!

Phelps plays a young volunteer to the Lighthorse and he sets out to do the right thing by King and Country. The only problem is he discovers he doesn't want to kill the enemy and this sets off some fierce ructions within his section.

Not that he doesn't have courage, he just has no desire to shoot people.

His comrades - Blake, Walton and McKenzie - try to help him but, eventually, they agree he needs to be told he's endangering both himself and them. This leads him to becoming a field stretcher bearer and helps bring in the love interest of a rather fetching Siggy Thornton.

What follows is a reasonably historically accurate account of the lead-up to and battle of Beersheba.

The photography is by Dean Semler and so, of course, is absolutely gorgeous to look at.

The transfer is, unfortunately, not up to the class of the imagery and can only be classed as acceptable.

There are a heap of issues with the look of the DVD - grain and lack of sharpness being only two. The sound is nothing special and for those of us with more than two speakers disappointing is the word.

Having said that, however, the excitement of The Lighthorsemen builds and if you are a red-blooded military history buff then few images will stir the emotions as much as those guys hurtling on horseback towards Turkish cannons and machineguns.

Semler's photography during the charge - and the excellent cutting - make this an absolute highlight.

Conclusion:

Movie: 80%

DVD Extras: 20%