BENEATH HILL 60 review: in the shadow of Gallipoli

BENEATH HILL 60 review: in the shadow of Gallipoli

Apr 22

In case you missed it, World War I sucked. Protracted trench warfare in mud and clay, constant artillery barrages, chemical weapons used with abandon — and America didn’t come to noisily “save the day” on this one. It’s rare for a mainstream war movie to cover The Great War, and rarer still for an Aussie war flick to grace our sceens. But is Beneath Hill 60 of that elusive breed of Australian film that’s actually, you know, good?

Beneath Hill 60 covers the adventures of one Lieutenant Oliver Woodward (Brendan Cowell), a civilian miner who enlists in the war effort. He’s put in command of a squad of blokes and tasked with digging tunnels and blowing shit up. There’s scenes in claustrophobic subterranean tunnels, scenes of muddy warfare topside on the Western Front, and some flashbacks to sunny Queensland for good measure, and the whole film pushes inexorably towards the climax, which the trailer promises contains the biggest explosion the world had ever seen (up to 1917, that is). Now, down to the review:

The Bad:

- Patchy performances: While the main cast is fine, the supporting cast is often plain bad. Woody’s love interest in particular doesn’t ring true on the screen, which unfortunately helps to accentuate the awkwardness of their age difference. In addition, Hill 60 proves that Australia has the worst child actors in the world, with a few scamps completely ruining the few scenes they’re in.

- 18 months earlier: The Queensland flashbacks are a nice reprieve from the grimness of France and Belgium, but the quality of the scenes is significantly diminished in comparison. None of the actors in the flashbacks are on par with those in the trenches, and I’m not sure the love-interest built up in Queensland was worth the effort. Sure, it’s true to life, but you could’ve built the love interest in a simple dialogue scene betwen Woody and one of his soldiers, rather than showing it to us again and again and again, and dragging us away from the real action.

- Clunky dialogue: This is most noticeable in the love scenes, all contained in the flashbacks. Words that just don’t feel natural tumble out of the actors’ mouths, and it’s distracting.

- The soundtrack: The orchestral sound gives the film a fuller feel, but it sounds like it was written by a film score enthusiast, not an actual composer.

- What war?: The low production cost hamstrings the sense of scale we’re used to experiencing in war flicks. All the topside shots are angled down or kept within the trenches, so we don’t see the extent of the military forces arrayed. “Tens of thousands” of German troops are mentioned at several points — but never visually indicated. Oh, and the visual effects shot (singular) just isn’t up to snuff circa 2010. Outsource to American animators if you have to, but don’t give us decade-old VFX, especially in the all-important finale.

- Sudden reversal of character: Right at the last minute, hero Woody makes a very tough choice, but it seems to be made against the nature of his character. This could have been remedied by spending less time in Queensland flashbacks and more time in the field, establishing Woody’s command style and wartime philosophy.

- Homage or plagiarism?: A third-act scene mimics a similar sequence in that other Aussie WWI flick, Gallipoli. I thought the filmmakers would’ve avoided referencing that influence altogether, but I guess I thought wrong.

The Good:

- True story: We take Woody’s mining knowledge and practical shaft skills for granted, because it actually happened; if this hadn’t been a true story I probably would’ve doubted Woody’s almost superhuman knowledge of blue clay and air pockets. I have vague memories of learning this in primary school, as well, so don’t let it be said that this story is entirely unknown. The only bit I remembered, though, is that the explosion in Belgium was felt in London — big explosions amused my small mind, you see. So this is a useful history lesson for those not yet informed.

- The fellas: All the main characters are performed with aplomb by the varied cast, spearheaded by the electric Brendan Cowell, who could have carried this film on his own, but is instead backed up with a fine range of talent, young and old, fresh and familiar alike. There are some interesting dynamics within the group, as well: a father-son combo, a young bloke nurturing some nascent heroism, a few massive mustaches with faces attached — makes a nice break from the usual war stereotypes (i.e., there’s no medic in the main cast for once).

- Almost white knuckles: The action scenes are good — perfunctory, but not intense. Much of the entertainment in these scenes is gained through the novelty of the setting: trenches and flares and wired explosive devices aren’t often featured in World War II pictures, that’s for sure. The action scenes could do with some tightening, though: there doesn’t seem to be any real danger most of the time.

- The Western … Back?: Woody’s Deutsche analogue, played by Kenneth Spiteri, adds a real element of tension and humanity to the stakes. The whole time Woody’s digging his trenches and planning his big offensive, there’s a German civilian miner on the other side of no-man’s-land doing exactly the same thing. The fact that Spiteri’s performance is on the same level as Cowell’s is icing on the cake.

- Muddy as hell: The production design here is great, reproducing all manner of weapons and uniforms and mustaches from a time nearly a century old now, and getting everything thoroughly filthy with mud to boot.

- Cop that: There are some gruesome scenes here, but as good as they are, like the action scenes, they really need to be better to compete on an international level.

- By candlelight: Some of the photography is amazing, especially in the dark, tight tunnel scenes. This just couldn’t have been shot on digital, and I’m glad the producers could afford to shoot in 35mm, because it makes a significant difference to the image’s quality.

- Building tension in unique ways: The film is cut to a leisurely but deliberate pace, which is a relief from the ADHD-riddled MTV bullshit we’re used to seeing come out of Hollywood. It gives scenes room to breathe, or, in the case of the tunnel scenes, take your breath away and hold it instead. The way the characters all whisper, the way pitch blackness accounts for 90% of the screen — it’s pretty terrific stuff. The only problem with these scenes is that their effectiveness is diminished by the frequent cuts back to Queensland, and Woody’s pre-war life, which is bright and open and easy on the eyes.

Looking over these lists, the biggest problem with the film seems to be the Queensland flashbacks. They probably only account for 20% of the film’s length, so they could conceivably be cut entirely. As I was watching the film I didn’t consciously think that these scenes were bad; it’s only now, with hindsight, that I see how much they hurt the narrative. Perhaps instead of being cut they could’ve been reshot or recasted, because none of the actors in the flashbacks holds their own against Cowell. Either way, the rest of the film works well enough to excuse the minor mistakes.

Ultimately, Brendan Cowell, a good sense of time and place, and some par-for-the-course action scenes carry this film over the line. The character relationships remain sketchy, but they’re well-enough defined to provide a sense of pathos in the film’s bittersweet climax. Unlike the explosion in the film, though, this film’s impact probably won’t be felt abroad. Heck, it probably won’t even be felt here — even we know Aussie movies generally suck, and tend to avoid them like the plague.

It’s a shame, really, that this, alongside Kokoda, and Gallipoli before it, will slip quietly onto the DVD rental shelves with barely a whisper, because these movies are perfect ANZAC Day viewing. Lest we forget, right?

Beneath Hill 60 score

76/100