The film Gallipoli is very useful to a certain degree as an historical source. The main reasons that make this film useful are the fact that it's a fairly accurate movie, the accuracy portrayed in the film and the contrast between qualities of Australian men and death faced in the war. This film is also not useful to a historian because it not only adds but leaves out events in the movie in opposed to what really in the war.
Firstly, the accuracy portrayed in the film proved by sources makes it a useful historical source. According to numerous sources, the film is proven to be accurate to a certain level in portraying events and concepts such as the date of the Gallipoli campaign, training in Egypt, the location of ANZAC Cove, not so much living conditions but generally how fought in the war and the reasons for the failure of the waves of assault.
Secondly, the fact that this source is a fairly accurate video is useful as a historical source. This is useful to a historian because it will provide a visual picture that will help the historian understand what is it like fighting and being in war, a fair amount of living conditions experienced by troops, the location and scene of ANZA Cove, how troops trained in Egypt, the structure of trench warfare and why did the Gallipoli campaign actually fail.
Despite this, the film has also added and left out events which makes this film not a very useful source. Concepts and events that have been added to the film to make it more appealing include characters such as Archy and Frank and their journey to Perth, the shopping dispute during the stay of troops in Egypt and the phone line tragedy during troops fighting in the war. Events that have been left out of the film proven by sources include the attempt of naval vessels bombarding Turkish fortifications, the 4th wave of assault and the evacuation of army troops.
Lastly, the contrast showed between qualities of Australian men and death faced in the war makes this film a useful historical source.
