This six-part 2014 Australian television miniseries, broadcast in the U.S. on Acorn TV's streaming service, is based on Peter Rees's acclaimed book, The Other Anzacs, which draws on original diaries, letters, and historical records to recount the experiences of five young women from Australia and New Zealand who served as frontline nurses during World War I. Arriving in Egypt, the group—Alice (Georgia Flood), Hilda (Antonia Prebble), Elsie (Laura Brent), Olive (Anna McGahan), and Grace (Caroline Craig)—believe that their work will be rewarding (with romance and adventure), but when convoys of dead and injured arrive from the disastrous Gallipoli invasion, the women quickly face the cruelty of war, and are forced to deal with extraordinary circumstances as they move across the European battlegrounds. Despite some occasional detours into soap opera melodrama, this handsomely mounted series does a highly effective job of recreating harsh wartime conditions (while also touching on some unpleasant and little discussed aspects of World War I, including the snobbery of British nurses toward their antipodean colleagues and the rampant spread of venereal disease among the troops). Extras include behind-the-scenes featurettes, cast interviews, and photo galleries. Highly recommended. (P. Hall)
Anzac Girls
Acorn, 2 discs, 363 min., not rated, DVD: $49.99 Volume 30, Issue 3
Anzac Girls
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