Issue Details: First known date: 2020... 2020 Screening Anzac : Anzac-themed Television in Australia and New Zealand during the First World War Centenary
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'Historians have long sought to compare Australian and New Zealand Anzac commemoration, finding that Australian commemoration tends to be more nationalistic and celebratory, while New Zealand’s is more solemn and inclusive of Māori, women’s and pacifist perspectives. This article examines war commemoration in Australia and New Zealand during the centenary of the First World War through the medium of four Anzac-themed television productions: Australia’s Gallipoli and The Power of Ten and New Zealand’s When We Go to War and Field Punishment No. 1. Due to their capacity to attract mass audiences, television and film are useful mediums for elucidating major cultural trends, including the changing nature of war commemoration and its relationship to ideals of nationhood. In particular, the article argues that the coexistence of myth-challenging representations in Australia with productions that reinforce the traditional Anzac legend reflects a longstanding tension between supporters of the state-sanctioned nationalist trope and its critics in artistic and academic communities; alternatively, the less controversial nature of the Anzac legend in New Zealand helps account for the more prosaic tone of some of its Anzac-themed television.' (Publication abstract)

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

  • Appears in:
    y separately published work icon Journal of Australian Studies vol. 44 no. 4 2020 20835187 2020 periodical issue 'In March 2020, as the dimensions of the COVID-19 pandemic became increasingly apparent, Prime Minister Scott Morrison rallied Australians for what would be “the toughest year of our lives” for many. 1 “We must not let fear overtake us,” Morrison said, as he summoned “the spirit of the Anzacs, of our Great Depression generation, of those who built the Snowy, of those who won the great peace of World War II and defended Australia” in his effort to inspire and reassure. 2 The following month, in the lead-up to Anzac Day, Morrison observed that this was not the first time commemorations had been disrupted by a pandemic; in 1919, parades for returned soldiers were cancelled due to the Spanish influenza outbreak that killed around 12,000 Australians, and as many as 20 million people globally. The prime minister urged Australians to find “COVID-safe” ways of commemorating Anzac Day: “I look forward to the entire nation, on their driveways, lighting up the dawn, remembering our heroes and drawing inspiration from them for the task and challenge we currently face.”' (Carolyn Holbrook, Margaret Hutchison, Editorial introduction) 2020 pg. 440-456
Last amended 1 Dec 2020 13:04:00
440-456 Screening Anzac : Anzac-themed Television in Australia and New Zealand during the First World War Centenarysmall AustLit logo Journal of Australian Studies
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