Portrait

• Since Australia first began producing feature films, it has returned time and again to the subject of the first world war.
• Before Dawn, out in cinemas today, is the latest in this long line of productions.

A sombre portrait of war

The Germans constructed the Hindenburg Line, also known as the Siegfriedstellung or “Siegfried Position” in German, as a defensive fortification on the Western Front in France during the winter of 1916–1917. Stretching between the towns of Arras and Laffaux in the country’s north, it served as a formidable barrier against Allied offensives.

• Similar to All Quiet on the Western Front, Before Dawn downplays the celebration of victory and nationalist sacrifice by instead providing a sombre portrait of the horrors of combat.
• By the time Armistice Day arrives on November 11 1918, marking the end of the war, it is hardly a victory for the soldiers.

A young man’s film through and through

• That said, it would seem a little unfair to compare Before Dawn with the quality and emotional gravitas of Gallipoli.
• Prince-Wright’s prior credits include 2018 film The Decadent and Depraved, an independent western genre film set in outback colonial Western Australia.
• Prince-Wright shares screenwriting duties with Jarrad Russell, who is receiving his first screenwriting feature credit on the film.
• Before Dawn is certainly a young man’s film, both in what is being represented as well as in the cast and crew behind the production.

Ambitious work

• It relies too heavily on composer Sean Tinnion’s overstated musical score to provide emotional weight.
• The contribution of Aboriginal soldiers during WWI is yet to be satisfactorily fictionalised on the screen.

• Despite these faults and oversights, Before Dawn offers an account of the important sacrifice Australia made in assisting the Commonwealth during the war.
• Coupled with other sources, it could function well as a teaching text for students learning about the Hindenburg Line.

Stephen Gaunson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.