''Beneath Hill 60'' is a 2010
Australian
war film
War film is a film genre concerned with warfare, typically about navy, naval, air force, air, or army, land battles, with combat scenes central to the drama. It has been strongly associated with the 20th century. The fateful nature of battle s ...
directed by
Jeremy Sims
Jeremy Hartley Sims (born 10 January 1966) is an Australian actor and director.
Career
Jeremy Sims was born in Perth, Western Australia in 1966, and was educated at Wesley College 1977–83.
His first appearance on the big screen was as 'boy on ...
(credited as Jeremy Hartley Sims) and written by David Roach.
Set during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, the film tells the story of the
1st Australian Tunnelling Company
The 1st Australian Tunnelling Company was one of the tunnelling companies of the Royal Australian Engineers during World War I. The tunnelling units were occupied in offensive and defensive mining involving the placing and maintaining of mines ...
's efforts in
mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the economic ...
underneath
Hill 60 in the
Ypres Salient
The Ypres Salient around Ypres in Belgium was the scene of several battles and an extremely important part of the Western front during the First World War.
Ypres district
Ypres lies at the junction of the Ypres–Comines Canal and the Ieperlee ...
on the
Western Front. During the war, a
series of mines filled with
explosive charges were placed beneath
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
lines to aid the advance of
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
troops.
The screenplay is based on an account of the ordeal written by Captain
Oliver Woodward,
who is portrayed by
Brendan Cowell
Brendan Cowell is an Australian actor, playwright, and director.
Early life and education
Cowell was born in Sydney and grew up in the beachside suburb of Cronulla. He credits his mother and high school drama teacher with encouraging him to ...
in the film.
''Beneath Hill 60'' was released in Australia on 15 April 2010. In July 2009, it was reported that there were plans to have the film showcased at the 2010
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...
.
Plot
As seen in
flashbacks that occur throughout the film, Oliver Woodward is an Australian
miner supplying
copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...
for the
war
War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...
effort. He falls in love with Marjorie Waddell, a young woman ten years his junior. However, he is under constant
pressure
Pressure (symbol: ''p'' or ''P'') is the force applied perpendicular to the surface of an object per unit area over which that force is distributed. Gauge pressure (also spelled ''gage'' pressure)The preferred spelling varies by country and e ...
to enlist, especially from Waddell's father. He has the opportunity to do so when the
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
forms the
1st Australian Tunnelling Company
The 1st Australian Tunnelling Company was one of the tunnelling companies of the Royal Australian Engineers during World War I. The tunnelling units were occupied in offensive and defensive mining involving the placing and maintaining of mines ...
to supplement the
Royal Engineers; Woodward is
commissioned to lead the unit.
In May 1916, near
Armentières,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
, 30 feet below the Western Front, Woodward meets Frank Tiffin, a young Australian soldier who is suffering from
shell shock
Shell shock is a term coined in World War I by the British psychologist Charles Samuel Myers to describe the type of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) many soldiers were afflicted with during the war (before PTSD was termed). It is a react ...
. Woodward reassigns Tom Dwyer and Norman Morris to relieve Tiffin. Two German tunnelers break through into the tunnel. Morris and Dwyer dispatch both of them, but Dwyer is killed when a German explosive goes off, bringing down the tunnel on top of them; Morris is rescued by the other
sapper
A sapper, also called a pioneer or combat engineer, is a combatant or soldier who performs a variety of military engineering duties, such as breaching fortifications, demolitions, bridge-building, laying or clearing minefields, preparing ...
s.
Woodward is later tasked with destroying the Red House, a fortified German position raining
enfilade
Enfilade and defilade are concepts in military tactics used to describe a military formation's exposure to enemy fire. A formation or position is "in enfilade" if weapon fire can be directed along its longest axis. A unit or position is "in de ...
fire down upon the frontmost section of the British trenches. Although Woodward initially proposed tunneling beneath the Red House, his commanding officer, Colonel Wilson Rutledge, insisted that it be done by dawn. Along with Corporal Bill Fraser and Morris, Woodward crosses
No Man's Land. They manage to reach the Red House and plant explosives underneath it. However, as they make their way back to the British lines, they discover that the reel of cable is too short, so Morris runs ahead to retrieve the exploder. While they wait, they discover mortally wounded Lieutenant Robert Clayton, who had been ordered to cut a gap in the wire obstacle for them. Morris arrives with the exploder and they destroy the Red House. After they destroyed the house, Clayton died of his wounds.
The next day, after a friendly game of
rugby
Rugby may refer to:
Sport
* Rugby football in many forms:
** Rugby league: 13 players per side
*** Masters Rugby League
*** Mod league
*** Rugby league nines
*** Rugby league sevens
*** Touch (sport)
*** Wheelchair rugby league
** Rugby union: 1 ...
against some British soldiers, Woodward is promoted to captain and he subsequently promotes Fraser to Sergeant; he later receives word that they are to be moved up the lines to the Ypres Salient. Upon their arrival, Tiffin, Walter Sneddon and Billy Bacon are separated from the rest of the battalion and pinned down by German machine gun fire. Bacon, being the fastest runner, volunteers to distract the Germans while the others make a run for the British lines. Although Tiffin and Walter succeed, Bacon is killed mere inches from safety.
The unit continues on to Hill 60, located in the
Zwarte Leen area of
Zillebeke
Zillebeke (also known as Zellebeck) is a village in the Flemish province of West Flanders in Belgium. It is a former municipality which is now part of Ypres.
History
On 3 March 1914 the then municipality was granted the arms of the last Lords o ...
, south of
Ypres
Ypres ( , ; nl, Ieper ; vls, Yper; german: Ypern ) is a Belgian city and municipality in the province of West Flanders. Though
the Dutch name is the official one, the city's French name is most commonly used in English. The municipality c ...
. During an inspection, it is revealed that the Canadian & British Engineers have been tunneling deep below the
Messines Ridge
The Battle of Messines (7–14 June 1917) was an attack by the British Second Army ( General Sir Herbert Plumer), on the Western Front, near the village of Messines (now Mesen) in West Flanders, Belgium, during the First World War. The Ni ...
(helling van Mesen - heuvelrug Wijtschate-Mesen) for months, planting a million pounds of
ammonium nitrate
Ammonium nitrate is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is a white crystalline salt consisting of ions of ammonium and nitrate. It is highly soluble in water and hygroscopic as a solid, although it does not form hydrates. It is ...
in 21 massive mine chambers. Woodward is tasked with maintaining two of the mines dug by the Canadians, Hill 60 and The Caterpillar, as the British military buildup begins; they hope to kill as many German troops as possible. To this end, he constructs an enormous shaft to keep the water table from inundating the explosives. He also digs multiple diversion tunnels to confuse the Germans. Jim Sneddon (Walter's Dad), is buried in one such tunnel when he is ordered into it by Colonel Rutledge, despite reporting that the Germans would likely be setting off the explosives soon.
The Germans eventually discover their plan and dig toward the main tunnel. An attack tunnel is dug in response, and the Australians successfully destroy the exploratory shaft with minutes to spare. However, the charge that was used weakens the clay and a portion of the tunnel collapses, trapping Tiffin. His compatriots race to stall the detonation of the mines, but the schedule cannot be delayed on account of one man. Woodward detonates two of the
mines fired at the start of the
Battle of Messines.
Woodward returns to Australia and the surviving members of the unit gather for his wedding with Marjorie.
Cast
*
Brendan Cowell
Brendan Cowell is an Australian actor, playwright, and director.
Early life and education
Cowell was born in Sydney and grew up in the beachside suburb of Cronulla. He credits his mother and high school drama teacher with encouraging him to ...
as
Oliver Woodward
* Alan Dukes as Jim Sneddon
* Alex Thompson as Walter Sneddon
*
Harrison Gilbertson
Harrison Gilbertson (born 29 June 1993) is an Australian actor.
Early life
Gilbertson was born in Adelaide, South Australia, the son of Julie Sloan and Brian Gilbertson.
Career
Gilbertson began acting at the age of six when he played the chara ...
as Frank Tiffin
*
Steve Le Marquand
Steve Le Marquand (born 26 December 1967) is an Australian-born actor, known both locally and internationally for his film and stage work.
Personal life
Born in Perth, Western Australia in 1967, his family moved to Sydney when he was quite yo ...
as Bill Fraser
*
Gyton Grantley
Gyton Stephen Grantley (born 17 July 1980) is an Australian actor and comedian, best known for his portrayal of convicted murderer and drug trafficker Carl Williams in the hit Australian television show '' Underbelly'', for which he was nomin ...
as Norman Morris
* Warwick Young as Percy Marsden
*
Mark Coles Smith
Mark Coles Smith (born 1989) is an Indigenous Australian actor originally from Broome in Western Australia. He is known for his roles in '' Last Cab to Darwin'' (2015), '' Picnic at Hanging Rock'' (2018) and '' Occupation: Rainfall'' (2020), a ...
as Billy Bacon
* Martin Thomas as Ginger O'Donnell
*
Oliver Leimbach as Screaming Soldier (Youngston)
*
Anthony Hayes as William McBride
*
Leon Ford as Lt. Robert Clayton
* Fletcher Illidge as Colin Waddell
* Morgan Illidge as Gordon Waddell
*
Jacqueline McKenzie
Jacqueline Susan McKenzie (born 24 October 1967) is an Australian film and stage actress.
Early life
Born in Sydney, New South Wales, McKenzie attended Wenona School in North Sydney until 1983 then moved to Pymble Ladies' College, where she ...
as Mrs. Emma Waddell
* Juliana Dodd as Isabel Waddell
*
Gerald Lepkowski
Gerald Lepkowski is a British-Australian television and stage actor, who has had guest roles in Australian and British productions, before landing the lead role in drama series ''Dirt Game'' in Australia in 2009.
Early life
Born in the Sighthi ...
as William Waddell
*
Bella Heathcote
Isabella Heathcote (born 27 May 1987) is an Australian actress and model. She began her acting career in 2008. The following year, she had a recurring role as Amanda Fowler on the television soap opera ''Neighbours''.
Heathcote has since portr ...
as Marjorie Waddell (credited as Isabella Heathcote)
*
Chris Haywood
Chris Haywood (born ) is an English-born Australian actor, writer and producer, with close to 500 screen performances to his name. Haywood has also worked as a casting director, art director, sound recordist, camera operator, gaffer, grip, l ...
as Colonel Wilson Rutledge
*
Bob Franklin as Potsy
* Anthony Ring as Stoat
* Nikki Fort as Mrs. Thorn
* Alice Cavanagh as Agnes
* Simon Coomes as Rex Astros
* Mahala Wallace as Eunice
* Jessica Robertson as Dotty (credited as Jessica Paige)
* Marcus Costello as Ernst Wagner
* Kenneth Spiteri as Karl Babek
*
Aden Young
Aden Young (born 30 November 1971) is a Canadian-Australian actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Daniel Holden in the SundanceTV drama '' Rectify'', for which he was twice nominated for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Acto ...
as Major Brady North (
3rd Canadian Tunnelling Company
The 3rd Canadian Tunnelling Company was one of the tunnelling companies of the Canadian Military Engineers during World War I. The tunnelling units were occupied in offensive and defensive mining involving the placing and maintaining of mines und ...
- Nova Scotia)
* David Ritchie as Otto Fusslein
*
Tom Green
Michael Thomas Green (born July 30, 1971) is a Canadian-American comedian, show host, actor, filmmaker, podcaster, and rapper. After pursuing stand-up comedy and music as a young adult, Green created and hosted ''The Tom Green Show'', which a ...
as Warren Hutchings
*
John Stanton as General Lambert
* Andy Bramble as Wilf Piggott
Production
Ross J. Thomas, a mining engineer and historian, met producer Bill Leimbach and quickly convinced him that the story of Captain Oliver Woodward and the 1st Australian Tunnelling Company was "a story crying out to be told". Thomas knew descendants of Captain Oliver Woodward living in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
, who agreed to have Woodward's diaries adapted into a screenplay. Leimbach recruited David Roach to write the film. Extensive research went into developing the characters and their environment, with
Canberra's
Australian War Memorial Archives providing research material.
The majority of the war scenes were written to take place inside the tunnels so a tense environment could be achieved while facilitating the film's tight budget.
While searching for a director, Leimbach viewed Jeremy Sims's 2006 film ''
Last Train to Freo
''Last Train to Freo'' is a 2006 Australian film based on Reg Cribb's 2001 play '' The Return'', and directed by Jeremy Sims.
Synopsis
Two thugs from the Perth suburb of Midland catch the last train to Fremantle. When a young woman, unaware t ...
''. Impressed with the intensity of the film's claustrophobic action, Leimbach approached Sims, who agreed to direct ''Beneath Hill 60'' after reading an early treatment.
Actor
Hugo Weaving
Hugo Wallace Weaving (born 4 April 1960) is an English actor. Born in Colonial Nigeria to English parents, he has resided in Australia for the entirety of his career. He is the recipient of six Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts ...
showed interest in participating in the film and was offered the role of Oliver Woodward, but ultimately declined due to his
claustrophobia
Claustrophobia is the fear of confined spaces. It can be triggered by many situations or stimuli, including elevators, especially when crowded to capacity, windowless rooms, and hotel rooms with closed doors and sealed windows. Even bedrooms wit ...
.
The role went to Brendan Cowell in a decision driven by the actor's experience and numerous accolades.
Working titles for the film included ''The Silence''
and ''The Silence Beneath''.
Leimbach explained that the film was titled ''Beneath Hill 60'' to maximise recognition for the international audience and felt that it was a more suitable title for a war film.
Principal photography
Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production.
Personnel
Besides the main film personnel, such as a ...
for ''Beneath Hill 60'' began in late July 2009
and lasted around 40 days.
The film was shot in
Townsville, Queensland
Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 180,820 as of June 2018, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland; it is unofficially considered its capital. Estimated resident population, 30 ...
and its surrounding areas. Locations were used to represent both Australia and the
Western Front in
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
, while the tunnels were constructed as sets indoors; digging actual tunnels to film in would have proved "logistically impossible" and posed a high level of risk to the cast and crew.
Actor
Hugh Jackman
Hugh Michael Jackman (born 12 October 1968) is an Australian actor. Beginning in theatre and television, he landed his breakthrough role as James "Logan" Howlett / Wolverine in the 20th Century Fox ''X-Men'' film series (2000–2017), a role ...
gave the production team part of a set from a World War I scene in ''
X-Men Origins: Wolverine'', which Jackman had starred in and produced.
The loca
Brothers Rugby Unionclub provided the players for the rugby game and the following thigh slapping singing scene.
Release
Despite initial plans to have the film released on
Anzac Day (25 April),
the film was released on 15 April 2010.
It was released on
DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...
and
Blu-ray
The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of st ...
on 19 August 2010 in Australia, and on 28 June 2011 in the United States.
Reception
''Beneath Hill 60'' received generally positive reviews. Review aggregate
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
reports that 86% of critics have been positive with the film based on 14 reviews, with an average score of 7.14/10.
Accolades
See also
*
Mines in the Battle of Messines (1917)
At the start of the Battle of Messines during the First World War, underground explosive charges were detonated by the British Second Army (General Sir Herbert Plumer) beneath the forward position of the German 4th Army near the village of ...
*
Hill 60 (Ypres)
Hill 60 is a World War I battlefield memorial site and park in the Zwarteleen area of Zillebeke south of Ypres, Belgium. It is located about from the centre of Ypres and directly on the railway line to Comines. Before the First World War the ...
*
Battle of Hill 60 (
Western Front)
*
''Gallipoli'', a 1981 Australian film set during World War I
*
''The Lighthorsemen'', a 1987 Australian film set during World War I
* ''
Forty Thousand Horsemen'', a 1940 Australian film set during World War I, directed by
Charles Chauvel
References
External links
*
YouTube video made at Hill 60
{{Jeremy Sims
2010 films
2010s war drama films
Australian war drama films
Australian World War I films
Western Front (World War I) films
World War I films based on actual events
Tunnel warfare in World War I
Films set in Queensland
Films set in Belgium
Belgium in fiction
Australia in fiction
Films shot in Australia
Films scored by Cezary Skubiszewski
Paramount Pictures films
2010s English-language films