Better Than Average WW1 Tale - The Water Diviner

Rating: 7/10 (25 May 2020)

This film is not as good as some WW1 classics such as 1918, Gallipoli, or Paths of Glory, but it certainly places fourth on that short list. This is a very nice effort by Russell Crowe, with a lot of help from a talented supporting cast and a very interesting script. The one thing about this film I found interesting was the treatment of Turkey and the Turks in WW 1. No other Hollywood film has shown them in such a positive light. Lawrence of Arabia merely showed them in a stereotypical way (they were the BAD guys) and other films have depicted the Turks as just background for WW1 topical films. This is the first film that delves into WW from the Turkish standpoint. I did not buy the romantic aspect of the film, but that was a minor glitch. The primary story is overwhelming enough to overcome that small bump in the road.