Film

The Lighthorsemen

An Australian war film about the light horse regiment's cavalry charge at Beersheba in 1917—a moment when mounted soldiers broke a stalemate in Palestine. It's earnest, handsomely mounted, and structured around real heroism rather than invented spectacle. For viewers drawn to underdog military stories and lesser-known theatre of the First World War.

TMDb rating3.1

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like war films that linger on heat, boredom and sore feet, and you'd rather watch a slow-built historical story unfold than a string of set pieces.

Skip it if you want a tidy, fast-moving action film, since at over two hours its early stretches take their time setting up the men before the desert finally opens up.

What it asks of you: At 131 minutes, its pace is deliberate, letting the waiting and the camaraderie build before the fighting arrives, so patience will pay off more than appetite.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Gallipoli1981

Peter Weir's masterpiece about Australian soldiers in WWI. Visually stunning, emotionally devastating, and captures the same sense of young men tested by history. Essential viewing for anyone moved by The Lighthorsemen.

But The ending is historically familiar and deliberately tragic—not a story that lets you off easy emotionally.

Gallipoli poster

The Great War1964

A British documentary series that sets WWI's broader context and includes coverage of the Middle Eastern campaigns. Complements the film's perspective with archival footage and expert analysis that deepen understanding.

But Documentary format means no narrative drive; it's educational rather than dramatically gripping.

The Great War poster

War Horse2011

Spielberg's story of a cavalry horse in WWI. Similar in scope and sincerity—both films honour the courage of mounted soldiers and find beauty in the landscape of conflict without glorifying war itself.

But Sentiment tips toward melodrama in places; some find the tonal shifts between realism and emotion jarring.

War Horse poster

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The Lighthorsemen

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

The Charge of the Light Brigade1936

Both centre on cavalry charges as moments of turning-point heroism, but from opposite directions: one fantastical, one documentary in spirit.

Errol Flynn's swashbuckling take on a famous cavalry charge (the 1854 Crimean original, not Beersheba). What's remarkable is how both films use mounted cavalry as a metaphor for courage against impossible odds—but Flynn's version is pure adventure fantasy, revealing how differently Hollywood and Australian cinema treat the same historical impulse.

But It's a melodramatic period piece with romantic subplots that feel utterly remote from historical accuracy—almost campy by modern standards.

The Charge of the Light Brigade poster
More like this (6)

The Water Diviner2014

An Australian film set in post-WWI Gallipoli and Anatolia. Shares the same cultural perspective on Australian sacrifice in Middle Eastern conflict and explores what survival means in war's aftermath.

But More of a personal redemption story than historical action—the pacing is contemplative and some find it slow.

The Water Diviner poster

Paths of Glory1957

Kubrick's unsparing portrait of WWI's futility and military command. A darker, more cynical view of the same war—a powerful counterweight to The Lighthorsemen's heroic narrative.

But Bleakly anti-war and deeply pessimistic about human nature; offers no comfort or redemption whatsoever.

Paths of Glory poster

Lawrence of Arabia1962

David Lean's epic covers the same theatre and era—the Arabian desert campaign, British strategy in the Middle East, the collision of cultures and politics. A companion piece to understanding the Beersheba context.

But At over three hours and deeply focused on one enigmatic man, it's a very different film—intellectual rather than action-driven.

Lawrence of Arabia poster

19172019

A single-take immersion in WWI's brutality and tactical confusion. If you loved the kinetic energy and realism of The Lighthorsemen, this takes the intensity to almost unbearable levels.

But Relentlessly bleak with no moments of levity; the immersive technique can feel exhausting rather than exhilarating to some viewers.

1917 poster

Breaker Morant1980

An Australian war film dealing with moral ambiguity and military justice during the Boer War. Same national perspective on how soldiers are treated by distant commanders and larger historical forces.

But Courtroom drama structure and legal arguments take precedence over action; a thinking film rather than a visceral one.

Breaker Morant poster

The Explosive Generation1961

Peter Phelps' career journey—and the way both films ask whether obedience to authority is ever heroic.

A minor American high-school drama that has absolutely nothing to do with war—but its lead Peter Phelps plays a teenager grappling with questions about authority, duty, and whether he should follow orders blindly. Seeing him in civilian clothes, as a young man before The Lighthorsemen's maturity, reveals how the actor embodies the same ethical tension in very different contexts.

But It's a forgotten 1960s teen picture with dated sensibilities; you're watching it entirely for the actor, not the story itself.

The Explosive Generation poster

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