Andrew Garfield in Hacksaw Ridge

Andrew Garfield crouches behind a dirt mound with soldiers taking aim behind him and a soldier's body in the foreground, during the Battle of Okinawa in the Second World War
https://www.nfsa.gov.au/sites/default/files/02-2019/1535913_0001_023_resized.jpg
Title:
Andrew Garfield in Hacksaw Ridge
NFSA ID
1535913
Year
2016
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Andrew Garfield as American Army Medic Desmond T Doss in a scene from Hacksaw Ridge. Doss was a conscientious objector who famously received a Medal of Honour for his actions during the Second World War's Battle of Okinawa, saving the lives of between 50 and 100 soldiers without ever firing a shot.

The image of Garfield as Doss comes from the climactic battle scenes set on Hacksaw Ridge at Okinawa. It shows Doss looking expectant but remaining calm and focused in the chaos of the fighting going on around him. A body in the foreground is a stark reminder of the tragic casualties of the war that Doss opposed and the blood on his face reminds us of the constant risks to his own life that he faced while saving the lives of others.

At the 2016 Oscars, Hacksaw Ridge received six nominations - including Best Picture, Actor (Andrew Garfield), Directing (Mel Gibson) and Sound Editing (Robert Mackenzie and Andy Wright). It won two Oscars – for John Gilbert's Film Editing and the Sound Mixing team of Kevin O'Connell, Andy Wright, Robert Mackenzie and Peter Grace.

Notes by Stephen Groenewegen