Breaker Morant (1980)
"'Breaker' Morant" (original title)

Three Australian lieutenants are court martialed for executing prisoners as a way of deflecting attention from war crimes committed by their superior officers.

Director:

Bruce Beresford

Writers:

Kenneth G. Ross (play), Jonathan Hardy (screenplay),

Stars:

Edward Woodward, Jack Thompson, John Waters

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 14 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Edward Woodward	...	Lt. Harry 'Breaker' Morant
Jack Thompson	...	Maj. J.F. Thomas
John Waters	...	Capt. Alfred Taylor
Bryan Brown	...	Lt. Peter Handcock
Charles 'Bud' Tingwell	...	Lt. Col. Denny (as Charles Tingwell)
Terence Donovan	...	Capt. Simon Hunt
Vincent Ball	...	Col. Ian 'Johnny' Hamilton
Ray Meagher	...	Sgt. Maj. Drummond
Chris Haywood	...	Cpl. Sharp
Russell Kiefel	...	Christiaan Botha
Lewis Fitz-Gerald	...	Lt. George Ramsdale Witton
Rod Mullinar	...	Maj. Charles Bolton
Alan Cassell	...	Lord Horatio Kitchener
Rob Steele	...	Capt. Robertson
Chris Smith	...	Sgt. Cameron

Storyline

During the Boer War, three Australian lieutenants are on trial for shooting Boer prisoners. Though they acted under orders, they are being used as scapegoats by the General Staff, who hopes to distance themselves from the irregular practices of the war. The trial does not progress as smoothly as expected by the General Staff, as the defence puts up a strong fight in the courtroom.

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Plot Keywords:

trial | courtroom | court | shooting | boer war | 

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Taglines:

"If you encounter any Boers, you really must not loot 'em and if you wish to leave these shores, for pity's sake don't shoot 'em." "THE BREAKER"

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Genres:

Drama | History | War

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Official Sites:

South Australian Film Corporation Southern Star Group

Country:

Australia

Language:

English Afrikaans

Release Date:

3 July 1980 (Australia)

Also Known As:

Breaker Morant

Filming Locations:

Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

Box Office

Budget:

AUD 650,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

7 Network, Australian Film Commission, The, Pact Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The meaning and relevance of this film's 'Breaker Morant' title is that it refers to a nickname of the central character. The word Breaker refers to the breaker of horses (as in breaking horses) whilst Morant refers to the character's surname. The actual complete full name of this film's protagonist was Henry Harbord Morant. Morant was also known by the nickname Harry as in Harry Morant or Harry Harbord Morant. Apparently, it has been alleged that Morant's actual name at birth was Edwin Murrant.

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Goofs

In the closeup of a soldier's finger pulling the trigger of his Enfield rifle during Lt Morant's explanation of "Rule 303" to the court, the rifle stays absolutely still when the shot goes off. In actuality, a high-powered rifle like the .303-caliber Enfield would "jump" noticeably at the instant of firing.

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Quotes

Peter Handcock: New South Wales Mounted? What sort of a lawyer are you?
Major Thomas: They haven't locked me up, yet. What sort of a soldier are you?

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Crazy Credits

Introducing Lewis Fitz-Gerald as George Witton

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Connections

References Paths of Glory (1957)

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Soundtracks

"The Girl I Left Behind"
Written by Samuel Lover
Arranged by Jack Grimsley

User Reviews

Superb wartime courtroom drama

(Note: Over 500 of my movie reviews are now available in my book "Cut to the Chaise Lounge or I Can't Believe I Swallowed the Remote!" Get it at Amazon.)

The question raised in this film is the same as that raised in the Nuremberg trials following World War II and at the trial of Lt. William Calley during the Vietnam War, namely should a soldier be punished for following orders?

The answer to that question depends not only on what the orders were--that is, were they legitimate orders consistent with the "rules of war"--but also on who is asking the question and why they are asking it. After WWII the Allies asked the question and the reason they asked it was because so many people were horrified by Nazi atrocities and wanted someone to punish. If the Axis powers had somehow won the war they might have tried US President Harry S Truman and others for the atomic bombings of the Japanese cities, or indeed for the fire bombings of Dresden. In Vietnam we asked the question of ourselves during the war because our government and military were being accused both at home and abroad of waging a unjustified war and going against our own value system.

Here the story goes back to the Boer War a hundred years ago in South Africa, as the British command for political reasons puts Lt. Breaker Morant, an Australian soldier fighting with the British forces, and two of his fellow Bushveldt Carbineers on trial for shooting Boer prisoners. Their defense is the same as the Nazi soldiers and that of Lt. Calley: they were just following orders.

The superb direction by Bruce Beresford (from the play by Kenneth Ross) makes us identify with Morant (Edward Woodward), Lt. Peter Handcock (Bryan Brown) and the third soldier because we can see that the horrors of war pervert the usual logic of right and wrong so completely that we can appreciate what drove them to do what they did. Jack Thompson, playing defense attorney Major J. F. Thomas, expresses this when he tells the court that war changes us and that therefore the usual rules of conduct no longer apply. Incidentally this film is based on actual events.

Regardless of which side of this very vexing question you come down on, I can promise you will enjoy this outstanding film, winner of 10 Australian Film Institute Awards. In the annuals of war films and courtroom dramas this ranks with the best of them.