The Boys from Brazil (1978)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Franklin J. Schaffner

Writers:

Ira Levin (novel)
Heywood Gould (screenplay)

Release Date:

12 October 1978 (Netherlands)

Genre:

Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

If they survive...will we?

Plot:

A Nazi hunter in Paraguay discovers a sinister and bizarre plot to rekindle the Third Reich.

Plot Keywords:

Nazi | Jungle | Civil Servant | Nudity | Conspiracy

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 1 win & 7 nominations

Cast

Gregory Peck	...	Dr. Josef Mengele
Laurence Olivier	...	Ezra Lieberman
James Mason	...	Eduard Seibert
Lilli Palmer	...	Esther Lieberman
Uta Hagen	...	Frieda Maloney
Steve Guttenberg	...	Barry Kohler (as Steven Guttenberg)
Denholm Elliott	...	Sidney Beynon
Rosemary Harris	...	Mrs. Doring
John Dehner	...	Henry Wheelock
John Rubinstein	...	David Bennett
Anne Meara	...	Mrs. Curry
Jeremy Black	...	Jack Curry / Simon Harrington / Erich Doring / Bobby Wheelock
Bruno Ganz	...	Professor Bruckner
Walter Gotell	...	Mundt
David Hurst	...	Strasser

Also Known As:

Boys from the Brussel (Philippines: English title)

Runtime:

125 min | West Germany:100 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) (re-rating) (2002) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Canada:R (Ontario) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia) (original rating) | Australia:M | West Germany:16 | Brazil:14 | Argentina:18 | Finland:K-18 | France:-16 | Norway:18 | South Korea:15 (DVD rating) | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:X (original rating) | USA:R | UK:18 | Finland:K-15 (DVD rating) | Netherlands:16 | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

Ateliers der Wien-Film G.m.b.H., Sievering, Vienna, Austria

Company:

Incorporated Television Company (ITC)

Trivia:

Bruno Ganz - who played Dr. Bruckner - actually played Adolf Hitler himself several years later in Der Untergang (2004).

Goofs:

Errors in geography: In the first shot on the bridge in Gladbeck, Germany, all the trains in the background have the Austrian logo at the front

Quotes:

[Ezra explains why he is searching for Josef Mengele]
Ezra Lieberman: He was the chief doctor of Auschwitz, who killed 2.5 million people, experimented with children - Jewish and non-Jewish - using twins mostly, injecting blue dyes into their eyes to make them acceptable Aryans... amputating limbs and organs from thousands without anesthetics.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Law & Order: Talking Points (#17.13)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

WE'RE HOME AGAIN

A masterful performance from Gregory Peck

In The Boys From Brazil, Gregory Peck gives a truly mesmerizing performance as the infamous Nazi scientist Josef Mengele. He is wicked and cruel and yet sympathetic and charismatic. I sometimes use the scene select option on the DVD just to rewatch some of his scenes. While Olivier is a great actor I just think he is totally overshadowed by Peck in this role. Olivier's character is allegedly based on the ruthless Nazi hunter Simon Wisenthal. But the way Olivier was asked to portray Lieberman, it makes him look bumbling and weak. Maybe the filmmakers are just sticking to the source material, Ira Levin's book, which I admittedly haven't read. Mention should also be made of James Mason who plays the Nazi colonel who at first supports Mengele but then abandons him after Neo-Nazi command pulls the plug on the good doctor's project. In summary, this film is a pure treat for Gregory Peck fans, 8/10.