'Breaker' Morant (1980)

Director:

Bruce Beresford

Writers:

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

Release Date:

3 July 1980 (Australia)

Genre:

Drama | War

Tagline:

When they speak of heroes - of villains - of men who look for action, who choose between honor and revenge - they tell the story of Breaker Morant

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Trial | Shooting | Boer War | Court | Courtroom

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 12 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

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
Bruno Knez	...	Rev. H.V.C. Hess
John Pfitzner	...	Boer leader
Frank Wilson	...	Dr. Johnson
Michael Procanin	...	Visser
Ray Ball	...	Court reporter
Wayne Bell	...	Lt. Reed
Halifa Cisse	...	Black guide
Norman Currer	...	Boer singer (as Norm Currer)
Bridget Cornish	...	Hunt's sister
Judy Dick	...	Mrs. Shiels
Barbara West	...	Mrs. Vanderberg
Ria Erskine	...	Boer girl
Ian Gray	...	B / M Thomas
Sylvia Horseman	...	Boer pianist
Dick Henderson	...	Capt. Nicholson
Alan Lovett	...	Scots sentry
Trevor Mann	...	B / M Little
Jon Nicholls	...	Lt. Baxter
Peter Osborn	...	Minister
Ron Peterson	...	Feist
Don Quin	...	Witton's father
Maria Reed	...	Boer girl
Ron Rodger	...	English orderly
Nellie Seidel	...	Boer girl
Laurie Walton	...	Judge Advocate
Hank Bernard	...	Large Boer
Elspeth Radford	...	Handcock's wife

Directed by
Bruce Beresford

Writing credits
Kenneth G. Ross		(play "'Breaker' Morant")
Jonathan Hardy		(screenplay) and
David Stevens		(screenplay) and
Bruce Beresford		(screenplay)
Kit Denton		additional material (from "The Breaker")

Produced by
Matt Carroll	....	producer (as Matthew Carroll)

Cinematography by
Donald McAlpine

Film Editing by
William M. Anderson		(as William Anderson)

Casting by
Alison Barrett

Production Design by
David Copping

Costume Design by
Anna Senior

Makeup Department
Catherine Lamey	....	hair stylist
Judy Lovell	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Pamela H. Vanneck	....	production manager (as Pamela Vanneck)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Mark Egerton	....	first assistant director
Toivo Lember	....	third assistant director
Ralph Storey	....	second assistant director
Christopher Williams	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Lee Carey	....	carpenter
Glen Finch	....	carpenter
Ken James	....	set dresser
Clark Munro	....	stand-by props
Herbert Pinter	....	construction manager
Peter Templeton	....	carpenter
Christopher Webster	....	props buyer (as Chris Webster)

Sound Department
James Currie	....	boom operator (as Jim Currie)
Phil Heywood	....	second sound mixer
Phil Judd	....	sound mixer
Gary Wilkins	....	sound recordist
William M. Anderson	....	sound editor (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Mont Fieguth	....	special effects (as Monty Fieguth)
Chris Murray	....	special effects

Stunts
Heath Harris	....	horse stunt coordinator
Heath Harris	....	horse stuntman
Dennis Hunt	....	horse stuntman
Tony Smart	....	stunt double: horse stunts
Greg Smith	....	horse stuntman
Bill Willoughby	....	horse stuntman
Jim Willoughby	....	horse stuntman

Camera and Electrical Department
David Burr	....	focus puller
Ross Erickson	....	key grip
Mike Giddens	....	still photographer
Robin Morgan	....	grip
Peter Moss	....	camera operator
Peter Richards	....	still photographer
Simon Smith	....	clapper loader
Jim Townley	....	still photographer
Colin Williams	....	best boy
Rob Young	....	gaffer

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Ruth De la Lande	....	stand-by wardrobe/dresser

Editorial Department
Jeanine Chiavlo	....	assistant to film editor (as Jeanine Chialvo)
Catherine Lamey	....	assistant editor
Catherine Murphy	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Phil Cuneen	....	music arranger
H.H. Morant	....	composer: song "At Last"

Other crew
Fran Burke	....	title designer
Brian Burns	....	armorer
Jenny Day	....	location manager
Kevin Duggan	....	advisor: legal procedures (as Kevin Duggan Q.C.)
Stan Green	....	military advisor
Evanne Harris	....	assistant wrangler
Heath Harris	....	horse master
Moya Iceton	....	assistant to producer
Moya Iceton	....	continuity
Harold Lander	....	story editor
Peter Langveldt	....	language advisor: Africaan
Harley Manners	....	production accountant
Jenny Miles	....	runner
Snow Nobell	....	assistant wrangler
Barbara Ring	....	production secretary
David Sabine	....	unit publicist
Jacqui Sykes	....	unit publicist

Production Companies

• 7 Network
• Australian Film Commission, The
• Pact Productions
• South Australian Film Corporation, The

Distributors

• Roadshow Entertainment (1980) (Australia) (theatrical)
• New World Pictures (1980) (USA) (theatrical)
• New World-Quartet Films (1980) (USA) (theatrical)
• Quartet Films Inc. (1980) (USA) (theatrical)
• RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video (1981) (USA) (VHS)
• Australian Video (1982) (Australia) (video)
• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) (1984) (UK) (TV) (BBC 1)
• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) (1986) (UK) (TV) (BBC 2)
• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) (1993) (UK) (TV) (BBC 1)
• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) (1995) (UK) (TV) (BBC 1)
• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) (1997) (UK) (TV) (BBC 1)
• Criterion Collection, The (1997) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Reel Australia (2001) (Australia) (DVD)
• Southern Star International (2006) (worldwide) (all media)
• Europa Film (1981) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Belle & Blade Studios (video)
• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) (1988) (UK) (TV) (BBC 1)
• Fox Lorber (USA) (DVD)
• Live Home Video (USA) (laserdisc)
• Nelson Entertainment (USA) (laserdisc)
• Národní Filmový Archiv (NFA) (Czech Republic)
• Southern Star Sales (2006) (worldwide) (all media)

Other Companies

• Atlab Sound  sound mixing
• Atlab  as Atlab Film Laboratory Service
• Atlab  sound post-production
• Movie Guns  
• Movie Munchies  catering
• South Australian Casting  casting (as S.A. Casting)

Also Known As:

Breaker Morant (USA)

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

Australia

Language:

English | Dutch

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Sweden:15 | Australia:M (TV rating) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) (1992) | USA:PG | Singapore:PG | New Zealand:PG

Filming Locations:

Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

Company:

7 Network

Trivia:

Principal photography was delayed due to problems with casting.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: 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.

Quotes:

Major Thomas: The barbarities of war are seldom committed by abnormal men. The tragedy of war is that these horrors are committed by normal men in abnormal situations.

Movie Connections:

References Paths of Glory (1957)

Soundtrack:

The Floral Dance

Magnificent, thought-provoking (albeit depressing) courtroom drama

"'Breaker' Morant" is based on true events, and deals with the court-martial of three subalterns during the closing stages of the Second Boer War (1899-1902). The officers are members of a mostly Australian unit called the Bushveldt Carbineers, created to fight the Boer commandos (in the original sense of the word) by employing their own tactics against them. The charges against them are that they committed murder by summarily executing captured Boers. That they have done so in not in question, but in their defence they argue that they were acting in accordance with standing orders, not least because the operational nature of the Carbineers would be hampered by having to keep prisoners under guard. The British command is keen to distance itself from this claim for various reasons; it might galvanise Boer resistance, and give Germany an excuse to provide material support to the Boers (thus extending a war which was already a serious drain on the British Empire's resources), and (though this is left unsaid in the film) cause discontent about the conduct of the war in those parts of the Empire supplying the manpower for the war, i.e. Britain, Australia and Canada. Instead, the British command clearly wishes to portray the three protagonists as "rogue elements" and sacrifice them for the sake of political expediency.

"'Breaker' Morant" is about injustice, hypocrisy and incomprehension. The injustice is not that lieutenants Morant, Hancock and Witton are innocent of the charges brought against them--they're not. The Second Convention of The Hague may have been only two years old at the time, but the custom of not killing prisoners was well-established long before, and at no point do we see any of the protagonists object to the standing orders. The injustice lies in the fact that the body which is trying them for their crimes--the British army--is the very body which ordered them to commit these crimes in the first place.

The incomprehension is that of the home front; in a brief flashback of Witton's relatives giving a going-away party, we see the expectation among the civilians that "our boys will knock 'em for six" but behave like gentlemen while doing so. Brief as the scene is, it is plain that the civilians understand only in the most abstract way, if they understand at all, that war is a messy business in which winning requires killing people in unpleasant ways. As Major Thomas, the protagonists' defence counsel, comments, "The barbarities of war are seldom committed by abnormal men. The tragedy of war is that these horrors are committed by normal men in abnormal situations." While I can agree with this observation, it does not alter the fact that the acts committed by the protagonists were of such a nature as to be have been formally outlawed, even within the context of war, two years previously.

Another trope, which occurs in this film but repeated in every war of the 20th century, is that "only a combat soldier can judge another combat soldier." As it happens, I am a former soldier (who never saw combat) who later helped prosecute war criminals while a civilian; I think this line is unadulterated bullsh*t. That said, this opinion comes with a caveat, which is that those civilians and non-combat soldiers who would pass judgement should understand that expecting soldiers to both fight cleanly and to win may be (and often are) mutually exclusive.

Of course, standards have changed somewhat since 1901; when Morant remarks "it's a new kind of war, George; it's a new war for a new century," the difference he indicates is that it is the first time white men visit atrocities upon each other which both had been quite content to inflict upon non-whites for most of the previous century. At one point in the film, Lt. Hancock pulls a dum-dum round from a Boer's ammunition pouch as an indication of the Boers' disregard for the laws of war. However, a (somewhat apocryphal) story from the opening stages of the Boer War (not in the film) tells of how the Boers lodged a protest with the British after finding dum-dum rounds in a killed British soldier's ammunition pouch; the British reportedly apologised profusely, explaining that the soldier had been issued these rounds in error, as these were intended only for use against blacks. The Boers accepted this explanation without further complaint.

But however you may feel about the politics underlying this film, it is a joy to watch. The quality of the production values is top notch, and had I not been familiar with Edward Woodward and Bryan Brown, I could have believed this film was made this year, rather than in 1980. The directing and acting are also superb. At the heart of this is the script, which carried no dead weight of unnecessary scenes; likely, this is due to the fact that it was originally written (and written well) for the stage. The story might easily be transposed to any number of conflicts since the Second Boer War in which military victory demands taking nasty measures; it could easily be rewritten to Iraq in 2003 ("Well, Peter, this is what comes of empire-building."), and for that reason it deserves more recognition than it's received. Magnificent; see it ASAP.