The Boys from Brazil (1978)

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

Colour:

Colour

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: At the end of the film, Lieberman is in the hospital in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, but there is an English-style TV on the wall.

Quotes:

Mrs. Doring: Would you like me to tell you who really killed him? God.To set free a stupid little farm girl after twenty-two years of unhappiness. Do Nazis answer prayers Herr Lieberman? No, that is God's business and I have thanked Him every night since He pushed Emil under that car. He could have done it sooner, but I thank Him anyway.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Secret Lives of Dentists (2002)

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.