Breaker Morant 1980 123movies

Watch: Breaker Morant 1980 123movies, Full Movie Online – 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..
Plot: 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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Ratings:

	7.8/10 Votes: 13,655
	100% | RottenTomatoes
	72/100 | MetaCritic
	N/A Votes: 113 Popularity: 6.961 | TMDB

Reviews:

War Where There Ain’t No Rules
Edward Woodward, better known to American audiences as the Equalizer, plays the title role in this military courtroom drama set during the Boer War. Woodward who had a well known reputation as a rollicking writer of the Australian frontier was one of three men charged with murdering several prisoners during the Boer War, one of them happened to be a German missionary. That got Kaiser Wilhelm’s back up and the British were not looking for intervention from him on the Boer side. One must remember that the Germans did have a presence in Africa at the time. The diplomatic situation was not unlike the Korean War before the Chinese intervened.

What to do, but find someone to take the fall. Certainly not Lord Kitchener the commander of British forces in South Africa who let it be known quite unofficially and not on paper for attribution that he really wouldn’t care if Boer Prisoners were shot. Edward Woodward, Bryan Brown and young Lewis Fitzgerald, get selected for a court martial. This is not unlike the more famous incident in the French Army during World War I as depicted in Paths of Glory.

The Australians to this day feel that these men were singled out because they were Australians and not British. Wouldn’t do to have His Majesty’s subjects, let alone the commander be held responsible. While the Boer War was going on, the various colonies on the Australian continent coalesced and formed a nation. Why the Australian government didn’t protest more vigorously is something I’m not quite understanding.

That however does not detract from Breaker Morant being the fine film it is with sterling performances all around. Jack Thompson is the defense attorney in this court martial and does a splendid job in the face of a stacked deck.

Alan Cassell is a bloodless Kitchener covering his own rear at all costs and Vincent Ball plays Sir Ian Hamilton who was Kitchener’s aide at the time. Australia would meet these two later on under far worse circumstances as Kitchener was War Minister in the Asquith cabinet during World War I and Ian Hamilton was the commander-in-chief of the Gallipoli Expedition where so many ANZACS died in another foreign battlefield for another cause not really their concern. Hamilton is shown as quite the rat here, helping to cover his boss’s complicity.

I recommend Breaker Morant mostly for those who are not Australian so they can acquaint themselves with a sad and bitter chapter in that nation’s life.

“It’s a new war for a new century.”
I’ll admit that my knowledge of Australian cinema is still regretfully limited, but the fact remains that I rarely have the opportunity to use the word “masterpiece” in reference to a local film. Fortunately, ‘Breaker Morant’ is a happy exception, a perfectly-plotted, impeccably-acted war drama that treads a similar path to Stanley Kubrick’s ‘Paths of Glory (1957),’ but undeniably leaves its mark as a work of pure Australian film-making. The film is based upon a true story, of the murder trial and execution of Australian soldiers during the Boer War (1899-1902). The screenplay, written by Jonathan Hardy, David Stevens and Bruce Beresford, was adapted from Kenneth G. Ross’ 1978 play, “Breaker Morant: A Play in Two Acts” N/A.

‘Breaker Morant’ is certainly one of the most gripping courtroom dramas I’ve ever come across, a perfectly-balanced assembly of probing cross-examinations, impassioned monologues and legal injustice. Much of the story unfolds in flashbacks throughout the course of the trial, slowly allowing the pieces of the murder puzzle to fall into place. During the Second Boer War, three Australian soldiers, officers of the Bushveldt Carbineers N/A were accused of the murder of seven Boer prisoners-of-war, as well as the sniper-style assassination of a German missionary. Lt. Harry “Breaker” Morant (Edward Woodward), Peter Handcock (Bryan Brown) and George Witton (Lewis Fitz-Gerald) were brought to trial by the British Army for their alleged crimes, found guilty of murder, and both Morant and Handcock were promptly executed. An inexperienced small-town solicitor, Major J.F. Thomas (Jack Thompson), mounts the most formidable defence he can manage, yet the panel’s verdict N/A seems to have been decided from the very beginning.

Australians have a peculiar habit of glorifying historical criminals, the bushranger Ned Kelly (1955-1880) being the most pertinent example. Since his execution, the Anglo-Australian Harry “Breaker” Morant has also become something of a minor folk hero, his death representative of the resentment that many have for the British over their maltreatment of Australian soldiers N/A. Indeed, the film firmly places its sympathies with the accused soldiers, even after they secretly acknowledge their participation in the seemingly-barbaric crimes. In the soldiers’ defence, Maj. Thomas proposes various arguments: that the men were merely following their orders, and that these murders were “committed by normal men in abnormal situations.” Surely, with all the death and acts of barbarism constantly taking place around these men, their actions cannot be judged as they might in a normal, everyday situations. Lt. George Witton, who was pardoned after serving a three-year sentence, later published his controversial account of the trial, “Scapegoats of the Empire,” which is now considered the most reliable report of the actual proceedings.

There’s no denying that ‘Breaker Morant’ has the relatable atmosphere that only an Australian director and largely Australian cast can produce, and every actor involved brings passion and authenticity to their roles (arguably, British actor Edward Woodward gives the film’s finest performance as the titular character). The film, like most wartime pictures produced in our country, celebrates the importance of mateship and comradery between everyday Aussie blokes, whether they be fighting the enemy, fighting betrayal from their own superiors (“And a man’s foe shall be they of his own household”) or dying together, steadfast and courageous to the last (“Shoot straight, you bastards – don’t make a mess of it!”). ‘Breaker Morant’ cleansweeped the 1980 AFI awards, claiming a phenomenal ten wins from thirteen nominations. It was also nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay at the 1981 Academy Awards. Certainly one of the most rousing motion pictures that the Australian film industry has ever produced, ‘Breaker Morant’ is also one of the finest war films you’re likely to see anywhere.

Other Information:

Original Language en
Runtime 1 hr 47 min (107 min)
Budget 107
Revenue 0
Status Released
Rated PG
Genre Drama, History, War
Director Bruce Beresford
Writer Jonathan Hardy, David Stevens, Bruce Beresford
Actors Edward Woodward, Jack Thompson, John Waters
Country Australia
Awards Nominated for 1 Oscar. 13 wins & 8 nominations total
Production Company N/A
Website N/A

Technical Information:

Sound Mix Mono
Aspect Ratio 1.85 : 1
Camera Panaflex Camera and Lenses by Panavision
Laboratory Atlab Film Laboratory Service, Sydney, Australia
Film Length 2,950 m (Sweden)
Negative Format 35 mm (Eastman)
Cinematographic Process Spherical
Printed Film Format 35 mm