Breaker Morant

UPC: 014381473650

Studio: Image

MPAA Rating: PG   Contains:[Violence, Adult Situations]

Summary: Breaker Morant is one of the most acclaimed Australian films, telling a powerful tale of wartime betrayal and injustice. Henry "Breaker" Morant (Edward Woodward) is an Englishman living in Australia at the end of the 19th century. When war breaks out in 1899 between Britain and the Boers (descendants of Dutch colonists), Morant and a number of Australians volunteer for duty and are absorbed into the non-regular units of the British army. Acting under orders from his commanders, Morant oversees the execution of several Boer prisoners; it turns out that one of them was German, and in order to keep the peace with Germany, Britain agrees to courtmartial Morant and two other soldiers, sentencing two to death and one to life imprisonment. Based on a play by Kenneth Ross, Bruce Beresford's film is powerfully filmed and acted and has become a classic anti-war movie since its 1980 release; the script (co-written by Beresford) was nominated for an Academy Award. The final execution scene is nearly overpowering in its sense of tragedy and futility. ~ Don Kaye, Rovi

Category: Drama

Awards: Best Picture – Australian Film Institute Awards Best Foreign Film – null Best Adapted Screenplay – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Adapted Screenplay – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Adapted Screenplay – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion – Cannes Film Festival Best Picture – National Board of Review Best Supporting Actor – Cannes Film Festival Best Foreign Film – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Actor – Australian Film Institute Awards

Features: New high definition transfer
Documentary: The Boer War
Original 30-second radio spot

Breaker Morant

Format: Blu-ray

Release Date: 01/15/2008

Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Alternate Wide Screen

Audio: DDM2.0 Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono

Runtime: 107 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English

Subtitles: Spanish

Rebecca Flint Marx

The film that gave director Bruce Beresford international recognition, Breaker Morant is one of the most acclaimed films ever to come out of Australia. A blunt, unsentimental account of one of the occasions on which Britain used and abused its Australian soldiers, it brilliantly depicts the betrayal, rage, and hypocrisy that characterized both the soldiers' trial and the nature of Australian-British military relations. To that end, Breaker works as a kind of belated expose; like Gallipoli a year later, it brought decades-old wrongdoings to light for the benefit of a modern audience. Thanks to Beresford's excellent direction, however, the film avoids the trap of self-righteous moralizing that often accompanies such biased storytelling. In fact, as rooted as it is in the tradition of military drama, Breaker Morant is as much a compelling character study. What really grabs the viewer is not so much the injustice at hand -- that's a given -- as the ways it is dealt with by the men upon whom it is inflicted. As the titular Morant, Edward Woodward displays both dignity and soft-spoken rage, while Bryan Brown communicates hot-tempered defiance as Handcock and Lewis Fitz-Gerald is terrifically naive as Witten, the youngest of the three court-martialed men. Jack Thompson is also memorable as the country lawyer who defends the men. These actors' performances are what make the film so affecting, giving the story both humanity and terrible sadness. Unlike the injustice portrayed in Breaker Morant, the sympathy we feel for its victims is not a given; instead, it is earned. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Ray Meagher  Actor 
Rob Steele  Actor 
Dick Henderson  Actor 
Alan Lovett  Actor 
Wayne Bell  Actor 
Ian Gray  Actor 
Chris Haywood  Actor 
Barbara West  Actor 
Jonathan Hardy  Screenwriter 
Bruce Beresford  Director 
Bruce Beresford  Screenwriter 
Matt Carroll  Producer 
Phil Cunneen  Composer (Music Score) 
John Hardy  Screenwriter 
David Stevens  Screenwriter 
Edward Woodward  Actor 
Bryan Brown  Actor 
Lewis Fitz-Gerald  Actor 
Jack Thompson  Actor 
John Waters  Actor 
Rod Mullinar  Actor 
Charles "Bud" Tingwell  Actor 
Terence Donovan  Actor 
Vincent Ball  Actor 
Frank Wilson  Actor 
Alan Cassell  Actor 
Russell Kiefel  Actor 
Judy Dick  Actor 

Country: Australia