THE BOYS FROM BRAZIL (1978, UK/USA, 125m, 18) ***
Drama, Thriller
dist. ITC Film Distributors (UK), Twentieth Century Fox (USA); pr co. Sir Lew Grade / Producers Circle / ITC Films; d. Franklin J. Schaffner; w. Heywood Gould (based on the novel by Ira Levin); pr. Stanley O’Toole, Martin Richards; ph. Henri Decaë (Colour | 1.85:1); m. Jerry Goldsmith; ed. Robert Swink; pd. Gil Parrondo; ad. Peter Lamont.
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), 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), Wolfgang Preiss (Lofquist), Michael Gough (Mr. Harrington), Joachim Hansen (Fassler), Linda Hayden (Nancy), Prunella Scales (Mrs. Harrington).
An uneven, but engaging thriller in which Dr. Josef Mengele (Peck) clones Hitler 95 times, and hopes to raise the resulting boys in Brazil, giving them childhoods identical to Hitler’s. His ultimate plan is to create a band of Nazi leaders that can continue where Hitler left off, forming the Fourth Reich. Ezra Lieberman (Olivier), a Nazi hunter, learns of the plan and is determined to thwart it. When the two meet face-to-face in the home of one of the Hitler clones, it is up to the boy to choose who he will assist. Despite the intriguing premise, Schaffner takes his time with the material, and the tension does not really build until the showdown finale. Peck, however, is excellent as the driven and sadistic Mengele, whilst Olivier gives a mannered performance as the Nazi Hunter who hunts him down. Goldsmith’s score seems at odds with the material and is often intrusive, but still managed to garner an Oscar nomination.
AAN: Best Actor in a Leading Role (Laurence Olivier); Best Film Editing (Robert Swink); Best Music, Original Score (Jerry Goldsmith)
