THE McKENZIE BREAK
US, 1970, 108 minutes, Colour.
Brian Keith, Helmut Griem, Ian Hendry, Jack Watson.
Directed by Lamont Johnson.
The McKenzie? Break is a very effective war film, some decades after the events. The setting is Scotland and a German prisoner-of-war camp at the end of World War Two. There is trouble with the Germans there and a rough Irishman is sent to deal with the situation. He is played very well by Brian Keith. The head of the German group is played by Helmut Griem (who after this was to appear in Cabaret).
The film is interesting in its presentation of prisoner-of-war camps, the contrast with the Germans in a British camp and the British in German camps. There is also a clash of wills between the two protagonists, neither being totally good or totally bad, which gives the film some complexity as the Germans plan to escape.
The film was written by William W. Norton, who had written for television but was quite prolific during the 1970s with action films like White Lightning, Big Bad Momma, A Small Town in Texas, with Burt Reynolds in ‘Gator and John Wayne in Brannigan. It was directed by Lamont Johnson, who made a number of very effective television films including My Sweet Charlie prior to this one and a number of good cinema films in the 1970s including A Gunfight, The Groundstar Conspiracy, The Last American Hero and Lipstick.
I. What impact did World War II films have in the seventies? Why? Do they seem like old history or are they still vivid? Why? Is there a value in keeping World War II alive in the seventies?
2. What presuppositions about escape films could the producers rely on? Do they know audiences are entertained by escape films? Why? What is the attraction about an escape film? The human endeavour and courage?
3. How well did this film reverse the usual roles as regards escaping and prison camps? The role of the Germans in prison? The role of the British as their guards? How did this affect your response to the film and your expectations of a war film?
4. What was your immediate response to seeing the prisoners suffering in the camp and discovering they were Germans? What reactions were the producers expecting? Where did your sympathies lie? In the Germans being persecuted? Or with the British?
5. What was your reaction to the British who seemed to be persecuting the Germans who were prone to brutality? Their being taunted by the German prisoners demonstrating? Your sympathy with the tactics of the Germans who provoked but yet did not commit violence? ( The parallel with British behaviour in German war camps?) Where was your admiration? Why?
6. The presentation of the camp commanders and their ability to deal with the situations? Keith as being called in to fix everything? How skilful was he? How humane for this position? Again the question of nationalities and sympathies?
7. How strong a man was Schuetter? Did you sympathise with him, his ability to lead the men in the camp? His stopping the violence? As a skilled leader of men? Strong enough for dramatic opposition to the new commander? Was the interplay between the two well done?
8. Did you admire the German plan? Their skill in code and preparation for the escape?
9. Did you have equal admiration for the commander and his tactics and success? His breaking the codes? His understanding the manoeuvres of the Germans?
10. What was your reaction when you found the Germans and Schuetter so ruthless? Their ridiculing of the homosexuals and their torturing and killing them? Were you glad when one of their victims gave a clue to the British? What were your sympathies by the middle of the film?
11. How well filmed was the escape? How did you sympathise with the escapees? How exciting was the chase?
12. How real was the pursuit? the easy access of the Germans to the truck and their escape, their use of the road, the changing of the style of the truck? The British and their skill and yet the possibility of losing the Germans?
13. The importance f the final confrontation? The escape of the ordinary Germans and their getting to the subway? The feet that Schuetter was left behind? How important was this for your sense of justice? What would happen to Schuetter?
14. The ending had the two heads superimposed. The significance and dramatic impact of this?
15. What human values were explored? The nature of imprisonment in war, enterprises, survival, and freedom, courage and endurance, the use of violence?
