THE BOYS FROM BRAZIL

US, 1978, 125 minutes, Colour.
Gregory Peck, Laurence Olivier, James Mason, Lilli Palmer, Uta Hagen, Steve Guttenberg.
Directed by Franklin J. Schaffner.

If The Stepford Wives were robots and Rosemary's Baby the devil incarnate, who are The Boys From Brazil? This thumping thriller raises the spectre of the Nazi hideaways in South America gathering force and telling us the '80s are ripe for such fascism; it is also a murder mystery with a one man crusade to collect facts and evidence to prevent murders. Gregory Peck, ex-Auschwitz geneticist of single-minded efficiency and arrogance, zestfully takes the ample opportunity for heavy villainy and to rant neo-Nazi propaganda. Laurence Olivier has a solid role as the elderly Austrian Jewish Nazi hunter (full of Olivier's skill as well as his mannerisms). Booming, unsubtle and quite engrossing.

1. Entertaining, as fiction, as science fact? How plausible? Frightening?

2. The significance of the title and its tone, the initial jauntiness, the realisation of the reference and its ironies?

3. A chill tone to the film? The technical aspects: Portugal and its atmosphere of Latin America, the Austrian locations, the contrast with England, Germany, America? The Swedish dam sequence? An international background of the contemporary world? The changing atmosphere of the score?

4. How well was the screenplay involving its audience: prying with Barry, the build up to the revelation of Mengele and his mystery, and the telephone link and involvement with Liebermann?

5. The audience having a lot of facts and clues yet working with Liebermann to discover the truth? The editing of the contrasting ideologies of Nazi and Jew? The build-up to zeroing in to a confrontation of both men? The response to the melodramatics? The film lacked much subtlety, had the big box office treatment. Audience response to these characteristics?

6. How possible is cloning? The importance of the scientific explanation in the film, the showing of the film about the rabbits? Liebermann’s response, the scientist's attitude? The scientist playing God, a variation on the Frankenstein theme? The production of many Mozarts or many Hitlers? The cloning being associated with Mengele's experiments and making of mutants at Auschwitz? The importance of the conditions for success, the reproduction of similar social situations? The idea of cloning, the morality of cloning, the repercussions?

7. The impact of Nazism and World War Two on the memory of the world? Thirty years later and the comments about keeping Nazi hunting alive? The old Nazis in South America, their hopes, organisations? The principles of racism, superiority? Mengele's comment that the times were ready to Nazism? The film as a melodramatic warning against fascism and creating a loathing in its audience for fascism?

8. The portrayal of war criminals and the history of the hunting of the criminals? The question about who cares about them in the '70s ? and the people who ask this, e.g. Freda Moloney? And yet Mengele still organising military men for diabolical schemes? The picturing of the new generation of neo-Nazis? The importance of not losing the memory e.g. Liebermann's speech about Mengele's experiments in Auschwitz and the reaction of Beynon? The film's comment on the Jewish hunt of Nazis, the danger of its being as relentless as the Nazis? Liebermann and his preference for law and order and judicial processes. his going to the police? Barry and his working alone, David and his organisation? Dacid's final confrontation with Liebermann and the irony of Liebermann's burning Mengele's list ? and the subtle and humane way that he did this? And the audience being left with this question?

10. The pacing of Barry's spying on the neo-Nazis in Paraguay? The device of revealing the whole set-up? His freelance work and its dangers, Liebermann's warnings? His skill, the photos, the set up of the tape recorder and taping the discussion? Using the little boy as contact? The inevitability of the discovery and death, melodramatically but effectively as he was on the phone? David and his follow up?

11. Barry's investigation as a cinematic means of introducing the Nazi personnel, their way of life in Paraguay, the fascist soldier march, cars, escorts, special planes, villas? The dramatics of the night arrival of Mengele? The introductions to the people in the plan. his outlining the details of the plans without reasons? His swiftness in detecting the speaker. the guilt of the little boy, the death of Barry and the cover up? His using the little boy for similar experiments?

12. The background of Liebermann as the hero of the film? His career in Nazi hunting and people then getting tired of it? His books and their influence on people like Barry? His relationship with Beynon and giving him headlines in the past? Poverty. the complaining landlord, the rain, his files? The devotion of his sister and her help, her research, meeting him at the station etc? His lecture tours? His asking Beynon for help and getting the death reports? His skill at following leads and visiting and interrogating?

13. Liebermann as a character? Laurence Olivier's manner and mannerisms in playing him as a Central European Jew? Accent, age, style, voice range etc.? His skill in detecting? The importance of his visit to Germany, the discussion with the flirting housewife, the encounter with the boy? The impressions in America and the doting mother and the sudden seeing of the saw boy? The discovery of the adoption theme, getting information from Freda Moloney and his wily methods with her lawyer and with her?

14. His investigating the nature of cloning and his visit to the doctor, the repercussions of this information on him and the realisation that the clones were Hitler himself?

15. The contrast with Mengele and Gregory Peck's presence, style in portraying him? His self assuredness, ruthlessness, picturing him in the jungles of South America? The people around obviously the result of his experiments and changed into mutants? His speeches to his group? His ranting and raving with Nazi propaganda? His emotions especially with Siebert and his visits, the possibility of his plan not going ahead. the resentment towards Siebert? The attacking of the man at the party and abusing his old wife? And yet his listening to Wagner, his seeming gentlemanliness? The order to stop and his going alone and Siebert's burning of his whole system especially the chart with Liebermann's name on it? A convincing doctor, Nazi, the background of Auschwitz, the flight to South America, decades of experimentation, the plan to clone Hitler?

16. Mengele and his arrogance especially in not allowing for Liebermann's discoveries, the meticulous detail of his plan and his singlemindedness in not allowing for Jews and small mistakes, his going alone?

17. The gallery of the murders young and old and their S.S. past, their decision to obey orders? The brutality of the murder of the postman.. crushing him in Germany, the background of the young man in bed with the girl, the angry landlord and his wife discovering his body? The irony of the discussion in Sweden (amidst such grandeur and beauty) and the victim persuading his murderer that he ought to kill, and then being killed himself and the spectacular fall? The lurid detail of such murders ? and the same for Liebermann and Mengele's death?

18. The dramatic build up to the American situation, the date. the place. the information given by Freda Moloney? How well were the arrogant attitudes illustrated by her responses? The discussion about the dogs? The irony of the dogs in America? Mengele's visit, the discussion, the father's arrogance and then his being killed? The irony of Liebermann’s arrival, the fight, the shooting? Bobby's arrival and rescuing Mengele from the dogs? His taking photos. his discovery of the truth and his Hitlerian ruthlessness in letting the dogs kill Mengele? The irony of Liebermann doing a deal with the young Hitler and staying alive?

19. How credible was the cloning of the boy ? and the boy in his German garb, English, American? The attitudes of a young Hitler?

20. Liebermann’s compromise in doing a deal with Bobby for the ambulance, his not killing Bobby, would Bobby be Hitler? The others?

21. The effect of stories like this for the popular audience, melodramatics? Science and the Auschwitz link? Fascism, power, madness, human nature and integrity?