Cheap The Boys from Brazil (DVD) (Gregory Peck, Laurence Olivier, James Mason) (Franklin J. Schaffner) Price

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Customer Reviews of The Boys from Brazil

Peck vs Olivier as the Nazis try to clone Adolf Hitler
Gregory Peck gets about as far away from his Oscar winning role as Atticus Finch as possible with his over-the-top performance as the infamous Nazi doctor, Josef Mengele. Once you learn about the plot of "The Boys from Brazil," based on Ira Levin's novel, Peck's hammy performance makes perfect sense. At a South American summit of Nazis, Mengele announces that over the next couple of years 94 adult males with much younger wives and adolescent sons are to be systematically murdered around their 65th birthdays. Mengele had cloned Hitler, implanted the eggs in all of these women, and now wants to recreate what he believes was the Fuhrer's formative experience as a child. Fortunately young Nazi-hunter Barry Kohler (Steve Guttenberg) overhears the plot and right before he is murdered manages enlists the aid of the legendary Ezra Lieberman (Laurence Olivier) to stop this horrific plot. Just think of this film as a cross between "Jurassic Park" and "Triumph of the Will." The scene where a scientist explains the cloning process in excruciating detail to Lieberman is a textbook lesson on how too much exposition can stop a movie in its tracks. But then there is the final living room standoff between Mengele, Lieberman and one of the Hitler clones with his pack of trained killer Dobermans.

Actually, the actor who impresses me in "The Boys from Brazil" is James Mason, who plays Nazi Eduard Seibert and somehow makes the whole thing seem reasonable. Lilli Palmer, Uta Hagen, Rosemary Harris and Denholm Elliott round out the stellar supporting cast caught up in this madness. Jeremy Black has the interesting role of playing all the young Hitler-Wannabees (Jack Curry, Simon Harrington, Erich Doring, Bobby Wheelock, etc.). Director Franklin J. Schaffner ("Planet of the Apes," "Patton," "Papillion") directs this straight up while Peck spews curses and Olivier trots out his wise old man routine. But to be fair, once we get past the exposition and Olivier tells the scientist that the person who has been cloned is neither Mozart nor Picasso, the story does get into gear. In what other over the top film can you see this much acting talent chewing up this much scenery? "The Boys From Brazil" is a first-class bad movie.

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More Believable Since Cloning But...
I though I would take a second look at this thriller since cloning is so much in the news. The premise is that the evil Dr. Mengele (Gregory Peck) has cloned Hitler in the form of several 14 year old boys. Laurence Olivier plays a Nazi hunter who must stop Mengele before he can put his plan into action.

The film is silly and unbelievable in many ways, but worthwhile for the outstanding performances by Olivier and Peck. The climatic scene involving the dogs is fascinating in a sick sort of way. The soundtrack by veteran Jerry Goldsmith is outstanding as is the cinematography, although you may want to stick to the VHS version as I hear the DVD transfer is poor. This movie is worth a look but be sure to remember the principle of "suspension of disbelief" going in.

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Overdone but chilling
Gregory Peck plays a Nazi doctor who escaped to Brazil as the Third Reich fell, while Laurence Olivier plays a Nazi hunter on Peck's trail. What is the evil doctor involved in? How about the creation of a Fourth Reich led by an Adolf Hitler clone? Will Olivier catch Pevck in time? Will that be enough?

Both of these great actors seem to have either tried too hard to make this movie work, or else treated it as somewhat of a farce. They overplay many of their scenes. Nevertheless, this is an intense, chilling, creepy movie with enough story to capture and maintain the viewer's attention. There is considerable gore at times; you might not want to pet a Doberman for a while after seeing "The Boys From Brazil". You might also find yourself wondering about the genetic background of eerily familiar-looking boys you might see, especially given recent advancements in cloning.