The Boys From Brazil [DVD]

Gregory Peck playes the evil doctor Josef Mengele who's hideous experiments sickened the world. In this movie, he's attempting to clone Adolf Hitler.

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The Boys From Brazil was a film I knew about but had never managed to catch on TV. Courtesy of ordering a DVD from here, at a knock-down price for an item in excellent condition, I now have been able to see what I'd been missing.And it wasn't quite what I'd been expecting. More taut drama than I'd anticipated, with two reputable actors in the lead roles giving fine performances, the film manages to sustain interest as it gradually reveals the plot (which I shan't spoil with details, though if you're reading these reviews you may already be familiar with it). However, it does look somewhat dated these days; very much a late 1970's period piece in look and feel and one which doesn't quite manage to rise above it in the way some other films of the time do. Minus one star for that to make this a four-star review.The plot itself was a little ahead of the curve, and much of what underlies it anticipated advances in science which came about after it was released. There is scope for a remake here I think, taking what we now know to be possible and either updating the script or projecting it into a more modern scenario. If Jurassic Park can base a blockbuster film on extracting DNA from insects preserved in amber, then there must be scope to remake this film on the premise that DNA can be extracted from much more recent specimens.So an enjoyable watch, but one that left me thinking about what this might become more that what I'd just seen. But something that makes you think a little is something worth the time spent watching, and I recommend it with that observation.

G Peck really shows his worth has a top actor in this film. and we see that so many baddies got away

Post WW2, Nazi hunters go after former Nazis who are trying to clone Hitler. Yes, it sounds far fetched but had you described the Holocaust before it happened, no one would have believed it. Millions of people gassed to death in the middle of Europe? Writing is great and acting superb...Gregory Peck, Laurence Olivier and James Mason.

The Boys from Brazil.This has to be an allegorical piece, albeit a chilling one and one nudging closer to a reality as the years progress.It is disconcerting, and a little disorienting, to have "good-guy" Gregory Peck in the role of the perverted Dr Josef Mengele. Mengele, seeking to continue his outlandish experiments on human cloning from Paraguay, finds it necessary to dispose of the fathers-in-law of a number of cloned boys sent out from his laboratory and now biding in various parts of the world. To accomplish this Mengele enlists a team of assassins. But his plans are detected by an eavesdropper using a sophisticated surveillance device that is detected rather too late to prevent the information being passed to a sceptical Nazi hunter, Ezra Lieberman (Olivier).Mengele does not have it all his own way, however. Although it may seem on the face of it a simple matter to silence the apparently benign Lieberman, others in the team do not share that view. Head of security for the Nazi organization (Mason) calls a halt before too many assignations have been carried out. Thenceforth Mengele takes matters into his own hands leading to a face to face confrontation with Lieberman at one of the victim's addresses in the USA. The shooting and dog mauling that takes place there is not for the squeamish. Lieberman mercifully survives and is able to inject a level of sanity into the proceedings at the very end.A rather far-fetched scenario? Maybe, maybe not. We are all capable of compassion; we are all capable of committing atrocities. The potential to be a danger to our fellows and to ourselves is always there lurking just below the surface in the subconscious. It all comes down to a question of control, how we discipline our behaviour through life. The make or break is a fine divide.

BRILLIANT IN ALL ASPECTS.

A very good transfer, bars top and bottom, good sound and optional English subtitles. I've had this DVD for years and surpringly not written a review. A bit late now! It is an excellent adaptation of I ra Levin's classic (he wrote 3 of my favourite novels - "A KISS BEFORE DYING/ROSEMAR'S BABY/STEPFORD WIVES" and this one.) It's great fun to see Olivier and Lilli Palmer overacting like crazy. Peck...Miscast? A brave bit of casting? You decide. I think he was great. Mason knows the competition he is is in and underplays wonderfully. Great locations, a superb support cast (have fun recognising some because they aren't all credited), some good action and a very violent end. One weak spot? The boy(s), but that's just me. Nearly a 5 star but an excellent 4 star job.