Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.5

Breaker Morant Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 27, 2015

Nominated for Oscar Award for Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium, Bruce Beresford's "Breaker Morant" (1980) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; new video interview with the Australian director; new video interviews with cinematographer Donald McAlpine; new video interviews with actor Bryan Brown; new video program featuring film historian Stephen Miller; Frank Shields' documentary film "The Breaker" (1973); and more. The release also arrives with an illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by film scholar Neil Sinyard. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The Australians

Bruce Beresford’s film chronicles true events that took place during the Boer War (1899-1902) in South Africa. During the war, the British and the Boers (mostly Dutch–Afrikaner settlers) repeatedly clashed while trying to gain control of various areas where gold and diamonds were discovered. (Before the war these areas were controlled by the Boers). The film is based on the popular play by Australian playwright Kenneth Graham Ross and a script by Beresford.

In 1901, Australian soldiers Harry 'Breaker' Morant (Edward Woodward, The Wicker Man), Peter Handcock (Bryan Brown, Cocktail, F/X), and George Witton (Lewis Fitz-Gerald, Warm Nights on a Slow Moving Train) are arrested after executing several Boer prisoners and a German missioner. The soldiers, who had voluntarily joined the British forces, are then ordered to appear before a British Field-General Court Martial. Despite the efforts of Major J.F. Thomas (Jack Thompson, Mad Dog Morgan) to prove that they were following the rules of war, all three are found guilty.

The events that lead to the arrest of the three soldiers are revealed as flashbacks. Because the Boers were primarily farmers, the soldiers are constantly seen guessing the identities of their enemies. However, when the mutilated body of their leader, Captain Hunt, is delivered, they quickly track down a group of Boers and then execute them.

During the trial the actions of the soldiers are seen from two different angles. However, it is immediately made clear that these actions are of little interest to the prosecution. So there are these fascinating observations about loyalty and morality that effectively expose the hypocrisy and arrogance of military leaders. (Very similar observations are also produced in Stanley Kubrick's excellent war drama Paths of Glory).

It should also be mentioned that the film makes it very clear that the three soldiers were in fact guilty. However, the nature of the war they were fighting had evolved -- they were essentially engaged in commando warfare in which traditional military tactics were no longer efficient. The British of course knew it, but there was an important political aspect behind the trial that they were far more interested in.

Despite the fact that the film was shot in thirty-five days, the acting and the cinematography are fantastic. The chemistry between the leads is excellent and their balanced energy certainly prevents the film from evolving into a soapy melodrama. Thompson is especially good as the fearless lawyer who sees that the British are applying double standards to excuse their flawed policies.

The locations that were chosen for the outdoor footage are also fantastic. They are in South Australia, but it looks like the entire film was shot on location in South Africa. The camera movement and the use of light -- especially during the finale where the two soldiers are executed -- are equally impressive.

The film does not have a prominent soundtrack. There are only a couple of sequences in which Beresford used an authentic brass band.

In 1980, Breaker Morant won Best Supporting Actor Award (Jack Thompson) at the Cannes Film Festival. It was the first major award won by an Australian film at the prestigious festival.

Breaker Morant Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Bruce Beresford's Breaker Morant arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the leaflet provided with this Blu-ray release:

"This new digital transfer was created in 4K resolution on a Northlight 2 film scanner from the original 35mm camera negative at Modern VideoFilm in Burbank, California. Because reel 8 of the film was badly scratched throughout, that of the 4K transfer was created on an ARRISCAN film scanner equipped with wet-gate processing at L'Immagine Ritrovata in Bologna. The color grading was supervised by director Bruce Beresfrod. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, and warps were manually removed using MTI's DRS, while Digital Vision's Phoenix was used for small dirt, grain, noise management, flicker, and jitter.

Transfer supervisor: Lee Kline.
Colorist: Gregg Garvin/Modern VideoFilm. Burbank, CA."

The release is sourced from a recent 4K restoration of the film, which was completed with Bruce Beresford's involvement, and the improvements in terms of depth and clarity are substantial. Indeed, close-ups and wider panoramic shots boast far better depth and in many cases there are actually textures that are missing on the old out-of-print release. Needless to say, fluidity is drastically better. Perhaps the most substantial improvements, however, are in the area of color reproduction. There is an entirely new range of healthy colors with better nuances that also contribute to the improved depth. This is especially easy to see during the darker footage where shadow definition is far better now. Grain is evenly distributed and wonderfully resolved. Also, there are no traces of compromising sharpening adjustments. Overall image stability is outstanding. Debris, damage marks, cuts, scratches, and stains have been removed as best as possible. To sum it all up, the new 4K restoration of Breaker Morant is excellent and I feel confident stating that what we have here is the definitive presentation of the film on the home video market. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Breaker Morant Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

It is immediately becomes clear that the audio has been fully remastered. The mass scenes and the shootouts sound quite incredible -- see the sequence with the machine gun -- and separation is as good as it can possibly be. Depth and dynamic balance are also very impressive. The dialog is clean, stable, and easy to follow. Finally, there are no audio dropouts, pops, or distortions to report in our review.

Breaker Morant Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original trailer for Breaker Morant. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

• Bruce Beresford - in this new video interview, director and co-screenwriter Bruce Beresford explains how Breaker Morant came to exist, and discusses the true story that inspired the film as well as some key events from the Boer War. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in 2015. In English, not subtitled. (13 min, 1080p).

• Donald McAlpine - in this new video interview, acclaimed cinematographer Donald McAlpine discusses his work with Bruce Beresford, his initial impressions of the script for Breaker Morant, and the shooting and visual style of the film. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in 2015. In English, not subtitled. (9 min, 1080p).

• Bryan Brown - in this new video interview, actor Bryan Brown talks about his contribution to Breaker Morant and discusses the powerful finale, the cinematography, the film's resonance in the United States, etc. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in 2015. In English, not subtitled. (11 min, 1080p).

• Edward Woodward - in this archival interview, actor Edward Woodward recalls his first impressions of the script for Breaker Morant, and discusses the shooting of specific sequences, the real events that are chronicled in the film, the tension between the Australians and the British after the execution of the two soldiers, the fact that the Australian government abandoned its soldiers in South Africa, etc. The interview was conducted in 2004. In English, not subtitled. (17 min, 1080i).

• The South African War - in this new video program, historian Stephen Miller, author of Volunteers of the Veld, discusses the Boer War and some of the events chronicled in Breaker Morant. The program was produced exclusively for Criterion in 2015. In English, not subtitled. (16 min, 1080p).

• The Breaker (1973) - this archival documentary takes a closer look at the events that led to the Boer War and the life and personality of Harry "Breaker" Morant. The documentary was produced by Frank Shields. In English, not subtitled. (55 min, 1080p).

• The Myth Exploded - in this video piece, director Frank Shields discusses Breaker Morant's iconic status and an important omission he made during the shooting of The Breaker. The piece was produced in 2011. In English, not subtitled. (6 min, 1080p).

• Commentary - in this audio commentary, director Bruce Beresford discusses in great detail the production history of Breaker Morant, the specific locations where the film was shot (which were in South Australia, not in South Africa), the Boer War and the nature of the conflicts that are depicted in the film, the critical response to the film, etc. The commentary was recorded in 2004.

• Leaflet - illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by film scholar Neil Sinyard.

Breaker Morant Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Bruce Beresford's Breaker Morant exposes the hypocrisy and arrogance of military leaders as effectively as Stanley Kubrick's Paths of Glory does. Beresford's film chronicles true events that took place during the Boer War in South Africa in which the British and the Boers repeatedly clashed while trying to gain control of various areas where gold and diamonds were discovered. The film has been recently restored in 4k with director Bruce Beresford's involvement and looks stunning on Blu-ray. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.