Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Thriller with a First-Rate Cast, June 7, 2000
When the film was made almost a quarter century ago, the concept of "cloning" was the stuff of science fiction, as far as the general public was concerned. However, with the recent developments in the area making headlines worldwide, the idea is not reserved to the imagination. Therefore, the basic premise of Hitler authorizing his own cloning doesn't seem as farfetched as it may have been. Hey, the Germans have given the world the Volkswagen; thus, their scientists could have possibly been working on the cloning process prior and during World War II.Regardless, the film features excellent work from stars Peck, Olivier, and Mason. Peck went against type by portraying Josef Mengele as a crafty, calculating, and ultimately evil scientist who would go to any length to preserve the Third Reich. Olivier, as the Nazi hunter Lieberman, displays his versatility with accents by doning a very believable Jewish brogue. Mason shows his usual cool as a Nazi hesitant but forced to support the machinations of Mengele. But, the film has an outstanding group of supporting players whose on-screen time may be brief but is memorable. Uta Hagen as an imprisoned Nazi nurse is captivating; stage veteran Rosemary Harris stands out as the widow of one of Mengele's victims; A young Steve Guttenburg shines as a Nazi hunter; and comedy team member Anne Meara (sans her husband) is great as another "mother" of a Hitler clone. But, it is Jeremy Black, a young actor who seems to have drifted into obscurity since the release of this motion picture, who is impressive as four of the "boys." Oh, yeah, the great Michael Gough is "hanging around" in this one, too! Look fast and you will see Prunella Scales from "Fawlty Towers" as Gough's wife.
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19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
chilling prospect in light of recent cloning advances, July 17, 2000
When this film was released, science could at best clone a frog's egg, and that was about it... but now that cloning mammals seems to be a piece of cake, it can make you queasy when you see this film. The premise is that surviving Nazi's save some of Hitler's DNA for cloning. Knowing that it's a mixture of nature and nurture that makes a person who he his, they make several copies and distribute them around the world, putting them in family situations that best mimic the childhood that Hitler had as a child.As the aging Jewish Nazi hunter, Sir Lawrence Olivier travels the world and is stunned to see what on the surface seems to be the same identical young boy in different countries, speaking different languages. Jet black, straight hair, blue eye, smart mouth. The child they got to play this part is nothing short of remarkable. I'm sad to hear that the DVD version of this film was such a disaster. I was hoping to pick up a copy, but I'll hold out for a collector's edition if they ever come out with one. Gregory Peck is flawless in his performance of the evil Dr. Mengele bent on raising a race of little Hitlers. An interesting concept that is even more realistic in light of today's scientific advances in cloning. Definitely worth watching.
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Just Cloning Around, November 17, 2003
Based on the 1976 bestseller by Ira Levin, THE BOYS FROM BRAZIL is an entertaining sci-fi/horror flick concerning a plot to establish a new German Reich, one headed by none other than Adolf Hitler himself. After Nazi hunters discover the whereabouts of Dr. Josef Mengele, the infamous Auschwitz doctor--often referred to as the "Angel of Death"--who performed atrocious medical experiments on Jewish prisoners, they eventually uncover his most heinous experiment of all: Mengele has created multiple clones of the evil Fürer and has subsequently distributed the children around the world with hopes that one will grow up under the right circumstances and, with a little help from surviving Third-Reich Nazis, bring Germany back to its former "glory."When Ira Levin writes a novel, he has his tongue firmly planted in his cheek. Even though his stories are often categorized as horror or science fiction, most of his works are not meant to be interpreted as speculation about something that could actually happen; instead, they should be read as allegories, satires, or even as cautionary tales. And the same is true of the films that have been based on his novels. The real message of THE BOYS FROM BRAZIL is that scientific advancement is a two-edged sword--it can be used for great benefit and good, but it can be used with equally strong malice when in the hands of the wrong person. (The movie also takes satirical pokes and jabs at certain aspects of the scientific community. One of the most obvious targets is the ongoing nature-versus-nurture debate in Psychological circles.) Interestingly enough, however, the film has become even more chilling in recent years because some of the things depicted actually HAVE come about. Around 1985, it was learned that the remains of Joseph Mengele were in South America...and in the last country in which he'd taken refuge--Brazil! (It was determined that he'd died circa 1980). And, of course, the news today is replete with stories about cloning, the coverage dealing with the advancements in the laboratory as well as political and religious fervor over the ethicality of both the procedure and its potential results. So while THE BOYS FROM BRAZIL may be a satire or in some ways even a parody, the basic plot is more firmly rooted in reality than some critcs and moviegoers may have initially realized. As with most decent movies, part of the fun of watching this film is the acting. Several big names show up: James Mason, Lilli Palmer, Rosemary Harris, and Steve Guttenberg, to name just a few. But it is the over-the-top performances of Sir Laurence Olivier and Gregory Peck as the two principals--Nazi hunter Ezra Lieberman and the infamous Dr. Mengele, respectively--that really steal the show. Both actors ham it up and often fervently chew the scenery, yet their performances in no way seem disrespectful to the script or its source material. Both actors manage to bring Mengele and Liberman to life as intelligent, driven men who are extremely passionate about doing their part in the bizarre events in which they have become key players (Mengele by choice; Liberman by circumstance). Though the movie is not quite as strong or as cohesive as Levin's novel, it can still be quite intense at times and is engaging overall. Certainly worth a viewing or two. The DVD from Artisan Entertainment is short on extras, and though it does not offer the greatest digital transfer ever, it is still quite viewable. Considering the fairly reasonable price, it probably deserves a spot in the film library of an ardent movie buff.
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