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The Boys from Brazil

The Boys from Brazil

List Price: $9.98
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Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Is this someone's idea for a joke?
Review: I am a big fan of Peck and Olivier, and I was eager to see this movie so I ordered it as soon as it came out on DVD. What a disappointment. The plot is so ridiculous and the screenplay is terrible. Maybe the book was better but I don't feel like reading it anymore. What a waste of a great cast. Olivier's performance is believable but that's it. And I mean IT. Nothing else is enjoyable in this waste of time and space on my shelf. Poor Peck tries but sometimes I laugh when he recites some of his lines "kill za boy" and he is such a cliché taken out of a comic book. Avoid at any cost. Bad bad bad.
One Good thing though. Steve Guttenberg gets killed early in the movie. The pain was reduced.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Chilling and Thrilling
Review: I first saw this movie in the theatre when it was released. Back then, as stated by another reviewer, the concept of human cloning was way out there. Seen today it certainly doesn't seem so outrageous.

Peck lives up to his reputation with this white-faced, black-haired, insane profile of Dr. Mengele. Mengele in person wasn't nearly as impressive! It is a refreshing change from Peck's usual roles, about as far from Atticus in "Mockingbird" as you can get! His cold and calculating confidence in himself and his work is still a standout among movie thrillers. Back when this film was made, the rumors of an international Nazi cabal operating out of S. America would still made the papers. Now, more than 50 years since V-E Day, it's a little less credible.

Olivier is great, as always. He plays to character, at least for an American stereotypical Jew, though possibly not for a European. Lilli Palmer is beautiful; no amount of effort to make her look shabby would succeed. I particularly enjoyed Uta Hagen as the imprisoned Nazi operative; I wished there was more exposure for her.

There wasn't a weak part in the cast of the film; everyone plays to a high standard. It was a pleasure to watch when it first came out, and doesn't appear too dated now. And, in some ways, it is even more believable now, particularly re cloning!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Shockingly Entertaining
Review: I found this film right around the time of the Dolly news running rampant through the papers and news. I suppose that in this day and age, more credibility is given to the fact that cloning of humans is most certainly a posibility, and no longer science fiction.

This film raised questions of morality, obligation to society and sheer drama meets science like none other I have seen before. I highly recommend anyone slightly interested in the hype and hoopla of cloning and the catastrophe of the rein of Hitler to check this one out!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: To Kill an Albatross
Review: I know that most people regard "The Boys From Brazil" as "over the top." So what! This movie is based on an Ira Levin novel, and part of the fun is that it is "over the top," just like "The Stepford Wives" and "Rosemary's Baby" (also by Levin). However, Franklin J. Schaffner's direction brings together a technical crew led by Director of Photography Henri Decae ("Purple Noon")and composer Jerry Goldsmith (who collaborated with Schaffner on "Patton" and "Papillon" among others) to deliver definite "A-movie" credentials to what would otherwise be a movie with a great cast, but cheesy sets and production values, like "Soylent Green."

Gregory Peck gives the performance of his career as evil Nazi doctor Josef Mengele. People are so used to seeing him play all-American upstanding hero types in movies like "To Kill a Mockingbird" and "Gentleman's Agreement" (coincidentally, in which Peck plays a newspaperman trying to expose anti-Semitism), that the viewer can see the glee he feels when playing the demented genetecist. Sure, it's a hammy performance, but that doesn't mean it's poorly acted; Peck's Mengele ranks with other great hammy performances, such as Burt Lancaster as Elmer Gantry and Orson Welles as......every role he's ever played.

Laurence Olivier plays the Jewish Nazi-hunter Ezra Liebermann a bit over the top as well, but quite convincingly, particularly when he drags on a cigarette for his nicotine fix; by the expression on his face, you can see it's simultaneously boosting him while killing him slowly. Liebermann is based on real-life figures Serge Klarsfeld and Simon Wiesenthal. For a Brit, Olivier delivers his lines with a more than passable Yiddisha accent that sounds like a cross between Billy Crystal and Mel Brooks' 2000 year old man.

I'm not going to give away the surprise in this movie, but the movie lets you follow Liebermann's detective work, aided by his sister Esther, played by the always beautiful Lilli Palmer. When he finds out Mengele's evil scheme, it's quite an understated, chilling, moment (actually, the only thing in the movie that's understated at all).

Jeremy Black plays a stock charcter in Ira Levin fare, the evil child. But, this one's a spoiled brat; it reminds me of Billy Mumy's evil brat on "Twilight Zone" that kept wishing people into the cornfield.

"The Boys From Brazil" is a film that hearkens back to when "over-the-top" was called "larger than life," and when people went to the movies not to see a "slice of life," but -- as Hitchcock once quipped -- "a slice of cake."

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great
Review: I loved the Ira Levin novel on which this film was based, and I loved the film itself. Good international intrigue.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: More Believable Since Cloning But...
Review: 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.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A nice rainy evening movie : )
Review: I thought this movie was a little boring in the beginning but when the clones come out, it gets better. Thought the ending part was ironic. This is a good movie though, it's fun to my opinion but kinda funny watching 2 old men duke it out.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: very disappointing
Review: I was terribly disappointed by this movie. I mean: Laurence Olivier! Gregory Peck! Nazis! Hitler clones! This should be great!

Oh well. The script is a predictable stinker. Peck and Olivier seem slightly embarrassed. And Boy Hitler, sheesh. Evil Movie Children should be quietly ominous. This one is just a vulgar, annoying brat.

If you're still thinking about seeing this movie, I have two words for you: Steve Guttenberg. He's in it. Excruciating.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: This is the worst movie ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: I watched this movie in school, and I hated it!!! First of all, there's so many disgusting pictures, like naked people! (ewwww...) Towards the end of the movie, there's a part where two men fights against each other. One of them bit the other one's ear! Then there's three dogs biting a person until the person is died... I am totally grossed out!!!!!!!!!! I've watched another movie called Charlie. While I was watching it, I fell asleep. It was bored to death. I've never fell asleep while watching a movie before, so I thought this will be the worst movie. But not anymore! The Boy From Brazil is the worst movie now! It sucked! I don't ever want to watch it ever AGAIN!!!!!!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: unforgettable, unimaginablly horrific
Review: if you want a good movie that will have you thinking about it months after you've watched it, years, and want to be haunted by the what if aspect, get this movie. this movie is a great movie that you will never forget. you will never forget it.


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