MovieChat Forums > 'Breaker' Morant (1980) Discussion > Excellent film but the truth of the inci...

Excellent film but the truth of the incidents is deeper than depicted

posted 13 years ago by ccorraliza
6 replies | jump to latest

An omission from the film is that one of their own troopers was shot by Morant and others under suspicion of spying for the Boers. Said soldier was an ex-Boer guerilla who has signed onto the BVC.

There also were some turf wars regarding the different intelligence depts. who had personnel in the area.

Another officer, Picton, was charged as well.

Much murkier and more controversial than shown in the film.

[–] deadzombie 13 years ago

Excellent film. I saw this years ago. thought it was terrific war movie. Not many people ever discuss the Boar War, I really had no idea what the hell was going on. until I read up on this. These were bad people. If these boars caught you they not only killed you but they mutilated you. You don;t hear anything about the politics going on between the British and Austrialians. who or what were the Boars and where did they come from. They are portrayed as a rag tag bunch of farmers, fighting like a guerrila war with the British Army,I assume Austrailia was a colony of Britian in those days. Very interesting film. great acting, great Directing,screenwriting,cinermatography. I would give this fim 8.5 stars any day.Its one of top 100 best fims from Austrialia.

[–] deadzombie 13 years ago

These facts I did not know. The British used concentration camps to hold women and children of Boars.This was written by A British journalist, WT Stead, wrote: "Every one of these children who died as a result of the halving of their rations, thereby exerting pressure onto their family still on the battle-field, was purposefully murdered. The system of half rations stands exposed and stark and unshamefully as a cold-blooded deed of state policy employed with the purpose of ensuring the surrender of people whom we were not able to defeat on the battlefield."[citation needed] Ironiclly,WT Stead died on the Titanic last voyage.

[–] jastanga 11 years ago

There are quite a few issues that were brought up in the film, but not clarified.

You're right about the 'refugee camps'. The Germans get a bad rap about 'concentration camps', but the British May vey well have invented them.

During the film, the President of the court asked, somewhat unabashed, whether Major Thomas thought someone as illustrious as Lord Kitchener could order something so 'barbarous' as summarily shooting Boer prisoners.

Major Thomas, barely concealing his rage, stared stonily back at the court, and replied,

"I don't know, sir. But I DO know, that other orders, equally barbarous, we're given, sir! For some months prior to being ordered to handle this case, I was engaged in the duties of burning Boer farmhouses, destroying their crops, and herding their women and children into stinking refugee camps...where thousands of them have died as a result of disease and malnutrition. Now THESE orders WERE GIVEN, sir. And men, like myself and the accused right here, had to carry them out, HOWEVER DAMNED RELUCTANTLY!"

Ironically, Kitchener died in WWI, when his ship got torpedoed, so he also met a watery grave.

[–] lexyladyjax 8 years ago

Rarely does one quibble over nomenclature, DeadZombie. However one must point out that the Titanic did not have a 'last voyage.' As a ship the Titanic failed to complete her maiden voyage successfully. She did not arrive in New York, thus she had a no last voyage. It's correct to refer to Titanic's incomplete maiden voyage or to her sinking.

Bored now.

[–] snepts (11123) 6 years ago

I agree this is an excellent film and am only typing this to get it to pop up on Movie Chat.

[–] Thadd (339) 2 years ago

A great film. There are four volumes never released as to the court martial.