image of person or book cover 4075063481019291938.jpg
This image has been sourced from online.
form y separately published work icon Breaker Morant single work   film/TV  
Adaptation of Breaker Morant : A Play in Two Acts Kenneth Ross , 1979 single work drama
Issue Details: First known date: 1980... 1980 Breaker Morant
The material on this page is available to AustLit subscribers. If you are a subscriber or are from a subscribing organisation, please log in to gain full access. To explore options for subscribing to this unique teaching, research, and publishing resource for Australian culture and storytelling, please contact us or find out more.

AbstractHistoryArchive Description

Adapted from the play of the same title by Kenneth Ross, Breaker Morant is based on the 1901 Boer War court martial of three colonial officers in the Bushveldt Carabineers, who are sacrificed to the dictates of imperial expediency. The interweaving of courtroom drama with the re-creation of the events leading to the court martial (the supposed murder of twelve prisoners and a German missionary) is given a degree of moral complexity, but the balance of sympathies is manipulated to favour the three Australian 'irregular' soldiers. The accused (Lieutenants Harry 'Breaker' Morant, Peter Handcock, and George Witton) are defended by Major Thomas, an inexperienced Australian lawyer who struggles to have his case heard.

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

First known date: 1980
Form: screenplay
      ca. 1980 .
      Extent: [137] leavesp.
      Description: Typescript (photocopy).
      (Manuscript) assertion
      Note/s:

      • Post production script.

      Holdings

      Held at: State Library of South Australia State Library of SA
      ca. 1980 .
      Extent: 117 leavesp.
      Description: Typescript (photocopy).
      (Manuscript) assertion
      Note/s:

      • Shooting script.

      Holdings

      Held at: Queensland University of Technology Gardens Point Campus Library
VIEW PUBLICATION DETAILS FOR ALL VERSIONS ()

Works about this Work

Rewind : The Making of Breaker Morant Geoff Stanton , 2016 single work column
— Appears in: FilmInk , 25 April 2016;
Feed Your Mind at One of the World's Great Festivals Amanda Blair , 2015 single work column
— Appears in: The Advertiser , 17 October 2015; (p. 13)
Australian Film in the Australian Literature Classroom Theodore F. Sheckels , 2015 single work criticism
— Appears in: Antipodes , June vol. 29 no. 1 2015; (p. 105-115) 'In the late 1970s and early 1980s, when the Australian government was striving to enhance its international standing in the arts, it chose to focus on film. Many films were produced to global acclaim. After watching Bruce Beresford's "Breaker" Morant (1980), Gillian Armstrong's My Brilliant Career (1979), or Peter Weir's Gallipoli (1981), many in academic contexts outside Australia were drawn to examine Australian writing. Since then, film has not lost its prominence among those who study Australian literature. Here, Sheckels discusses the use of Australian film in teaching Australian literature and the ways that enhance that undertaking. He explores three directions that teachers might pursue in integrating film into Australian literature courses.' (Publication abstract)
The Classic Movie Craig Mathieson , 2015 single work review
— Appears in: The Sunday Age , 12 July 2015; (p. 18)
— Review of Breaker Morant Jonathan Hardy , David Stevens , Kenneth Ross , 1980 single work film/TV 'Soon to be restored and reissued as part of the prestigious Criterion Collection, Bruce Beresford's 1980 military drama is one of the defining works from the end of the Australian cinema's resurgence during the 1970s.' (Source: Craig Mathieson, The Classic Movie, The Sunday Age, July 2015:18)
Burra Calls for Diviner Intervention Penelope Debelle , 2014 single work column
— Appears in: The Advertiser , 29 November 2014; (p. 23)
Morality Derailed Neil Jillett , 1980 single work review
— Appears in: The Age , 5 September 1980 1980; Creme de la Phlegm : Unforgettable Australian Reviews 2006; (p. 163-165)
— Review of Breaker Morant Jonathan Hardy , David Stevens , Kenneth Ross , 1980 single work film/TV
The Classic Movie Craig Mathieson , 2015 single work review
— Appears in: The Sunday Age , 12 July 2015; (p. 18)
— Review of Breaker Morant Jonathan Hardy , David Stevens , Kenneth Ross , 1980 single work film/TV 'Soon to be restored and reissued as part of the prestigious Criterion Collection, Bruce Beresford's 1980 military drama is one of the defining works from the end of the Australian cinema's resurgence during the 1970s.' (Source: Craig Mathieson, The Classic Movie, The Sunday Age, July 2015:18)
'Can You Imagine Anything More Australian?' : Bruce Beresford's 'Breaker Morant' Susan Gardner , 1981 single work criticism
— Appears in: Kunapipi , vol. 3 no. 1 1981; (p. 27-41)
Strange Affinities: Representation and Affect in Australian POW Drama Peter Williams , 2005 single work criticism
— Appears in: Southerly , vol. 65 no. 2 2005; (p. 71-85)
The Director on Some of His Films Bruce Beresford , 2008 single work column
— Appears in: The Courier-Mail , 27 - 28 September 2008; (p. 15)
y separately published work icon 'Breaker Morant' Samatha Bergersen , 2002 Perth : Centre for Research in Culture and Communication (Murdoch University) , 2002 Z1609664 2002 single work criticism Research undertaken by a student of the Centre for Culture and Communication (Murdoch University) into the 1980 feature film Breaker Morant. Includes aspects relating to the production phase, critical reception, principal performers and production crew, references and a synopsis.
Country Town Touched by 'the Breaker' Ian Cuthbertson , Gavin Lower , 2009 single work column
— Appears in: The Australian , 18 November 2009; (p. 8)
VIEW ALL WORKS ABOUT (29)

Awards

1981 nominated Academy Awards — Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium
1980 winner Australian Film Institute Awards — Best Original Screenplay
VIEW ALL AWARDS (2)
Last amended 30 Aug 2017 08:01:56
Bruce Beresford
Subjects:
Settings:
  • c
    South Africa,
    c
    Southern Africa, Africa,
Newspapers:
    Powered by Trove
    X