History Film / BreakerMorant

* [[spoiler: ShotAtDawn]]

* AussiesWithArtillery: It does take place during a war.

* UsefulNotes/TheSecondBoerWar

A 1980 Australian film directed by Bruce Beresford, based on true events from the second Ango-Boer War in South Africa.

* SecondBoerWar

* WarriorPoet: Morant

The late Edward Woodward plays the title character, an English officer serving with the Bushveldt Carbineers, an Australian cavalry unit. The film depicts the military trial as Morant and two of his fellow officers - Peter Handcock and George Witton - are charged with war crimes for executing surrendering prisoners, though they maintain that they were acting under orders. A murkier issue involves the death of a German missionary, which causes diplomatic tensions with ImperialGermany. As the trial progresses, it becomes clear that the military intends to convict the officers to cover up the complicity of the military leadership in the executions. The film is based on "Scapegoats of the Empire", an account written by Witton, whom, like Morant and Handcock, had been sentenced to death, but had his sentence quickly commuted to life in prison. Many protests by Witton led to his release just over two years later, though, he was never pardoned.

** Kenneth Ross, author of the original play, once [[http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/02/25/1014471630364.html wrote an essay making this very point]]. His goal was to attack British military hypocrisy rather than to exonerate Morant and his men. He seemed disgusted with Australians lobbying for Morant and Handcock to be pardoned, feeling they completely missed the point.

Australian film based on true events from the second Ango-Boer War in South Africa. The late Edward Woodward plays the title character, an English officer serving with the Bushveldt Carbineers, an Australian cavalry unit. The film depicts the military trial as Morant and two of his fellow officers - Peter Handcock and George Witton - are charged with war crimes for executing surrendering prisoners, though they maintain that they were acting under orders. A murkier issue involves the death of a German missionary, which causes diplomatic tensions with ImperialGermany. As the trial progresses, it becomes clear that the military intends to convict the officers to cover up the complicity of the military leadership in the executions. The film is based on "Scapegoats of the Empire", an account written by Witton, whom, like Morant and Handcock, had been sentenced to death, but had his sentence quickly commuted to life in prison. Many protests by Witton led to his release just over two years later, though, he was never pardoned.

* GreyAndGrayMorality: While the British command staff was obviously corrupted and knowingly didn't grant the defendants a fair trial for following a set of criminal orders they had most probably issued themselves (though with the [[TheEndJustifiesTheMeans somewhat nobler intention of bringing about the end of a brutal, unwinnable war by appealing to the Boers]]), Morant himself seemed ''way'' [[KnightTemplar too eager (or at the very least, callous) to order the deaths of surrendered, unarmed POWs and a German missionary he merely suspected of spying for the Boers]], making his ultimate fate [[LaserGuidedKarma rather ironic in its own right]]. In fact, most of the characters involved in the story could be considered remorseless war criminals [[SocietyMarchesOn by modern standards]].

* GreyAndGrayMorality: While the British command staff was obviously corrupted and knowingly don't grant the defendants a fair trial for following a set of criminal orders they most probably had issued themselves (though with the [[TheEndJustifiesTheMeans somewhat nobler intention of bringing about the end of a brutal, unwinnable war by appealing to the Boers]]), Morant himself seemed ''way'' [[KnightTemplar too eager (or at the very least, callous) to order the deaths of surrendered, unarmed POWs and a German missionary he merely suspected of spying for the Boers, all under the flimsy pretense of retribution]]. In fact, most of the characters involved in the story could be considered remorseless war criminals [[SocietyMarchesOn by modern standards]].

* GreyAndGrayMorality: While the British command staff was obviously corrupted and knowingly don't grant the defendants a fair trial for following a set of criminal orders they most probably had issued themselves (though with the somewhat nobler intention of bringing about the end of a brutal, unwinnable war by appealing to the Boers), Morant himself seemed ''way'' to eager (or at the very least, callous) to order the deaths of surrendered, unarmed POWs and a German missionary he merely suspected of spying for the Boers, all under the flimsy pretense of retribution. In fact, most of the characters involved in the story could be considered remorseless war criminals by modern standards.

** [[spoiler: "We didn't carry military manuals around with us; we were out on the veldt, fighting the Boer, the way he fought ''us''! I'll tell you what rule we applied, sir: we applied 'Rule 303'. We caught them, and we shot them under Rule [[PunctuatedforEmphasis Three! Oh! Three!"]]]]

* Improv: [[spoiler: As Morant and Handcock walk to the chairs to be executed, they hold hands in a show of solidarity. This was improvised by Woodward and Bryan Brown, the actor who played Handcock. Years later, Woodward learned that this ''actually happened''.]]

* GoodbyeCruelWorld: On the morning of their executions, Morant and Handcock write letters to home. Morant, a poet, also asks Major Thomas, to make sure his final poem, also written that morning, is published.

** The title of Witton's book, "Scapegoats of the Empire", come from the last words Morant ever said to Witton, as Witton was being led away from the prison they'd been held in, for the purposes of transferring him to England to serve his sentence.

** "Before I was asked to defend these men, I spent some months burning Boer farmhouses; destroying their crops; herding their women and children into ''stinking'' refugee camps. Now, these orders ''were'' issued, sir; and soldiers, like myself, and these men here, have had to carry them out however '''''damned reluctantly!'''''"

Australian film based on true events from the second Ango-Boer War in South Africa. The late Edward Woodward plays the title character, an English officer serving with the Bushveldt Carbineers, an Australian cavalry unit. The film depicts the military trial as Morant and two of his fellow officers are charged with war crimes for executing surrendering prisoners, though they maintain that they were acting under orders. A murkier issue involves the death of a German missionary, which causes diplomatic tensions with ImperialGermany. As the trial progresses, it becomes clear that the military intends to convict the officers to cover up the complicity of the military leadership in the executions. The film is based on "Scapegoats of the Empire", an account written by one of the accused officers.

Australian film based on true events from the second Ango-Boer War in South Africa. The late Edward Woodward plays the title character, an Australian officer in the British army. The film depicts the military trial as Morant and two of his fellow officers are charged with war crimes for executing surrendering prisoners, though they maintain that they were acting under orders. As the trial progresses, it becomes clear that the military intends to convict the officers to cover up the complicity of the military leadership in the executions. The film is based on "Scapegoats of the Empire", an account written by one of the accused officers.

* LandDownUnder: While the film takes place in South Africa, Morant and his contingent are Australian.

* TheSecondBoerWar