The Boys from Brazil

"If they survive… will we?"

1978 2h 5m EN

👍

6.7

SOLID

🍅

72%

FRESH

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

IMDB

★6.7TMDB · 470🍅72%Rotten Tomatoes●40Metacritic★7IMDB · 32,238

DramaMysteryScience Fiction

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Nazi hunter Ezra Lieberman discovers a sinister and bizarre plot, masterminded by Dr. Josef Mengele, to rekindle the Third Reich.

“If they survive… will we?”

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Cast

Gregory Peck
Dr. Josef Mengele
Laurence Olivier
Ezra Lieberman
James Mason
Eduard Seibert
Lilli Palmer
Esther Lieberman
Uta Hagen
Frieda Maloney
Steve Guttenberg
Barry Kohler
Denholm Elliott
Sidney Beynon
Rosemary Harris
Mrs. Doring

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Franklin J. Schaffner
Writers: Heywood Gould
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

48 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Franklin J. Schaffner, shot by Henri Decaë. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Original score by Jerry Goldsmith. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Robert Swink shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Gregory Peck and Laurence Olivier and James Mason carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "If they survive… will we?".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0077269 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Franklin J. Schaffner directs. Henri Decaë behind the camera. Jerry Goldsmith scores. Robert Swink cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United Kingdom, United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

148 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.
3Directed by Franklin J. Schaffner, shot by Henri Decaë. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Jerry Goldsmith. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Robert Swink shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Gregory Peck and Laurence Olivier and James Mason carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "If they survive… will we?".
8IMDB entry: tt0077269 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 9 themes, including "based on novel or book", "nazi", "paraguay", "mengele".

The technical file

Cinematography: Henri Decaë
Original score: Jerry Goldsmith
Editing: Robert Swink
Production design: Gil Parrondo
Costume design: Anthony Mendleson
Makeup / hair: Bill Lodge
Sound: Richard Overton
Runtime: 125 min · 2h 5m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $12,000,000
Box office: $19,000,000
Return: 158% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Boys from Brazil (1978)
Rotten Tomatoes: 72% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 40/100
IMDB rating: 7/10 · 32,238 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

Nominated for 3 Oscars. 2 wins & 13 nominations total

National Board of Review Award for Best Actor

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Franklin J. Schaffner

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

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Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2023-06-04
★ 7/10
I recall the first time I saw this - aged ten, or so, and been terrified by the ending... Laurence Olivier is "Lieberman", a Nazi hunter who is given some detailed information from a very young Steve Guttenburg ("Kohler") that his long sought nemesis Dr. Josef Mengele (Gregory Peck) is thriving in Paraguay - and that he has an intriguing ongoing scheme that could reignite the whole Nazi movement. What ensues involves Oliver travelling to South America where he must thwart this deadly plan. Neither actor are at the top of their game, indeed for many of Olivier's scenes I half expected Neil Diamond to emerge singing "Love on the Rocks" (even if we are 18 months too early). There is certainly something menacing about the whole thing, though - the concept of human closing and the manipulation of a person's evolution is scarily depicted as the scenarios build well to my aforementioned denouement that even now, I find suitably effective. James Mason has a bit part as the Nazi henchman "Siebert", and Lilli Palmer is quite good as Olivier's daughter ("Esther") and they add a little depth to this over-long, but decently paced mystery. Oddly enough, the questions it asks have more potency 40 years after it was made, and you can't help but wonder just how conceivable this whole thing might actually be...
Wuchak2025-04-19
★ 8/10
Imaginative conspiracy thriller involving escaped German war criminals A discredited Nazi-hunter in Vienna (Laurence Olivier) slowly learns of a plot to resurrect the Third Reich spearheaded by a mad geneticist, who’s conducting experiments in remote Paraguay (Gregory Peck). James Mason is also on hand as a colonel in the latter’s service. “The Boys from Brazil” (1978) was based on the book by Ira Levin, who’s known for “Rosemary’s Baby” and “The Stepford Wives.” It was helmed by the director of “Planet of the Apes,” “Patton” and “Papillon.” You could say it’s cut from the same cloth as “The Odessa File” and “Marathon Man,” just mixed with the weird horror elements for which Levin was known. Beyond the high caliber cast, the creativity of the script is a highlight (the less you know, the better), along with the great locations and entertaining bits spiced throughout, sometimes reflecting a (welcome) sense of humor or hamminess. A couple of examples include the superb dam sequence and Josef’s unexpected fit at the Nazi celebration, not to mention playful Mrs. Doring and the amusing blonde mother. It runs 2 hours, 4 minutes, and was shot primarily in Portugal with additional filming in London, Vienna, Austria (the dam sequence) and Lancaster, Pennsylvania. GRADE: A-/B+