44 BREAKER MORANT
in London to conduct fresh research. After he returned, he began his own script,
building his dramatic structure around the trial (as the play had also done) but
widening his field of vision to reveal what Ross, in his stage production, never could:
the interior world of the characters” (Daseler, 2013).Production
American actor Rod Steiger was Bruce Beresford’s first choice to play Harry “Breaker”
Morant. Later, Australian actor Terence Donovan (who played Morant in the
original stage production) was considered, but Beresford deci ded he needed a more
famous actor in the role (Donovan was cast as Capt. Simon Hunt). The part ulti-
mately went to En glish actor Edward Woodward— a casting choice resented by
some Australian Actors Equity members, even though Woodward bore an uncanny
resemblance to Morant. The Major Thomas role was originally offered to Bryan
Brown before it went to Jack Thompson (Brown ended up playing Lt. Handcock).
Though set in the high veldt of South Africa, Breaker Morant was filmed in and
around Burra, South Australia, on the edge of the Great Desert, 100 miles north of
Adelaide. Breaker Morant was made on a shoestring bud get of 800,000 AUD. The
Australian Film Commission contributed 400,000 AUD, and the South Australia
Film Corporation (SAFC) put up another 250,000 AUD. The remaining funds were
provided by Seven Network and PACT Productions and raised privately.Plot Summary
In 1902, during the Second Boer War, three officers of the Bushveldt Carbineers
(aka BVC, a 320- man Australian irregular mounted infantry regiment)— Lieutenants
Harry Morant (Edward Woodward), Peter Handcock (Bryan Brown), and George
Witton (Lewis Fitz- Gerald)— are arrested by the British and charged with mur-
dering Boer prisoners- of- war and Reverend C.A.D. Heese, a German missionary.
Major Charles Bolton (Rod Mullinar) prosecutes the court- martial while Major
J. F. Thomas ( Jack Thompson), a solicitor from New South Wales in civilian life, acts
as defense counsel. After a number of damning character witnesses testify, Bolton
focuses on the shooting of Floris Visser (Michael Procanin), a wounded Boer pris-
oner, in order to avenge the torture, death, and mutilation of BVC Capt. Simon Hunt
(Terence Donovan), a close friend of Morant. Major Thomas argues that standing
orders existed to shoot “all Boers captured wearing khaki,” but Morant damages
his own defense by defiant testimony on the witness stand. The next day, Bolton
turns to the shooting of the six Boers. BVC Capt. Alfred Taylor ( John Waters) tes-
tifies that Lord Kitchener issued orders that no more Boer prisoners were to be
taken alive. On cross- examination, Bolton nullifies Taylor’s testimony by forcing
him to admit that he is also awaiting court- martial for shooting prisoners. Other
witnesses testify that Morant had six Boer guerrillas lined up and shot after they
had surrendered. Major Thomas demands that Kitchener be summoned. Lt.- Col.
Denny (Charles “Bud” Tingwell) and Major Bolton try to dissuade Major Thomas
from pressing the matter, but he persists. At any rate, Kitchener has since reversed
himself. Rather than “total war,” he now advocates peace with the Afrikaners— a
stance necessitating that a few soldiers will need to be sacrificed for all the war