"Mary Bryant" (2005) TV mini-series

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Peter Andrikidis

Writer:

Peter Berry (writer)

Release Date:

30 October 2005 (Australia)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Her courage paved the way to their freedom

Plot:

A young woman is transported to the New South Wales penal colony in 1788.

Plot Keywords:

Slave | Plan | Governor | Disease | Gun

Awards:

6 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Romola Garai	...	Mary Bryant
Jack Davenport	...	Lt Ralph Clarke
Alex O'Loughlin	...	Will Bryant
Sam Neill	...	Governor Arthur Phillip
Tony Martin	...	Martin
David Field	...	Thomas
Garry McDonald	...	Reverend Johnson
Dan Spielman	...	Cox
Stephen Curry	...	Allen
Abe Forsythe	...	Sam
Alice McConnell	...	Elizabeth
Linal Haft	...	Sgt. Ryan
Genevieve O'Reilly	...	Allcia
Brittany Carney	...	Charlotte
Leo Jampinjinpa Wayne	...	Woollarawarre Bennelong

Also Known As:

"The Incredible Journey of Mary Bryant" (Australia) (long title)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence including rape, sexuality and some nudity.

Runtime:

Australia:480 min (2 parts) | USA:185 min (DVD version)

Country:

Australia | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:M | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Australia

Company:

Granada Television

Trivia:

Had a budget in excess of $15 million, making this the largest television mini-series ever made in Australia.

Quotes:

Governor Arthur Phillip: Nearest civilization, Timor - three or four thousand miles away. They'd have to negotiate reefs, plus twelve-hundred miles of open sea. And with the burden of carrying a woman, and children, no - even if they survive the sea, they'll never survive each other.

An outstanding evocation of time, place and human experience

This was an excellent and entertaining movie, with convincing costumes and settings. The depiction of the horror of the sea voyages, the appalling nature of life in the convict settlement (scarcely better for the overseeing officials then for the convicts) and the relative luxury and colour of life in the Dutch colony of Timor were all powerfully vivid and evoked a strong sense of place and time. However, too perfect teeth are a recurring difficulty in period movies! The casting of the main characters was first rate, with Romola Garai as Mary shedding the fragility and innocence we saw in 'I Capture the Castle', and displaying considerable depth and emotional strength. Jack Davenport's outstanding performance as one of the marine officers was characterised by moral ambivalence and confusion in someone half a world away from his cultural certainties. Alex O'Loughlin as Will Bryant was a very effective counterweight to Davenport, giving a compelling account of a convicted Cornish smuggler and fisherman struggling within his own clear if unconventional moral framework. This fine team were supported by equally strong performances from the rest of the cast. Authenticity of detail of costume and setting was not however matched by authenticity of narrative – the script takes liberties with events, relationships and the fates of some characters. Although much is not known about Mary's life, some known facts were abused! However the main thrust of Mary's story retains its integrity and the movie provides a welcome testament to an otherwise neglected extraordinary figure from English – and Australian - history.