"Saints and Strangers" recounts the story of the voyage of the Mayflower and the early settlement at Plymouth. The miniseries aired on the National Geographic Channel and is now available in the DVD format.
As opposed to a film documentary, the approach is a dramatization in the form of a miniseries. The title derives from the main theme of the drama, which concerns the two groups of immigrants: the devout pilgrims and those who came to America for mercenary reasons. But the film avoids a melodramatic, cut-and-dry approach to the characters. The strength of the series is that it paints a far more complex picture of the immigrants, as well as the Native Americans with whom the settlers came into contact.
One of key roles is that of the historical figure of Stephen Hopkins. At one of the turning points in the drama, Hopkins confesses to his wife that the situation in America is not black-and-white, but falls withing a "grey" area. The same realization comes to the group's governor, William Bradford, whose piety is tested by the struggle to survive. Another multidimensional role is that of the Native American named Squanto, who on the surface is sympathetic to the foreigners, but underneath has a seething rage due to his personal losses of family and tribe. The filmmakers discovered ambiguity in a set of roles that could have been bland stereotypes.
The film is beautifully photographed and includes a fine ensemble cast. There is also a helpful website on the National Geographic Channel's home page that includes a "who's who" list and description of the main historical characters.
Overall, this film was definitely a cut above the average television miniseries. There was some thought that went into the teleplay, and the production values were closer to those of a feature film than a cable TV series.
As opposed to a film documentary, the approach is a dramatization in the form of a miniseries. The title derives from the main theme of the drama, which concerns the two groups of immigrants: the devout pilgrims and those who came to America for mercenary reasons. But the film avoids a melodramatic, cut-and-dry approach to the characters. The strength of the series is that it paints a far more complex picture of the immigrants, as well as the Native Americans with whom the settlers came into contact.
One of key roles is that of the historical figure of Stephen Hopkins. At one of the turning points in the drama, Hopkins confesses to his wife that the situation in America is not black-and-white, but falls withing a "grey" area. The same realization comes to the group's governor, William Bradford, whose piety is tested by the struggle to survive. Another multidimensional role is that of the Native American named Squanto, who on the surface is sympathetic to the foreigners, but underneath has a seething rage due to his personal losses of family and tribe. The filmmakers discovered ambiguity in a set of roles that could have been bland stereotypes.
The film is beautifully photographed and includes a fine ensemble cast. There is also a helpful website on the National Geographic Channel's home page that includes a "who's who" list and description of the main historical characters.
Overall, this film was definitely a cut above the average television miniseries. There was some thought that went into the teleplay, and the production values were closer to those of a feature film than a cable TV series.