The Incredible Journey of Mary Bryant

It is impossible to bring an adequate review of this astounding film, to have the ability to express the mind-boggling reaction aroused by this tale of "mans inhumanity to man". As I watched the last few scenes I felt as if my heart had been shattered! I had difficulty comprehending the fact that this film was based on a true story, and not a chilling nightmare brought to the screen. It left me with a feeling of profound gratitude for the boundless freedoms and respect for humanity that is our way of life now.This is just a prologue to acquaint you with an explanation of circumstances that led to "The Incredible Journey of Mary Bryant".Mary was a tenacious, strong and determined individual. At age seventeen she was faced with starvation, and in her desperation she was arrested for stealing. Her punishment was severe and excessive. Along with many other prisoners she was sent to an island penal colony, where they were to raise food, build shelters and become independent.The ship that carried them to the island was a picturesque galleon, a huge vessel with many sails, bearing the name Christine.Mary discovered she was pregnant and would need better food and better care. by compromising herself she made an arrangement with a ships officer to share his quarters , She was given good food and a place to give birth and care for her child. It was born during the passage and she named it Christine.There was much distress aboard the ship and one prisoner, a young man, attempted to help Mary at every opportunity.To survive the penalty they were given consisted of hard labor, add to that the savage conditions existing among the most dangerous prisoners among them.For three years they labored to raise food, but ultimately failed. The seeds would not grow, and the supplies they were given to start out with were dwindling. Once again Mary was confronted by the same old nemesis, starvation.Mary was determined to save her child and escape from the horrific island. After much pleading she managed to convince the young man and four other prisoners to attempt the treacherous escape she had planned, knowing they would be pursued and the penalty would be death, if caught.By stealing supplies and a poorly constructed small fishing boat with only one skimpy sail. they left under cover of darkness. Following the coastline as far as they could before turning out to sea, they stopped at an island in search of water. A small group of English settlers greeted them. Mary and the young man were married and soon a baby boy was born to them.They had to flee this safe haven when the pursuers arrived in search of them. Thus began the incredible journey of Mary Bryant as they turned out to sea.Suffering from unbearable thirst, hunger, the relentless sun, near madness and intolerable grief it soon became a duel with death.I am recommending this riveting odyssey to stouthearted, tenacious movie lovers. I gave it five stars because it is one of the most amazing ,heartrending movies I have ever experienced.

This is a made-for-TV 3-hour movie and it's excellent. An exciting true-life story. Excellent production values (especially for a TV movie). First-rate acting. Actress Romola Garai (who plays the lead) is fabulous as Mary Bryant. She nails every acting level perfectly, and there's so many levels--frightened, heart-broken, shattered, courageous, tough, sweet, plucky, deceptive, conniving, selfish, a leader, a loving mother, a good wife, a heroine. She does an outstanding job. And actor Jack Davenport is, as always, pitch-perfect as a 1700s British officer--he was born to play these types of roles. The story is very much like Papillon--an incredibly daring, true-life adventurous escape story from an island prison. You will be routing for Mary and her family. Some reviews have mentioned the brief nudity and rape scene. Though this scene may not be suitable for children, rest assured it is brief and fairly mild. It is not one of those stylistically brutal and intense rape scenes that are hard to endure. In fact, it's odd they even put the brief nudity and rape scene in, because it's out of context with the rest of the movie which plays like a PG-13 movie. Overall, highly recommended for those looking for a great period piece adventure story.

First off, if you're thinking that this is going to be another british type period drama with just a hint of realism, this isn't the series for you. Some scenes are VERY graphic and sometimes painful to watch (a woman is severely whipped for an offense while aboard ship....chaos reigns when the prisoners finally arrive in Botany Bay -- rape and violence). The conditions aboard ship while on the way to Australia are horrendous and graphicly shown. In other words, this is not a series for the faint fo heart. As for why the film makers felt the need to show such scenes, I can only surmise that they wanted the audience to experience at least a part of what these prisoners lived through.Warnings aside, I have to say that I enjoyed the series as a whole. The actors involved were tremendous, especially Romola Garai (Mary Bryant) and Jack Davenport (Lt. Clarke). Romola managed to make me both hate and yet feel compassion for her character; a hard feat indeed. Mary, is manipulative to the extreme. She fought with everything she had in order to insure the survival of her children, her husband (fellow prisoner played by Aussie Alex O'Loughlin) and herself. The object of most of that manipulation is one Lt. Clarke, a man most certainly out of his depth and obsessed with Mary.My one and only criticism of the series is that because of the way that certain scenes were shot and edited, you almost feel as if you should be rooting for Mary to end up with Clarke instead of the husband.Overall, a definitely worthwhile viewing. High production values and beautifully shot. But be warned, this is most certainly not for the faint fo heart.