Mary Bryant

I only had a chance to watch this programme today, however I thought it was absolutely fantastic. The voyage of a young woman to Australia as a convict was amazing. Not only was this film based on facts and true stories but it also showed compassion. You got the chance to look in on Mary's feelings. I felt so sorry for Mary, she was convicted for stealing money, but knowing her social class, you could understand that she was trying to provide for her family, even if it was the wrong way to go about it.

Romola Garai played Mary very well. You could see all sides of Mary's personality, her compassion and love for her two children and husband, but also her more cunning side, using Lt Ralph Clarke on two occasions, the first being to avoid the conditions on the boat. The second time she used him was worse, she lead him on to believe that she had feelings for him (and as you would have already found out) and he has feelings for her. Both Jack Davenport (Lt Ralph Clarke) and Alex O'Loughlin (Will Bryant) performed their roles very well. Jack Davenport shows the audience how sensitive he is towards Mary and how easily he can fold for her, yet as a Lt he can be a hard/tough person.

I would highly recommend watching this i thought it was brilliant

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.

Mary Bryant is a true achievement considering it is made for television. During the last few years, the Australian film and television industry has been suffering enormously due to lack of funding and lack of good screenplays. After having watched Mary Bryant last night it has restored my faith in the Australian industry.

Mary Bryant is a true Australian tale, telling the story of young Cornish girl Mary Broad, who is transported to New South Wales, to Sydney Cove after stealing a bonnet. on the way over she meets two men, Will Bryant who she marries and Lt. Clarke a soldier in the Queen's naval army who takes a liking to her and ultimately falls in love with her the feeling being returned.

The realism of the conditions the convicts faced in 1788 when trying to build a new colony for themselves is very well done - the best I've seen for a long time. The scene where the male convicts go crazy and take advantage of the women convicts is terrible, not so much in that the film makers expose us too long to the scene, but the very fact that the soldiers, including Governor Phillip (played by Sam Neill) just watch, until one of the solider's quips 'the whores had it coming to them' and Governor Philip saying 'we'll just let things run its course.' Having been a fan of Romola Garai's since seeing her in 'I capture the castle' and 'Daniel Deronda', her performance did not disappoint. She is an excellent actress. It was quite liberating to see her break out of her good girl English rose role she always plays - from the sweet innocent Cassandra in 'I capture the castle' to the sweet innocent friend of Becky Sharp in 'Vanity Fair'.

Jack Davenport's portrayal of Clarke was done very well, brilliantly under played and you got a sense of a man who, like in 1788, became very different if living in primitive conditions on a new land, like the first fleet had to endure when arrived in New South Wales. A clear example is when Mary starts to live with him (in order to help her family escape to Timor - seen in part two) and at times he handles her roughly when kissing her (mixing dominance with pleasure) and beds her at every possible opportunity...a far cry to what he would have done in England. But in those times in Australia, it would not have been an improbable romance.

Sam Neil's portrayal of Phillip did disappoint me a bit, as you did not get a sense of the person behind the title, but you did however get the sense he was a strong character, but that was all. At times the story did tend to slow down a bit, but not enough to make real difference to the story.

An interesting insight into the part of history, which we don't get to see much on Australian television screens and I hope Australia will begin to produce as many high quality dramas as Mary Bryant.

8/10

This 2 part series was spectacular. I was surprised it was not made into a movie and shown at the cinema. I loved Mary's character that was portrayed brilliantly by a very talented actress. As a great fan of period dramas, I would definitely consider this one of the best I have seen and would highly recommend it. All the characters were portrayed well and the quality of acting was Superb. The scenery and settings were spot on. Having read books on the topic of convicts in Austalia. I found this incredibly real to what life must have been like for those who traveled on such ships. Mary's will to live and the story of her journey was remarkable. Sam Neil is fantastic as the Admiral and 'Will' was played, again superbly, by yet another talented actor. By the end I was in tears and couldn't sleep for thinking of this fantastic mini-series. I will definitely buy this on DVD and no doubt watch it again and again.

The reaction to the British miniseries 'The incredible journey of Mary Bryant' seems to be a sign of the times: Whereas the accolades poured in for the portrayals of Mary and her husband, the masterfully portrayed character of Officer Clarke was misunderstood / brushed over and his complex relationship with Mary largely ignored. In my book Mary was a selfish b..., solely driven by the will to survive, with little regard for the feelings of others except those of her immediate family. Officer Clarke, on the other hand, is a much more complex character: The product of a morally strict and repressive upbringing, he is basically a decent, kind man who ends up acting mercilessly (within the framework of the cruelty sanctioned or even demanded by his job) when his pride is wounded. That is his Achilles' heel. He suffers intense humiliation when Mary, in pursuit of her own selfish agenda, at first liberates him from his inhibitions and then betrays his trust and makes a fool of him in front of his peers. The realization of her callous exploitation of his kindness and his feelings seriously wounds his whole identity. Nevertheless, he can't get himself to kill her when he has her at his mercy (in his musket's visor): Twice he lets her escape; it's only the third time that he finally 'delivers her to justice' - and had Mary not once again revealed her falseness to him by sidling up to him again, he probably would have let her escape once more. All the time he finds himself in the struggle to keep his dignity. Jack Davenport's superb portrayal of this emotionally rich and complex character deserves the highest praise. To me it was the actual focus of the film. Barbara N.