Moonlightaholics

Just by the by, BBC America wouldn't be interested as this is a Granada co-production - and Granada are one of the other big UK networks, i.e. in direct competition with the BBC.

Red

redwinter101 wrote:Just by the by, BBC America wouldn't be interested as this is a Granada co-production - and Granada are one of the other big UK networks, i.e. in direct competition with the BBC.

Red

Drat!! There's got to be somebody out there who would show it!!

You know, it's so stupid. America is made up of people from alllllllllll over the world, yet, we are so focused on ourselves, we can't even open up our television to shows from other countries. I mean, yeah, BBC America and PBS, but it's a shame that there is so much good TV out there that's never been seen. You really do have to search out for yourself. I would have never known about this fantastic movie, had it not been for Alex.

librarian_7 wrote:grace, maybe we should try History International. Same people, a lot of the same shows, but they do tend to be a little less US-centric...

Lucky

Hmmm... I don't think I get that channel... but I'll look em up and write em anyway... if they have success, maybe regular History Channel will also eventually carry it...

It really should be seen. I have the DVD... but it's good... and it just should be seen.
(Too bad a sea monster doesn't eat that one guy that died on the boat... then we could get SyFy to carry it... )

wpgrace wrote:(Too bad a sea monster doesn't eat that one guy that died on the boat... then we could get SyFy to carry it... )

I honestly believe that part of the problem with getting that mini-series shown in the US is the graphic violence, especially the riot/rape scene, and the whipping scene. And even the depictions of consensual sex would be too much for US stations. Even cable stations like History have a PG-13 level limit. And this movie would be R.

allegrita wrote:I honestly believe that part of the problem with getting that mini-series shown in the US is the graphic violence, especially the riot/rape scene, and the whipping scene. And even the depictions of consensual sex would be too much for US stations. Even cable stations like History have a PG-13 level limit. And this movie would be R.

Yeah... I get that... but they cut stuff out of movies on tv all the time... most often to make room for more d@mn commercials, but also to shield Americans from graphic reality, unless of course there's weaponry involved... we don't apparently need to be shielded from destruction to property or bodies wrought by actual weaponry... that's just patriotic, and anyway, it blows up real good.

Cut a Will sex scene?!?! Blasphemy!!!!

I'm actually quite stunned that there isn't a US TV station that will air this. We're kind of lucky here in the UK that there is always a channel somewhere willing to show something.

allegrita wrote:Cut a Will sex scene?!?! Blasphemy!!!!

Well it certainly wouldn't be MY choice... but it is also not my call...
And yeah, coco...we got about 100 plus tv channels... and nothing good on...

Just catching up before I go off to part 2.....

American TV has gone back and forth on graphic violence, although 'graphic' has taken on a whole new meaning over the last half-century. In the late fifties and through the sixties, westerns were popular shows here and as time went on, more and more scenes of graphic violence crept in (think hangings, and other acts of physical violence). By the end of the sixties,there was something of a backlash and the violence became less graphic.

Sex was something that didn't creep in to TV here until really the sixties and seventies and early on, there was certainly a lot of implication, rather than graphic depiction. With the 'sexual revolution' going on, movies were certainly more willing to show skin, but until the advent of cable here, TV was still pretty pristine at least as far as sex was concerned.

That said, there was a blockbuster mini-series here 'Roots', which has several things in common with Mary Bryant. In particular, the abysmal treatment of people deemed less 'worthy' and the extreme physical acts of violence (whippings/floggings/amputation). Yet if Roots can be shown here and lauded as a lesson in history we should never forget, why not Mary Bryant? I will have to agree with Alle that the one scene I've seen so far that would never fly (except possibly on cable) is the riot / rape scene. Yet I have to admit, it made a profound impact.

FINALLY! I finished Part 2 tonight......

My reaction to Part 1 was profound horror at what the convicts went through, how hideously they were treated, how little they were valued. My feeling at the end of Part 1 was wondering about how the escapees were going to treat each other and what kind of relationship really existed between Will and Mary Bryant (did they really love each other or were they simply using each other as a means to an end.)

My reaction to Part 2 was totally different. Questions were answered (there was some conniving among the escapees, and it was heartbreaking to see what happened to one of them). But the story began to center a bit more on the relationship between Will and Mary and their love for each other. Will was uncomfortable with their situation on Timor and that led to some feelings of insecurity, but in the end, Will Bryant was the one man Mary loved.

While all the acting was top notch, I have to applaud Jack Davenport in his portrayal of Ralph Clarke. A simple man, yes, one used to trying to do the right thing, albeit somewhat naively. When Clarke's inner demons rose to the surface, Davenport flawlessly and subtly transformed from the mild mannered lieutenant, to a man possessed. But what I found priceless was that in the end, Clarke, who had left no stone unturned to find the escapees, was stuck with the bill that the escapees had run up on Timor. Richer yet was his expression of disbelief that the three remaining convicts were pardoned, making him look both the fool and the monster.

Romola Garai played the strong willed Mary Bryant brilliantly. Yet as strong as she was, as difficult as some of the decisions she made were, her character still bled from the heart when she learned of Will's death and when her children died. In Newgate prison, she portrayed a woman who had lost everything and didn't want to live. Yet seeing the faces of the common people in the courtroom brought her character back to life and she came back home once again.

Alex's portrayal of Will Bryant was multi-layered. Will was a rake at the beginning of the movie, and Alex portrayed him with the appropriate bravado. Yet as Mary's husband and father to her children, he grew, and the portrayal changed accordingly. Walking through the compound after the riot, the horror on his face was credible, his arm protectively around his wife. For me, the two most poignant moments were when he admitted he hadn't sailed to Spain and curled up, pulling the canvas over him to hide from his wife's disappointment and when he told her she was free. I really loved Mary's answer to his statement.

Sorry for the long winded post, but if you haven't seen this movie, make an effort to. It will affect you profoundly.

DSR, what a beautiful critique of the second half. I can't find anything to argue with. It is simply a beautifully done story.

thanks, alle The story is truly moving and the film very well done.

While all the acting was top notch, I have to applaud Jack Davenport in his portrayal of Ralph Clarke. A simple man, yes, one used to trying to do the right thing, albeit somewhat naively. When Clarke's inner demons rose to the surface, Davenport flawlessly and subtly transformed from the mild mannered lieutenant, to a man possessed. But what I found priceless was that in the end, Clarke, who had left no stone unturned to find the escapees, was stuck with the bill that the escapees had run up on Timor. Richer yet was his expression of disbelief that the three remaining convicts were pardoned, making him look both the fool and the monster.

I love that you got this from Jack Davenport too, dsr. I think out of all the actors in MB, it is his performance that touched me the most. The subtle changes in his performance and the overall quietness from his was outstanding. Absolutely loved it.