How have I never heard of this?
I'm currently re-reading Peter Hughes' The Fatal Shore, which is a truly excellent book about Australia's founding as a penal colony. In one section, concerning escape attempts, it mentions a woman named Mary Bryant, who escaped from the colony with her husband and two children and seven other convicts, and made an epic 5,000 mile, 66 day voyage in an open boat from Australia to Timor. The party were apprehended and returned to Britain for a trial, during which voyage Mary's husband and two children all died. There was such admiration and sympathy for Mary that she was pardoned after a petition campaign, headed by James Boswell.
Anyway, the point at hand is, I was fascinated by this account and went looking to see if there were any books solely dedicated to the story - and I came across a made-for-TV movie made in 2005 - starring Alex O'Loughlin, Jack Davenport, Sam Neill and Romola Garai! How had I not heard of this? Alex O'Loughlin! Sam Neill! Did anyone watch it and/or remember it?
Damn, I want to see if I can find this now - I want to see it!
Anyway, the point at hand is, I was fascinated by this account and went looking to see if there were any books solely dedicated to the story - and I came across a made-for-TV movie made in 2005 - starring Alex O'Loughlin, Jack Davenport, Sam Neill and Romola Garai! How had I not heard of this? Alex O'Loughlin! Sam Neill! Did anyone watch it and/or remember it?
Damn, I want to see if I can find this now - I want to see it!