It took an Australian filmmaker, John Farrow, to recreate the events of the First Fleet carrying prisoners from England to Botany Bay in New South Wales, the beginning of white man’s life in the land that would become Australia. Farrow’s Botany Bay (1953) is an adventure period film based on the novel of the same name by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall (both American).
The movie is mainly set onboard the ship Charlotte carrying mostly male prisoners along with a smaller group of women convicted of various crimes. There are three main characters in the story: Captain Gilbert (James Mason) – the ship’s stern captain who takes pleasure in enforcing strictest punishment on anyone breaking any rule, Hugh Tallant (Alan Ladd) – a former medical student wrongfully convicted, and Sally (Patricia Medina) – an attractive young woman among the prisoners who is the object of Gilbert’s desire but who has a crush on Tallant.
Botany Bay is worthy of good credit for the excellent cinematography work and presenting very compelling scenes from the challenging experiences of the people onboard Charlotte. The prospect of inhabiting a new land while giving the less dangerous, or harmless, offenders from Britain offers a glimpse into the moral dilemmas of decisions arising out of colonial forces in the more developed world.
At the same time, Botany Bay is a romance of a silent nature. Medina conveys the various shades of her character via facial expressions throughout the movie with minimum dialogue. The characters don’t fall prey to obtrusive exaggeration, which is a major merit of the movie. For fans of historical adventures, particularly from the colonial era, this movie won’t be a disappointment.
* Botany Bay was released in London (UK) in December 1952 but in the United States and Australia it was released in 1953. In other countries, it was released later.
