I am definitely a huge Anglophile but these movies confirm that the Brits clearly had a lot to answer for when it came to their imperialist past. Mary Bryant is based on the true story of a woman who was transported to Australia as a convict for stealing food. The scenes depicting the voyage to Austrialia and events that befall the convicts when they reach Australia are graphically disturbing. I particularly had a hard time watching a scene of mass rape. But the difference here was that the depiction of violence was necessary to understand the horrific conditions that drove Mary to escape her imprisonment. Garai is brilliant in portraying Mary's determination to survive and to save her children. Jack Davenport is dashing but despicable as the British officer whose relationship with Mary mirrors the Britain's imperialistic treatment of the Australian colonialists. Alex O'Loughlin is wonderful as Mary's husband, Will, who starts out as a charming, roguish character but is later tested by the trials and sacrifices demanded by his and Mary's bid for freedom. I just love O'Loughlin's ability to communicate, through his eyes and facial expressions, the feelings and emotions of his character in a way that words alone cannot convey. I understand he was nominated for acting awards for this role and he definitely deserved it. (OK, enough! *shakes fist in air* AO'L, you are an incredibly lovely actor but I refuse to give in and turn this blog into another fansite for you! Moonlight ad? What Moonlight ad?? Go away!)
Needless to say, the end of the movie reduced me to tears but also left me inspired.
Inspired was also how I felt about Amazing Grace. I will admit I was a bit skeptical about this film, thinking it might be a bit saccharine and maybe too sanctimonious. It's not that I have anything against films portraying faith and belief in a positive way. Unfortunately, more often than not, I find it's not generally done in a nuanced and realistic fashion (or in a manner that does not make it a easy target for ridicule). Like Mary Bryant, the movie is based on the true story, that of William Wilberforce, a member of Parliament, who was a reformer and took on the fight to abolish slavery. Wilberforce was influenced by his mentor, John Newton, the former slave trader who ultimately renounced the slave trade, and became a minister and the writer of the hymn, "Amazing Grace" (played by Albert Finney, no less). Ionn Gruffud masterfully portrays the quirky Wilberforce, who at the beginning of the film, is struggling with whether he should give his life over to religious contemplation instead of political activism. (There is a really great scene between Wilberforce and his manservant in the garden of his estate where Wilberforce explains his conflicted feelings.) His friend, William Pitt the Younger, leads him to see that taking on abolition is a way to reconcile his faith with his activism.
Although not as graphic as Mary Bryant in depicting the horrible effects of Britain's imperialism, Amazing Grace does effectively portray the monstrous nature of the slave trade and the political machinations that equated abolition efforts with sedition, on the premise that a threat to Britain's economic interests would weaken its ability to protect itself against France and the American colonies.
The movie flashes between the past and present as Wilberforce describes to Barbara Spooner, a woman who has followed Wilberforce's career and later becomes his wife, the series of difficulties and setbacks he faced in fighting to bring slavery to an end. I almost did not recognize Garai in this movie, her elegant and fashionable Barbara so sharply contrasting with the rough and almost feral Mary Bryant.
Just as the end of Mary Bryant brought me to tears, so did the end of Amazing Grace when Wilberforce, at great personal cost, finally achieves his life-long dream of ending Britain's slave trade.
I guess I have to accept the fact that I may not be as "with it" as I thought when it comes to the current film scene. I still look for those movies with the mythological character arc, where the hero (or anti-hero) undergoes the trial and comes out transformed on the other side. It's probably why I loved these 2 DVD movies and was not so crazy about There Will Be Blood and In Bruges. We all know life can be banal and brutal but our stories and dreams don't need to be.
