Kino Lorber recently released two more Ladd titles, BOTANY BAY (1952) and RED MOUNTAIN (1951). I'll be reviewing RED MOUNTAIN at a future date; this time around I'm reporting on my first-ever viewing of BOTANY BAY.
Ladd plays Hugh Tallant, an American medical student arrested as a highwayman in England. It's a complicated story, but despite having a pardon on the way, Tallant is shipped off with other prisoners to a penal colony in
New South Wales, Australia.
Tallant makes numerous attempts to escape, especially as the ship's captain (James Mason) is a cruel sort, but he's thwarted at every turn.
Sally (
Patricia Medina), an actress who's among those being exiled to New South Wales, is rather glad Hugh ends up staying around.
BOTANY BAY was written by Jonathan Latimer based on a
novel by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall. Nordhoff and Hall wrote many adventures and seafaring tales, including THE HURRICANE and MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY.
I'd class this 93-minute film as a mid-range movie; it's not bad, yet given the talent of the filmmakers, including director
John Farrow, it should have been better. Despite a fairly compact 93-minute running time, the film tends to dawdle when it should have been more exciting.
Screenwriter Jonathan Latimer wrote a number of excellent screenplays, including favorites such as
NIGHT HAS A THOUSAND EYES (1948) and
THE BIG CLOCK (1948), but BOTANY BAY never really catches fire. A big part of the problem is that the story is too repetitive. Mason is nasty, Ladd tries to escape, rinse and repeat multiple times.
The movie is certainly worth seeing for Ladd fans - and I'm definitely one - and I also enjoyed Medina's lively performance as a spunky woman who correctly calculates how to fend off the married captain's advances while still receiving preferential treatment. BOTANY BAY is simply not a title I'll be returning to with the same frequency as a number of other Ladd films I've enjoyed more.
BOTANY BAY was filmed in Technicolor by
John F. Seitz. As far as I could tell, the scenes surrounding the ship were filmed in a water tank rather than on location. I've been unable to discover where in California the New South Wales scenes were filmed but hope to possibly learn more from the commentary track by Heath Holland (
Cereal at Midnight).
Incidentally, I read that the koalas seen in the film were shipped to the U.S. from Australia and given a home at the San Diego Zoo once production wrapped.
The musical score was composed by Franz Waxman.
The supporting cast includes Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Dorothy Patten, Murray Matheson, Anita Sharp-Bolster, Jonathan Harris, Malcolm Lee Beggs, Ben Wright, and Patrick Aherne, who was the older brother of the better-known actor Brian Aherne.
The Blu-ray print and sound quality were good. Like the movie, the print was somewhere in the middle; the Technicolor isn't especially stunning yet overall it's in very good shape, without any noticeable major flaws or problems.
In short, this Blu-ray is a fine way to check out this film, which has previously been relatively hard to see in the United States. To my knowledge this is the movie's first official release for U.S. home viewing. (Update: Thanks to Walter for letting me know the movie had a VHS release in the mid '80s. I found an Amazon listing for it!)
In addition to the aforementioned commentary track, the disc includes trailers for five other films which are also available from Kino Lorber.
Thanks to Kino Lorber for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray.
2024 has been a terrific year for Alan Ladd films, with Kino Lorber Studio Classics releasing a number of his movies on Blu-ray.
4 Comments:
I have seen Botany Bay on its initial release, and while memorable it is also a disappointment despite excellent production and performances. You have it right.
Laura, good write-up of BOTANY BAY(filmed 1951-52, released 1952) an Alan Ladd movie that I haven't viewed since the cable-tv explosion of the 1980's when SuperStation WTBS Channel 17 Atlanta, Georgia would air it. I first recall viewing this historical melodrama on Memphis, Tennessee's WHBQ Channel 13 DIALING FOR DOLLARS MOVIE in 1975. In my youngsterhood I really enjoyed this movie, because it was historical, and I liked anything history based, and I still do. Like you, I'm an Alan Ladd fan and I think it's wonderful that Kino Lorber is releasing his movies on Blu-ray.
I like your description, "Mason is nasty, Ladd tries to escape, rinse and repeat multiple times." You used the term "rinse" in a kind way, and I'm not going to give away what Ladd actually suffered here. BOTANY BAY had an early screening in the UK during the Christmas Season of 1952 and critic Campbell Dixon of the DAILEY TELEGRAPH & MORNING POST described the movie as, "Good, clean sadistic fun."
The filming of BOTANY BAY is Paramount Studios bound, but I think the art and set decoration, sound, costuming, and visual effects are top notch. Yes, I wonder where the ocean waves against the shore and bay area were filmed.
For some reason BOTANY BAY was slow to be licensed by Paramount Studios for TV viewing. Foreign TV markets were airing the movie before any airing in the USA. On TV in Australia in 1965 and on ITV in the UK in 1966. In 1967 the movie began its run on TV in the USA, but it didn't receive a prime-time network premiere on the NBC SATURDAY NIGHT AT THE MOVIES or any other network movie night. Instead, it was licensed to the local TV station markets.
BOTANY BAY did have a home viewing release in 1986 with the Kartes Video Film Classics series on VHS. No Laser or DVD releases here in the USA, so the Kino Lorber Blu-ray release is a much-welcomed event for all Alan Ladd, James Mason, and Patricia Medina fans. Actually, I think the movie the is for all Classic Movie fans out there.
Wow, that's the first time I've heard of a classic Hollywood movie with koalas! I found a news article announcing they would be housed at the San Diego Zoo, saying those were the only koalas in the U.S. at that time. Great publicity for the studio.
Thank you to everyone for your feedback, Barry!
It sounds as though my reaction was fairly typical. (What a review by Campbell Dixon, LOL.) Walter, that's very interesting that Botany Bay had a VHS release way back when, thank you for that info!
Lynn, I had not read those were the only koalas in the U.S., very interesting! Today the S.D. Zoo even had a "koala cam."
Best wishes,
Laura
Post a Comment
<< Home