Van Diemen's Land (film)
Encyclopedia
Van Diemen's Land is a 2009 Australia
n thriller set in 1822 in colonial Tasmania. It follows the story of the infamous Australian convict, Alexander Pearce
, played by Oscar Redding
and his escape with seven other convicts.
based on 8 reviews with an average 6.4/10 rating. During the opening weekend, the film grossed $39,939 at the 9 theatres it played ($4,438 average).
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n thriller set in 1822 in colonial Tasmania. It follows the story of the infamous Australian convict, Alexander Pearce
Alexander Pearce
Alexander Pearce was an Irish convict who was transported to Van Diemen's Land for theft. He escaped from prison several times, but eventually was captured and was hanged and dissected in Hobart for murder....
, played by Oscar Redding
Oscar Redding
Oscar Redding is an Australian actor, screenwriter and director.- Biography :Portrayed Alexander Pearce in "Van Diemen's Land" . He also co-wrote the film with director Jonathan auf der Heide....
and his escape with seven other convicts.
Plot
A group of transported convicts, suffering brutal treatment at the Sarah Island penal settlement on Van Diemens Land, escape into the Tasmanian wilderness in hopes of reaching the settlements to the east. Their enthusiasm and bravado soon give way to hunger, which saps their strength and causes them to despair. Former urban dwellers, the English, Irish and Scottish convicts realise that not only are they lost, but they do not even know how to hunt or fish. The oppressive nature of landscape becomes the setting for murder, as hunger forces the group to turn to cannibalism, killing and eating the members of the group one by one. The men do all in their power to keep moving, watch their back and avoid sleep, lest they be the next meal.Convicts
- Alexander Pearce - Aged 32, Irish, thief
- Robert Greenhill - 32, English, sailor
- Matthew Travers - 27, Irish, farmer
- Alexander Dalton - 25, Irish, ex-soldier
- John Mather - 24, Scottish, bread baker
- Thomas Bodenham - 22, English, thief
- William Kennerly - 44, Irish, thief
- Edward 'Little' Brown - 48, English, profession unknown
Cast
- Oscar Redding as Alexander Pearce
- Arthur Angel as Robert Greenhill
- Paul Ashcroft as Matthew Travers
- Mark Leonard Winter as Alexander Dalton
- Torquil NeilsonTorquil Neilson-Biography:Born in London and raised in Melbourne, Neilson currently resides in Sydney where he has lived since 2003. He is best known for his role as Jason Cotter in Frontline which he played from 1994 to 1997. Neilson's other television roles include Blue Heelers, The Secret Life of Us and Love...
as John Mather - Thomas Wright as Thomas Bodenham
- Greg StoneGreg StoneGreg Stone is an Australian actor who has appeared in films, television and on stage.-Biography:Stone graduated from the National Institute of Dramatic Art in Sydney in 1983 and won a Helpmann Award and Green Room Award for Best Actor for his role of George W. Bush in David Hare’s Stuff Happens...
as William Kennerly - John Francis Howard as Edward 'Little' Brown
Release and reception
Van Diemen's Land was released to Australian cinemas on 24 September 2009, and was rated MA15+ for "strong violence and coarse language". It received mostly positive reviews, and it earned a 75% approval rating on Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
based on 8 reviews with an average 6.4/10 rating. During the opening weekend, the film grossed $39,939 at the 9 theatres it played ($4,438 average).