Apart from the terrible Bob Hoskins, the notable cast does a good job with what little they are given.
A paranoid British government expelled about 2,500 'enemy aliens' on the HMS Dunera. The second world war had just started and in July 1940, the passenger ship departed Liverpool on a horrifying two-month journey to Australia. The whole fiasco was a terrible and shameful event and this long TV movie (or two part drama, depending on when and where it was broadcast) tells the story of what happened.
The horror, filthy conditions, maltreament and sadistic torture of these victims is overlooked in favor of a more theatrical account of the journey. While the film is effective as a drama, it is entirely ineffective as a historical document.
The running time is 150 minutes. If you embrace this production as it was intended, as a drama, it's thoroughly enjoyable. If you're looking for an account of the actual journey these poor people suffered, you'll be disappointed.
A paranoid British government expelled about 2,500 'enemy aliens' on the HMS Dunera. The second world war had just started and in July 1940, the passenger ship departed Liverpool on a horrifying two-month journey to Australia. The whole fiasco was a terrible and shameful event and this long TV movie (or two part drama, depending on when and where it was broadcast) tells the story of what happened.
The horror, filthy conditions, maltreament and sadistic torture of these victims is overlooked in favor of a more theatrical account of the journey. While the film is effective as a drama, it is entirely ineffective as a historical document.
The running time is 150 minutes. If you embrace this production as it was intended, as a drama, it's thoroughly enjoyable. If you're looking for an account of the actual journey these poor people suffered, you'll be disappointed.