Botany Bay (1952)

Botany Bay takes place circa 1787, when England was facing more prisoners than they had room for- largely because they were handing out harsh punishments for minor crimes, such as a long prison sentence for stealing a loaf of bread. They began deporting prisoners to the continent now known as Australia, then called New South Wales, to a penal colony called Botany Bay, located near what is now the city of Sydney.

Alan Ladd is Hugh Tallant, an American who has been imprisoned for a minor offense (the prior crimes of the characters are never explained) and is among those chosen to be shipped off. He argues that he is awaiting a pardon and will likely be set free, but is forced onto the ship anyway. He quickly escapes from the ship before it leaves, but is caught and brought back, establishing himself as a troublemaker with Captain Paul Gilbert (James Mason), who promptly orders him whipped off-screen.

Tallant still tries to get on Gilbert's good side as he had been a medical student and can serve as the ship's doctor, but still makes another escape attempt, which then subjects him to a good old-fashioned keelhauling- being dragged under the ship with a rope, a punishment that usually ends in death but he survives. There's a female prisoner named Sally (Patricia Medina) who's given slightly better accommodations onboard than the rest- but only for certain "favors" to Captain Gilbert, which, of course, are only implied given film content restrictions of the time. Tallant, of course, sees her as someone to save and win over for himself.

Most of the 94-minute film takes place on board the ship, which serves as a good ride for the audience. While it's obvious that this was shot in a studio, a good effort is made for realism- this is mostly due to the fog, which obscures most of the real world. Dialogue and action move at a swift pace, which holds our interest; this film easily could have been rather boring if handled differently. Reaching the destination makes for a satisfying final act.

Vital Disc Stats: The Blu-Ray
Kino Lorber Studio Classics' Blu-Ray arrives in the label's usual minimal packaging of a standard Blu-Ray case with no insert. The disc is sufficently single-layer and encoded for Region A, with a static main menu with the film's main title theme playing.

Arriving slightly before the era of widescreen, Botany Bay is presented in a 1.37:1 aspect ratio from a recent 4K scan by Paramount. While this movie has been neglected on any disc format until now, the results are impressive. The elements are very clean, with little to no film grain and no signs of wear such as dirt or scratches, aside from one sequence using an optical dissolve. The Blu-Ray encoding is also first-rate with no visible compression artifacts or banding, even in dark environments. Colors are natural without looking artificially boosted.

The mono audio isn't anything special but serves the material, encoded in 2-channel DTS-HD MA and staying properly centered. The fidelity is a bit lacking compared to modern standards, but is clean without any noticable background noise or pops without sounding artifically cleaned up.

The only movie-related extra is an audio commentary with Heath Holland, known for the "Cereal at Midnight" YouTube channel and website. He shows an impressive knowledge of Botany Bay giving details about its production along with his personal thoughts about events as they happen onscreen. He sticks to the actual movie more than most Kino-Lorber commentaries I've heard.

The movie's trailer is not included but five others featuring the cast and atmosphere are: One Way Street in HD with Whispering Smith, Buccaneer's Girl, Against All Flags and The World in His Arms in SD.

It's always great to see the lesser-known movies that haven't been available for many years get the hi-def treatment. Botany Bay isn't a movie that everyone knows but has most of the elements of a good weekend matinee that will please most lovers of classic adventure films. As usual, Kino's presentation is first-rate even if it may be light on extras. Recommended.