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THE MOVIE
Part social experiment, part history lesson, part reality TV enema, The Colony puts several modern day families in a situation that forces them to live life under the conditions of 19th century Australia. This was a time of mass immigration into Australia, both voluntary and mandatory, and assimilation of European settlers and indigenous clans across our wide brown land.
Two families from Europe, the Stephensons (UK) and the Burleys (Ireland) are shipped out to a remote Australian "colony"", and join the Hohnke family (Tasmania) to live as free settlers amongst convicts and a local Aboriginal clan. From the opening strains of the first episode this is patently Australian. The Aussiest of Aussies is our host in these episodes: Aussie Jack. That’s right, Jack Thompson narrates the audience through the rich tapestry of our fledgling colonial history.
The producers of the show were after an authentic experience, and with the guidance of historian Michael McKernan, they've dressed the participants in traditional garb, and set the scene of the minimalist survival regime. In the interest of keeping with the makeup of the first wave of migrants, the families have been picked for their current standing in the community, and are set up with convicts of varying skill levels.
From a slow start comes a remarkable social experiment.Innately Australian - one has to look no further than Jack Thompson's narration for that - it isn't as flashy as most American productions, very welcomely so. It's decent and interesting reality TV for a change. One of the biggest strengths of the show is an appeal to the academic curiousity in a wide range of audiences.
THE TRANSFER
Video:
Produced in 2005, the 16:9 wide screen video (aspect ratio of 1.78:1) is as pristine as expected. The high quality digital video (not originally film) handles everything from the rough waters off the coast of Australia to the earthy colours of the outback with aplomb.
The outback settings particular produce some stunning backdrops. Colour reproduction is excellent and the picture is absolutely fantastic. It's not surprising international visitors want to holiday here (though I suspect few would enjoy these conditions).
Viewers with interlaced displays will have to cope with very occasional aliasing, but aside from that the transfer doesn't suffer any major hiccups. It has been given a high bit rate and looks crisp and absolutely gorgeous.
Audio:
The audio transfer consists of a Dolby 2-channel track. The subject is overwhelmingly natural, not overproduced. It is detailed and has a wide dynamic range, but is clean and focused. Jack Thompson's narration also sounds warm and has a natural air to it.
The musical element included is very simple, with bush instruments striking the appropriate chord. They give the feature a colonial feel, with fiddles and harmonicas abounding. The dialogue is fine and audible. There's no dedicated bass or surround information, and your not going to find any spatiality (even stereo), but the sound is appropriate at all times.
THE EXTRAS
Aside from devoted extras on each of the two discs, there are those relating to the individual episodes, taking the viewer deeper into the material in the episode, there are video snippets designed to stimulate further thought and conversations about the issues faced by colonial types.
In terms of the more commonplace extras, there are producer/director commentaries on the first and last episodes, chapter stops for each episode and a photo gallery. The Production Design featurette shows how carefully crafted the designs were so as to be very authentic. The featurette on the period costumes also has its charms, but most audiences will just plough straight in the main feature (no pun intended).
The big draw card is the main feature, but it's heartening to see extras haven't been ignored.
SUMMARY
The Colony is about as Aussie as a long weekend and infinitely more interesting than the scourge of Big Brother and the like. Truly it’s reality TV at it's most intellectual. No evictions, no phone polls - not really much of anything for the unsuspecting participants.
The 2-Disc DVD set has the self-contained series in its entirety. A surprising amount of bonus materials augment this technically proficient piece of television at it's solid best. |
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