The Last Confession of Alexander Pearce
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| The Last Confession of Alexander Pearce (Film) | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Michael James Rowland |
| Produced by | Nial Fulton |
| Written by | Screenplay: Michael James Rowland Nial Fulton |
| Starring | Adrian Dunbar, Ciaran McMenamin, Dan Wyllie, Don Hany, Chris Haywood, Bob Franklin |
| Cinematography | Martin McGrath |
| Editing by | Suresh Ayyar |
| Country | Australia Ireland |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
The Last Confession of Alexander Pearce is a 2008 film directed by Michael James Rowland [1] and starring acclaimed Irish actors Adrian Dunbar and Ciaran McMenamin. The film was shot on location in Tasmania and Sydney in April and May 2008.
Contents |
[edit] Background
Producer and co-writer Nial Fulton [2] began developing The Last Confession of Alexander Pearce in Ireland in 1998 and production began on the project in Australia in the summer of 2006. The Last Confession of Alexander Pearce was inspired by the remarkable true story of an escape from the Sarah Island penal settlement in Macquarie Harbour, Van Diemen's Land in 1822 by Irish convict Alexander Pearce and the subsequent confession he made to the Hobart priest Phillip Conolly days before he was executed for the murder of fellow convict Thomas Cox.
[edit] Plot
The Last Confession of Alexander Pearce follows the final days of Irish convict Alexander Pearce's life as he awaits execution. The year is 1824 and the British penal colony of Van Diemen's Land is little more than a living hell. Chained to a wall in the darkness of a cell under Hobart Gaol, Pearce is visited by Father Conolly, the parish priest of the fledgling colony and a fellow Irishman. Pearce wishes to tell the priest his recollection of the horrors he endured in the three months spent traversing the brutal wilderness of Van Diemen's Land. Conolly struggles to reconcile his desire to grant absolution to the convict with the story Pearce tells him.
The Last Confession Of Alexander Pearce draws a visceral and compelling picture of a hell on earth as one man endures the unimaginable by doing the unthinkable.
[edit] Production
[edit] Script
Written by Michael James Rowland and Nial Fulton, the script for The Last Confession of Alexander Pearce draws on all four confessions made by Alexander Pearce but principally on the confessions he made to Commandant Cuthbertson and the final confession made to the priest Phillip Conolly. In many places the script uses the exact words written down in these confessions.
The four written confessions made by Alexander Pearce were recorded by:
- Lieutenant John Cuthbertson, Commandant of Sarah Island
- Reverend Robert Knopwood, magistrate of Hobart.
- John Bisdee, Hobart gaoler
- Phillip Conolly, Catholic priest in Van Diemen's Land
[edit] Principal Cast
- Adrian Dunbar [3] as the Irish priest Phillip Conolly. Conolly was the first Catholic priest to administer to the convict parishioners of Van Diemen's Land and took the final confession of Alexander Pearce shortly before he was executed.
- Ciaran McMenamin [4] as the Irish convict Alexander Pearce, sentenced to seven years transportation to Australia for the theft of six pairs of shoes. Born in either County Fermanagh or County Monaghan, Alexander Pearce was a farm labourer who became one of the most infamous of all Van Diemen's Lands many notorious characters.
- Dan Wyllie [5] as Robert Greenhill
- Bob Franklin [7] as Matthew Travers
- Chris Haywood [8] as the infamous magistrate of Hobart, the Reverend Robert Knopwood.
- Martin Jacobs [9] as Lieutenant John Cuthbertson, Commandant of Sarah Island
- Tony Llewellyn-Jones [10] as Lieutenant Governor William Sorell
[edit] Supporting Cast
- Richard Green as Edward Brown
- Matthew Preston as William Kennerly
- Peter Dowling as Thomas Bodenham
- Tony Goodfellow as Alexander Dalton
- Bill Young as Hobart Gaoler
- Kelly Butler as Ms Brown
- Socratis Otto as Young British Officer
- Carl Rush as Constable Loggins
- Lyndsey Smider as Young Aboriginal Man
The film also features many cameos from members of the crew, including:
- Director Michael James Rowland as the night watch-man of Hobart Gaol
- Producer Nial Fulton as Hanging Party Guard
- Stand by Props Paul Stewart as the Executioner
- Set Dresser Peter Foster as the Surly Guard at the gates to Hobart Gaol.
[edit] Van Diemen's Land / Tasmania
Shot over five weeks on location in Tasmania and Sydney the director and producer wanted to put both cast and crew into the actual environment were the real events occurred. The film was shot on location around Lake St Clair, Nelsons Falls, Tahune, Mount Wellington and Sydney. The producers also wanted to use as many local Tasmanian cast and crew as possible, adding to the authenticity of the piece.
Almost all the extras in the film are from Tasmania and the actors Peter Dowling (Bodenham) Matthew Preston (Kennerly) Tony Goodfellow (Dalton) Carl Rush (Loggins) and Jack Ayeward (Cox) all live in Tasmania.
[edit] Production Design
[edit] Editing
Post production on the film began in Sydney on the 12th May 2008. Award winning Australian editor Suresh Ayyar [11] is cutting the film.
[edit] Music
[edit] Broadcasters
[edit] Finance
[edit] Production Company
Essential Media & Entertainment [14]
