Saints & Strangers (2015) User Reviews

Fairly accurate period piece

[hiroshita · 7/10 · 10 December 2015]

Saints and Strangers does a pretty good job of telling the story of the early encounters between New England's pilgrim settlers and their Native American hosts/antagonists. I felt the story portrayed a balanced (accuracy is debatable) view of the plight of both groups. The constant cultural dilemmas, physical dangers, and shifting alliances made for a good night of television. There's obviously a lot of history to fit into 2 episodes so hopefully this will return as a full series. One interesting note: when I read through the cast of characters, I was surprised to see Ron Livingston (of Office Space fame) listed as portraying John Carver? I totally missed him...I'll have to pay closer attention when I watch it again.

A Different World

[solojere · 8/10 · 30 June 2021]

Saints and Strangers depicts the Pilgrim's journey to the new world and their first encounters with the Native Americans. The story portrays a balanced view between both groups' points of view. While this mini-series was extremely well done, I felt it suffered from having too many characters and not having a clear central character. It also would have been nice to have had a little more exposition at the beginning. I am not super familiar with that this particular time period. So having a little more information would've been a good thing. Also, I think it would have been better to have more than two episodes as the story wouldn't have felt so rushed. With that said, I thought the acting was great. Anna Camp's performance was amazing and heartbreaking. It's different than the roles she normally has, and I wish she had a bigger part. However, I understand why it was the way it was. This show also a reminder of a time when the world was a harder place to live in, and it's crazy to think about what those earlier settlers went through. And I would recommend watching this one if you get a chance.

Good watch

[SofiCastle · 8/10 · 23 April 2022]

This is a good show, particularly interesting for non-American viewers, who don't really know much about the Mayflower colony. I think it would have been better if it was a little bit longer or if it chose its pov more decisively. This could be primarily William Bradford's story, or Squanto's story, or Stephen Hopkins 's story or -why not indeed- Mrs Hopkins' story, its running time was too short to be everyone's (and noone's) story.

History Retold: The Politics Behind the Pilgrims

[cinswan · 10/10 · 6 December 2016]

Granted, there is controversy about what happened between the Pilgrims from the Mayflower and the local Native Americans. As the Ojibwa say, "there are two sides to every story, and then there's the truth."

What this two-part series demonstrates is that it's not just the clash of cultures that creates tension: it's the political strife within cultures. Saints & Strangers brings these tensions, misunderstandings and conflicts to the forefront to make what we've all told is a simple story the more true reality of how complex the interactions actually were.

Attention to historical detail, including in costume design and makeup, is impeccable. The use of what would have been the language of the Native Americans (barely preserved by the dialect coach from people he knew because he didn't want to see the language die) is a side benefit of the enterprise and makes the portrayals of the main Native American roles not only believable, but compelling. Dialog between key characters illuminates the realization of the difficult enterprise resulting from arriving in an unknown place. Freedom from cultural restraints is replaced by awareness that no matter where we are, there are always social constraints.

This project must become a classic. It reveals that our sentimental notions about Thanksgiving don't reveal the truth. European settlement on this continent wasn't what anyone thought it would be -- neither the Europeans nor the Native Americans who had to navigate how to interact with each other, whether to trust each other, and what to learn from one another.

Saints & Strangers is both an homage to the people who came together, under trying circumstances, as well as a cautionary tale. It paints clearly that there is no "good" or "bad" side: that politics, no matter our skin color, always attempts to cloud our judgment. In the end, it also shows that no matter who we are, or from where we have come, we are ultimately all cut from the same cloth.

Isabeau Vollhardt, author, The Casebook of Elisha Grey e-book series

Very good but.....

[bob-1135 · 9/10 · 26 October 2018]

The actual premise of the story, showing the Mayflower settlers from a different perspective, was very good, acting was great and nice to see proper weapons being used correctly. However one thing that really took away from the whole thing was the women actors looked as if they had just visited a beauty parlour, with their carefully coiffured hair and immaculately plucked eyebrows going very well with their flawless skin. Living in conditions like that you very quickly get 'the grime' , a dirtiness that covers you and takes many hot baths and showers to get rid of. Your hair grows in tangled messes and your skin erupts in a whole selection of interesting and persistent blemishes. And as for one of the women wearing a crocheted shawl, really? She would be wearing animal skins or if really lucky an old blanket.

Outstanding Miniseries: Well Researched and Beautifully Filmed

[lavatch · 10/10 · 24 February 2016]

"Saints and Strangers" recounts the story of the voyage of the Mayflower and the early settlement at Plymouth. The miniseries aired on the National Geographic Channel and is now available in the DVD format.

As opposed to a film documentary, the approach is a dramatization in the form of a miniseries. The title derives from the main theme of the drama, which concerns the two groups of immigrants: the devout pilgrims and those who came to America for mercenary reasons. But the film avoids a melodramatic, cut-and-dry approach to the characters. The strength of the series is that it paints a far more complex picture of the immigrants, as well as the Native Americans with whom the settlers came into contact.

One of key roles is that of the historical figure of Stephen Hopkins. At one of the turning points in the drama, Hopkins confesses to his wife that the situation in America is not black-and-white, but falls withing a "grey" area. The same realization comes to the group's governor, William Bradford, whose piety is tested by the struggle to survive. Another multidimensional role is that of the Native American named Squanto, who on the surface is sympathetic to the foreigners, but underneath has a seething rage due to his personal losses of family and tribe. The filmmakers discovered ambiguity in a set of roles that could have been bland stereotypes.

The film is beautifully photographed and includes a fine ensemble cast. There is also a helpful website on the National Geographic Channel's home page that includes a "who's who" list and description of the main historical characters.

Overall, this film was definitely a cut above the average television miniseries. There was some thought that went into the teleplay, and the production values were closer to those of a feature film than a cable TV series.

Reasonable telling of the Pilgrims with some details left out

[bob-78887 · 4/10 · 17 February 2019]

This is a reasonable telling of the Pilgrims saga from the time they left England to some years after their settlement in Plymouth. I have read the historical accounts of George Willison's "Saints and Strangers", as well as Nathaniel Philbrook's "Mayflower". William Brewster was a key figure in the Pilgrim's history. He was known as William the Elder, as he was their church leader. He was likely instrumental in drawing up the Mayflower Compact. He was completely left out of this telling of the tale. To leave him out is a grievous error! There should have been more of the Pilgrim's Sunday services, as it was a very important part of their culture. Also, the Pilgrim's were taken aback by how scantily dressed the Native Americans were. The Native Americans in this production are in full leathers! Another grievous error!

Surprisingly good

[jimhanzlik · 10/10 · 15 May 2016]

When I recorded this I had low expectations. I didn't now how good of a job National Geographic would do with a movie, but I decided to watch it just because I love anything historical. The movie is chock full of really good actors who all do a great job. There is a lot of tension between the English and natives that feels real. Even though we all know how this story ends there is a lot of suspense. I got worried when things seemed to go against the pilgrims and it seemed like the natives would attack them. I also cheered when the Pilgrims were victorious over their enemies. I don't know how accurate this movie was, but it felt like they were trying to be accurate, and if it is accurate, I feel like I learned something. This movie did what a good historical film should do, and that is really give you a feeling for what it must have felt like to be in that place at that time. On this score, the movie was excellent. I highly recommend this movie.

Historical Dramas as they should be told

[borismk-38942 · 9/10 · 10 November 2018]

Like all good dramas this show doesn't try to tell you what you should think. It tries to tell the story with honesty and attention to detail while taking just enough poetic license to make these characters relatable to us. What it boils down to is that, regardless of the perspective, we're all people who share a common desire to prosper and live good lives. We're often more alike than different, and all of us have flaws. In a new world where can decide how they want to live people make up the rules as they go. Being unhindered by prejuidces and past norms allow people the flexibility to come to new understandings

A really good story

[ssra_25 · 10/10 · 16 October 2018]

A very well played movie, with an interesting plot. I didn't get bored a single second of it and I recommend it to anyone.

Nat Geo should stick to documentaries

[pmpmn9 · 2/10 · 11 February 2019]

Not impressed with this at all. Between the series itself and the reviews here, I'm convinced that at least eighty per cent of Americans have never met an Indigenous person in their entire lives and really don't care about them, their culture, or their history. I didn't appreciate the way the Indigenous characters were portrayed. I didn't find it credible or compelling. I also have to agree with "jackhuntermtl" about the poor production, etc.

Absolutely amazing period drama!

[sandydee-80161 · 10/10 · 20 May 2021]

I have thought many times about creating an account on IMDB. Well I finally did it! Only to praise this show as much as I can!

I have no idea how historically accurate it is, but it seems like it could be a pretty genuine retelling of the actual story of this particular colony. With some extra tv drama, of course.

It was interesting, moving, engaging! Something was always happening where you would be interested or concerned for all parties involved. It was simple storytelling, with nuance, without a villain and hero in black and white. You could easily relate to both "sides". In fact, their initial (and ongoing) suspicion of each other, and then some attempts at genuine friendship, just moved me in a sincere, profound way. It struck a cord with me, like, in the way that I could even relate it to present day issues of racism and suspicion between different cultures/religions/races.

But as soon as people get to know and trust each other, there is a totally different understanding and connection, and we can all see that we are all just simply human. This show delivered that message without preaching, but by simply telling a story. And it got my heart all into it, while doing so. Without me even noticing, I started to care about these characters!

The ONLY drawback with this show, is that instead of 2x 1.30 something hours, it should have been several seasons long, to let us know all the (interesting) characters more deeply! I hungered for knowing more about pretty much all of the characters!!

I was profoundly touched by this show, and I don't say that about a lot of things. That it was also entertaining/dramatic/interesting, is just another plus. Would highly recommend for anyone who likes drama/history/period drama.

One small reservation that I had with me while watching, was that from my history lessons in school, the native American population "in general" suffered a pretty bad take-over from the English population, whereas this example was a pretty "positive" example of how some made friends and allies, instead, etc. My viewpoint on this is that, with a few more seasons, this could easily have been reflected aswell. And probably shown in an even more nuanced and complex way. The show already demonstrated they were well able to deal with nuances.

The same kind of "grey area" could still have been there, between individuals, as I am sure that there was indeed at least some English and native Americans who actually became friends, as showed in this series.

Regardless of the above comment, I will say that the friendship angle struck me extremely hard, emotionally. And *MILD spoilers ahead*!!!

I can say that there is one death during the series that actually made me 😭 real hard. Like, real ugly-crying. If a show can make that happen, in only two long episodes, then it's a damn good show!! Give it a chance, and let us hope they pick it back up!

Effectively Takes Viewers Back to Plymouth's First Years

[timcon1964 · 9/10 · 2 May 2023]

Unlike "Plymouth Adventure," a 1952 MGM movie that focuses on the voyage of the Mayflower and features special effects, big-name actors portraying well dressed, beardless men and well washed women engaged in a partly fictitious plot, Saints and Strangers presents less prominent actors as bearded men and poorly clothed and groomed women coping with the extreme challenge of founding a colony in the wilderness.

For the most part, this mini-series, which devotes 20 minutes to the voyage, and nearly three hours to the first few years of Plymouth colony, adheres to actual historical events. Aboard the Mayflower, we see the birth of Oceanus Hopkins, the storm, the ship's broken beam, and John Howland being washed overboard. We see the settlers, in their first onshore explorations, finding skeletons, buried Indian corn, and the site of former Indian village on which they construct Plymouth. The film shows Samoset appearing and greeting them in English, Squanto teaching them how to plant crops, and the settlers negotiating a mutual assistance treaty with Massasoit, and Hobomok's wife being sent to investigate Squanto's warning that Massasoit intended to attack the colony, and finding that no attack was planned. All of this is documented in the settlers' accounts.

But, in some respects, the movie clearly breaks with the historical record. There is no evidence of Dorothy Bradford's nightmares about her son back in Leyden. The film deviates from established facts in showing Massasoit poised to attack the settlers until Squanto talks him out of it. In this screen version, some Indians abduct Billlington's son as payback for the settlers' theft of Indian corn. But it is clear from Bradford's account that young Billington simply got lost in the woods. The film shows Hopkins' wife Elizabeth developing a constructive relationship with Hobomok's wife, for which there is no evidence. And it gives a prominent role to Hobomok's son ("Wematin"), although the documentary record offers no evidence for even his existence. In the movie, the Wessagusset massacre is presented as Plymouth's pre-emptive strike against an Indian conspiracy. But the settlers' accounts show it is just as true that what the Indians planned was a pre-emptive response to the Weston men's conspiracy to steal their corn.

The film shows Squanto mistranslating English and Indian statements, evidently to prevent confrontations-but we have no evidence of this (the English settlers, unacquainted with Indian languages, obviously could not judge the veracity of translations). Squanto actually died, not at a meeting with settlers and other Indians as shown in the movie, but during a trading expedition around Cape Cod. It is true, as we see in the film, that, as he lay dying, he asked Bradford to pray for him to the English God.

Captain Jones was more helpful to the settlers than the film suggests. He led at least one of the original shore exploration parties, and after another foray, "killed five geese, which he friendly distributed among the sick people." He provided some of the Mayflower's canons to the colony, and helped the settlers transport them up fort hill and mount them. And he kept the ship at hand from November 1620 until April 1621 in support of the colony. One contemporary account refers to Jones's "kindness and forwardness." Jones did offer to take those who wished back to England-none went.

The casting and the script attempt an honest portrayal of all the characters and their settlements. The actors capture what we know of the personalities of the leading settlers-that Standish was somewhat abrasive and had a bad relationship with John Billington (in years not covered by the movie, Billington was tied up by neck and heels for cursing Standish, and was eventually (1630) hanged for murder), that Stephen Hopkins sometimes clashed with the leaders, that Edward Winslow was an effective diplomat, and William Bradford was a respected leader.

The film gives major attention to Native Americans, who, like the settlers, were not a monolithic group. On screen, we see their actual hair styles and attire. Great credit goes to the actors who portray the Indians, and deliver their lines in a Native American language (although apparently not the language that Eastern Massachusetts Indians actually spoke), accompanied by English or French subtitles. The film reveals the differences between tribes and their leaders, as far as these were understood by the settlers. Massasoit was a reasonable man and a true friend to Plymouth. Squanto befriended the settlers in important ways, but evidently had his own agenda. And, as shown in the film, there apparently was some sort of rivalry between Squanto and Hobomok. Hobomok's wife evidently was living with him in Plymouth, but that is about all we know about her. Canonicus, who appears in this film bullying Massasoit and threatening Plymouth by sending arrows in a snakeskin, got along well with Rhode Island settlers and was almost a father figure to Roger Williams.

In the movie's final scene, the story jumps six years, from the second thanksgiving, and shows Bradford greeting his son John, who has just arrived from Leyden. Of course, this is only the beginning of the Plymouth story, which carries on until Plymouth was incorporated in Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1691.

The film is necessarily based on accounts written by white Englishmen. The Indians left no written records, so the film's producers had to make educated guesses about their conversations and conferences. This is also true regarding English and Native American women. Despite a few historical inaccuracies, this mini-series gives a true feeling of the settlers' challenges and how they dealt with them.

If These People Go To Heaven, I Want To Go To Hell

[jackhuntermtl · 2/10 · 8 May 2016]

Its very rare to see a show where every single character is just so unlikeable.

Only reason I'm giving it 2 stars instead of one is Ray Stevenson. There, guy is worth a full star on his own. Loved him in Rome.

We are talking 3 hours of nonstop nonsense about God until I have urge to go find this God and torture him, than slay him.

I found it utterly impossible to enjoy bad accents, badly written story, horrible camera work, its like people filming this never did anything else.

Every single shot is off. Its never centered closeup. Its always either wobbly camera, or closeup is weirdly partial with guy aiming somewhere mid chest filming face from eyes down. Its just ... really weird.

Maybe this could have been decent if better person wrote it, directed it and ... yeah, its just garbage.

historical dribble

[howboutthisone_huh · 1/10 · 27 July 2021]

About as ridiculous a historical piece as I've ever seen but why bother any more. Judging from the reviews most people don't know any more about american history than they do about china. So you can't really expect hollywood to produce anything intelligent because 1) they're just as ignorant as their consumers, 2) anything else, no one would understand anyway. What's particularly annoying though is how the producers spend so much time and effort getting period accurate, like in the dialog and technology of the time and then completely get other things so wrong in the interest of being entertaining. And because, they get a flintlock rifle period correct, their consumers then assume everything else is historically accurate, aka dumbed down. So for example, a hundred years before plymouth, francisco pizarro with fewer than 200 men defeated thousands of incans and capture their emperor, Atahualpa, with no casualties, according to eyewitness accounts. There's probably some exaggeration but we know for a fact that pizarro marched his men all over latin america for years and most of them made it back to spain, and they didn't have any better skillset than the pilgrims at plymouth rock. But, in this soap opera, we're supposed to believe that these europeans showing up in the americas were in constant fear of a stone age people? But, not afraid of wearing heavy armor to row hundreds of yards in unknown water. Yes, the pilgrims struggled but it was because they brought 1600s skillsets to a land where people were still hunter/gatherers. Native americans were flourishing in the america. We often respect but denigrate native american people because most tribes in the north american were not formed into civilizations similar to european history but still, the people here flourished and were well adapted; much better than the early europeans. The part with Samoset where he breaks into this hollywood pidgeon english dialect so cliche of how hollywood views native americans, is where I got off the bus. I can't understand though why native americans put up with this nonsense. Is it because of tourist dollars? Are they making money off this cartoonish portrayal of their culture? Or, are they just as ignorant as the rest of country?