Captain Jones would like his turkey with some fava beans and a nice Chianti
Mayflower: The Pilgrims' Adventure is a Made-for-TV Movie that originally aired on CBS in 1979. Based on the 1620 voyage of the Mayflower, the film stars Anthony Hopkins as Captain Christopher Jones, Richard Crenna as William Brewster, and Jenny Agutter as Priscilla Mullens.Compare Plymouth Adventure, a 1952 theatrical feature that covered the same material.
This film has the examples of:
- Burial at Sea: William Brewster objects when Captain Jones performs one without a prayer. Jones claims that the godless sailor whose corpse they're throwing overboard wouldn't have appreciated it.
- Church Police: Jacobean England doesn't take kindly to people who don't follow the established church. Of course, the Pilgrims would later set up their own version of this, not that the film ever mentions that.
- Culture Clash: As in Plymouth Adventure, there's an ongoing clash between the pious Pilgrims and the crude sailors.Brewster: Captain, could you prevail upon your sailors to give up their profanity for the duration of the voyage?
Jones: My men are profane, Mr. Brewster. Profanity is their natural speech. - Determinator:Jones: A thousand people died the first year at the Jamestown colony.
Brewster: But not all of them. - Doesn't Like Guns: John Alden says he doesn't like guns.
- Here There Be Dragons:Jones: When the mapmakers didn't know what lay beyond the horizon, they used to print the legend, "here there be dragons."
Reynolds: And there never were dragons.
Jones: Wrong, Captain. There always were, and there always are. - Incurable Cough of Death: Rose Standish spends the whole film suffering from this ailment. In the ending scroll, it's mentioned that she died shortly after the arrival in the New World.
- Love Triangle: The usual one with Miles Standish, John Alden, and Priscilla Mullins. And yes, they do work in a version of the "Why don't you speak for yourself, John?" line.
- Nice Guys Finish Last: This is Miles Standish's dating advice for John Alden.
- Screw the Rules, I Have Money!: Governor Christopher Martin constantly thinks the rules shouldn't have to apply to him because he's rich. Who cares if they'll all starve because he's taking more than his share of food? He's entitled to it because he's Governor Christopher Martin.
- Shaped Like Itself:Brewster: Captain, how long do you think this storm will last?
Jones: Until it ends, Mr. Brewster, until it ends. - Ultimate Job Security: One of the sailors is an unapologetic rapist, but Jones hires him anyway because he's a good sailor. It's implied that the rest of the crew is not much better.
- "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue: The film ends with the arrival in the New World. A scrolling text then explains what happened to all the characters next and ultimately notes that this is the Dawn of an Era for the United States.
