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A Desperate Crossing: The Untold Story of The Mayflower is a three-hour documentary special which reveals the true story behind the first Thanksgiving and the Pilgrim Fathers' voyage to America aboard the Mayflower. The series aired originally in the USA on The History Channel in November 2006 as three hour-long episodes.

The Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony are a small band of religious extremists who flee persecution in Europe in the hopes of creating a more godly society in the New World. Condemned as traitors in England and forced into a life of exile and poverty in Holland, the group decides to risk all and take their chances in the wilds of America. In the autumn of 1620, over one hundred Separatists and a crew of sailors huddled together in the small hold of the Mayflower as it battled through fierce storms and struggled across the unforgiving seas of the North Atlantic. Upon finally reaching land, every day was fraught with dangerous weather, disease, malnourishment, and finally the difficulty of trying to reach an understanding with the Native Americans. After much turmoil and hardship the colonists form a cohesive group and find a way to forge a life for themselves in America, learning from and creating a fragile, temporary truce with the native peoples. From the treacherous ocean passage to the first years of struggle to establish a new home, the story of Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony is the story of America - with all its contradictions.

Every American knows the story of the Pilgrims, their courageous voyage on the Mayflower and the first Happy Thanksgiving. But the homogenized and sanitized history learned as children and revisited every Thanksgiving holiday bears faint resemblance to the actual people and dramatic events of that desperate time. This three-hour special from the makers of Witch Hunt and Conquest of America uses dramatic re-enactments based on original source material to bring to life the true story of the Puritans' terrible plight.

The program is filmed in HD primarily at Plimoth Plantation in Massachusetts, but also at other period-appropriate locations in England, Belgium, Maryland, and Virginia and includes interviews with 15 leading American, Native American and British scholars. Actors from The Royal Shakespeare Company join members of the Massachusetts Wampanoag tribe in creating dramatic period re-enactments that bring to life the Pilgrims' harrowing journey and first year of survival. The program features all of the key characters in the Pilgrim saga: chroniclers William Bradford and Edward Winslow, Pastor John Robinson, organiser William Brewster, military leader Myles Standish, protagonist King James I, Massassoit (or chief) Osemequan, translator Squanto, and many more, as well as the wives and family members of the settlers.

A Desperate Crossing: The Untold Story of The Mayflower digs deeper into the facts than any previous documentary, to paint a devastating picture of the difficult lives of these early immigrants. Based on meticulous historical research and original source material including William Bradford's first-hand account, Of Plymouth Plantation, the program recreates the fascinating world of the Pilgrims in all its complexity.

Directed and Produced by Lisa Quijano Wolfinger
Narrated by Edward Herrmann

Produced by Lone Wolf Documentary Group for The History Channel (2006)

Part 2 : DVD Extras