...think of the first scene--hordes of miserable convicts hauling a ship into drydock? Instead of, you know, flooding the drydock and floating her in?

All in all, I really enjoyed the movie. The performances were excellent and very moving. But some stuff drove me nuts: Why would convicts have shaved heads (presumably for hygiene) but massive beards? And why was it always cold, always winter, and always raining or snowing? No wonder everyone was starving--no growing season.