Damn the Defiant!
by Lewis Gilbert
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Alec Guinness, Dirk Bogarde, Maurice Denham, Nigel Stock, Richard CarpenterDirector: Lewis Gilbert
Brand: GUINNESS,ALEC
Cinematographer: Christopher Challis
Editor: Peter R. Hunt
Producer: Douglas Peirce
Producer: John Brabourne
Writer: Edmund H. North
Writer: Frank Tilsley
Writer: Nigel Kneale
DVD: Region Code 99
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Portuguese (Subtitled); Georgian (Subtitled); Chinese (Subtitled); Thai (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 101 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2000-10-10
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Movie Reviews of Damn the Defiant!
Movie Review: A very good film
Summary: 5 Stars
"Damn the Defiant!" is the name of a British film made in 1962. It IS a strange name, but you should not let that mislead you: the film is worth seeing. It is a very interesting story about leadership, good men, and bad men.
The story is set during the Napoleonic Wars, that time when the French ruled Europe, and the British ruled the waves. However, the main conflict in the film is not between the French and the English; it is between the Captain and the first mate aboard an English frigate, the Defiant. The Captain is a good sea-officer and commander; not a soft man, but a just and merciful one. His first mate is a talented young officer, who is however not only too hard and unrelenting, but unmerciful and truly cruel to the hands. A conflict naturally arises between them, but as the first mate has powerful friends in the government, the Captain has to be careful about gaining his enmity. Things are made more complex by a fact of which both of them are unaware: in all vessels of the British fleet a bloodless revolt is being planned, as a demand for better conditions of life for the hands aboard the ships. But it is extremely important that there is no officer killed in any of the ships; and the heads of the revolt aboard the Defiant start to have trouble to restrain some men who hate the first mate. These three conflicts provide a highly interesting story.
Of course, an interesting story is not all that matters; but in other respects the film is good too. Firstly, the main character is a good and noble man; and that is something one does not find in all stories. Then, it is not a violent film: it does have some violence, but not in an "unrealistically realistic" degree; it is not one of those films in which we see blood spurting from a man's wound as if out of a garden hose. And last, but very important: the leading roles are played by very good actors.
A few years ago a film was made similar to this one: it was also set during the Napoleonic Wars, aboard an English vessel sent on a mission against the French. The plot was fairly good, though the movie was unnecessarily violent. However, the main point against it is that the leading role was played very poorly. The actor who played the captain was not at all convincing, although the character should have been that of an outstanding commander. In "Damn the Defiant!" we have a good character played by a very good actor, and the result is that the Captain stands out, as an aristocratic and stately man we truly admire. In this other movie, "Master and Commander", we see no nobility and no dignity in the main character; we cannot admire him, and this spoils the whole film. In one case, a good story was spoiled by the choice of the wrong man; and in the other, one character well acted turned an interesting -- but in no way exceptional -- story, into a very good film.
Summary of Damn the Defiant!
Sailors mutiny aboard the H.M.S. Defiant when the humane captain is wounded and the cruel first mate takes command. In spite of the mutiny, they join the British fleet to fight the invading French.Genre: Feature Film-Action/Adventure
Rating: NR
Release Date: 10-OCT-2000
Media Type: DVD
Set in 1797 at the beginning of the Napoleonic Wars, Damn the Defiant! (also known as H.M.S. Defiant) is an enthralling British naval drama made to capitalize on MGM's epic remake of Mutiny on the Bounty, also released in 1962. It's based on Frank Tilsey's novel Mutiny and stars Alex Guinness as a fair-minded captain locked in psychological conflict with his manipulative, coldly malicious first officer (Dirk Bogarde), and the parallels with the famous true story are clear. However, there were many naval mutinies during this period, and this large-scale saga, which includes some spectacularly staged widescreen naval battles, offers a realistic depiction of life in the British navy at the time--from the press gangs and floggings to the appalling food and living conditions.
Director Lewis Gilbert--who previously helmed Sink the Bismarck! (1960)--strikes a good balance between the personal drama and sweeping maritime adventure. Guinness successfully varies his firm-but-fair officer from The Bridge on the River Kwai, Bogarde is chillingly hateful, and Anthony Quayle gives strong support. --Gary S. Dalkin
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