Mutiny on the Bounty
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Movie Reviews of Mutiny on the Bounty
Movie Review: Swashbuckling!
Summary: 4 Stars
"Mutiny on the Bounty" is the fictionalized tale of an actual event whose repercussions are felt to this day. Captain Bligh is charged with sailing the Bounty to Tahiti to harvest breadfruit plants for transplant to the West Indies - what should ultimately be a two-year mission. He is commander of a crew made up of both volunteers and those pressed into service by His Majesty's Royal Navy, the latter group being significantly less enthusiastic about their voyage. Bligh's discipline often crosses the line into malicious sadism and as the months wear on, many in the crew begin to contemplate a mutiny which they execute shortly after departing Tahiti. Bligh is put into a small boat with those of the crew who remain loyal and performs the amazing feat of sailing 3500 miles over 45 days with very little provision. He eventually returns to Tahiti, where first mate Christian and the rest of the mutineers reside along with some of the loyal crew who wouldn't fit on the boat. Capture, return to England, trial, and execution ensue for some of the mutineers.
"Mutiny" is great not because of the acting - Laughton is tremendous as Bligh, Gable is only servicable as Christian, and Tone is poor as conflicted midshipman Byam - but because of the characters that make up the story. Those performances which are less-than-great are swallowed up by the flow of the story which you can almost feel as an inevitable force driving them all to their fate. Bligh is to mean to die, Christian is too noble to die, Byam is to honorable to die. But each receives a very different reward for their actions.
The supporting cast is very solid and really conveys the sense of frustration and anger that builds as time passes on the Bounty. The shots of the Bounty on the open ocean are magnificent and are easily the equal of those from "Master and Commander". However, the obviously anglo "Tahitians" can be pretty distracting to someone who's grown up in politically correct America. Still, it's a minor point, especially in the black-and-white format.
A true classic. Highly recommend.
Movie Review: The best version of all "Bounty" movies...
Summary: 4 Stars
Of the three films about the famous "Bounty" ship, this version with Clark Gable and Charles Laughton I liked the best. In this version my feelings never swayed as to whom I liked (Gable and the ship mates) and whom I despised (Laughton).
Clakr Gable's Fletcher Christian was a light hearted man who was a friend to all. His shipmates looked highly upon him, even though many had been forced to join the long voyage. He was sympathetic with the crew's plight and often times tried his best to protect them from the many vast punishments. When Christian is fully fed up with the majorly unfair antics of Bligh and his mission, he finally decides to take command the Bounty. Christian, once he is in command, never looks back and takes his followers back to paradise on an unknown and uncharted island to live the rest of his days.
Captain Bligh is a military man to the bone who demands respect from all, and achieves it through his rough tactics, stern discipline and often times uncaring ways. He leads his ship with the Navy War Rules Book in one hand and a whip in the other. His actions can most certainly be deemed unfair, unjust and most of all harsh. Bligh feels that fear in one's Captain is the only way to lead and earn respect. In a way he almost seems to relish finding ways to "push a man's buttons" so he can then take out his Navy Rules War Book and give reason for punishment. His sole reason of mission first, duty second no matter the cost to ones health or life leads to the eventual infamous mutiny.
Unlike the other 2 "Bounty" films whose Capt. Bligh's at times came across as too sympathetic; Charles Laughton's portrayal of Capt. Bligh came off more aggressive, uncaring and unlikeable. It was easy to hate him and cheer his eventual downfall. A great performance.
The other "Bounty" films are good and definitely worth watching (especially Marlon Brando), but the best of the lot is this great black and white 1935 version with Gable and Laughton.
Movie Review: Slightly Pedantic, but Fascinating story
Summary: 4 Stars
It is a fascinating story, and the acting remains top notch even if the style of story telling is somewhat dated. At times the story telling boarders on being pedantic, a trend which starts right at the beginning with the opening prologue.
"In December, 1787, H.M.S. Bounty lay in Portsmouth harbour on the eve of departure for Tahiti in the uncharted waters of the Great South sea.
The Bounty's mission was to procure breadfruit trees for transplanting to the West Indies as cheap food for slaves.
Neither ship nor breadfruit reached the West Indies. Mutiny prevented it--mutiny against the harsh eighteenth century sea law. But this mutiny, famous in history and legend, helped bring about a new discipline, based upon mutual respect between officers and men, by which Britain's sea power is maintained as security for all who pass upon the seas."
Like a lot of old movies, subtlety is not always this films strong point.
The prologue pretty much spells out the films plot (which I guess we kind of knew already anyway from the title). And yet it is 1 hour 2o minutes into the film before the mutiny takes place. And during that time you are just patiently waiting for what you already know is going to happen anyway.
During the first 1 hour and 20 minutes the crew is given no lack of motivation to mutiny. In fact "The Simpson's" parody, in which Captain Bligh seems to almost want the crew to mutiny, isn't too far off the mark.
The last 40 minutes of the film, which deal with the aftermath of the mutiny, is in my opinion the most interesting part. And a good history lesson to all us Americans ignorant of British naval history (although there are some historical inaccuracies in the film).
Movie Review: Very Entertaining although historically inaccurate
Summary: 4 Stars
The 1935 version is a big budget very entertaining movie. Both Laughton and Gable are excellent in their lead roles and the supporting cast is also good. With that, many people would be content to give this a 5 star review but I do like historical movies to be true and not to bend the truth to suit their purposes.
-The Real Captain Bligh was not a tyrant or a villain. His record as a captain showed that the trips he commanded had a good deal less than average floggings and that Bligh was not an excessive disciplinarian for his time. He was actually on the lenient side.
-It is said that the real Bligh did not suffer fools well. He was not a perfect man then but nothing resembling the villain.
-The real Christian Fletcher was just 22 years old at the time.Due to his youth, he was not second in command on "the Bounty" but was an officer.
-Bligh and Fletcher had sailed together previously and both volunteered to sail again together.
-The real Fletcher was probably motivated by a desire to return to the great climate and lifestyle of Tahiti and his Tahitian wife more than any dislke of Bligh. To its credit, this movie does note this motivation but places it as secondary.
The 1984 Mel Gibson remake was not 100% accurate but was very much closer to the truth. For its entertainment value, this deserves an "A' and for those who don't care about historical truth, leave it at that. For its historical accuracy, it gets a "C" at best. Average it to a "B" then and 4 stars for those who value a true story and not just agood story.
Movie Review: THRILLING SEA EPIC IN VERY NICE LOOKING TRANSFER
Summary: 4 Stars
"Mutiny On The Bounty" is a classic sea epic about the crew of a British tall ship who revolt after their captain (Charles Laughton) becomes tyrannical on the high seas. Clark Gable cuts a handsome swashbuckling figure as Fletcher Christian - king of the mutineers. His ability to insight revolt leads to a disastrous outcome for all concerned. Franchot Tone give a poignant performance as one of the wronged sea men, put on trial but eventually exonerated from the charge of mutiny. For adventure on the high seas there's none to touch this harrowing classic!Warner Brothers? transfer is a mixed blessing. Though much of the footage shot on indoor stages seems to have held up well over time the exterior and location photography is riddled with age related artifacts, slightly out of focus image quality and glaring film grain, dirt and grit. The gray scale sometimes has a well balanced look to it. At other times it appears to be suffering from low contrast levels. Blacks are never solid or deep. There are no digital anomalies. Fine details are never realized. The audio is mono but very nicely cleaned up. Extras include a couple of featurettes and a trailer. Ho-hum...the pirates life for me!