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Mutiny On The Bounty [1935]
![Mutiny On The Bounty [1935]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51BPEJYYBTL._SL160_.jpg)
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It ain't history, it's Hollywood
Review date: 2006-07-24 Rating: 8 out of 10
The Gable-Laughton version of Mutiny on the Bounty bears about as much relation to history as Michelle Pfeiffer does to Idi Amin and in some ways it's a rather under-ambitious and repetitive bit of work for all the splendor of its staging. Much of the first half is just a catalog of brutalities completely at odds with the facts (the unlucky Bligh was a much more lenient captain than was good for him and the loss of the Bounty was cited by many contemporaries as proof that then-recent reforms of conditions were a disastrous mistake) and more in keeping with Victorian melodrama. Laughton's performance certainly takes the hint and delivers an unsubtle but entertaining essay in bluster and volume, although his unfortunate statement that "I have a way of my own with seamen" is an unintentional double-entendre worthy of Smithers from The Simpsons.
Gable's Fletcher Christian is rather one-dimensional here and knows it, calling on as much star power as he can muster to make a watered-down part the heroic focus of the film, while Franchot Tone backs him up with naïve enthusiasm to make him look more manly by comparison. Herbert Mundin's comic relief is a tad irritating and William Bambridge's King Hitihiti looks more like a Mexican villager that Tahitian royalty: you keep on expecting him to say that "In the end, only the farmers win."
But it's more than entertaining enough, and it's the only one of the Bounty films to include the British Navy's pursuit of the mutineers and the Wreck of the Pandora, so earns extra points for that.
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Reviews
Bountyful adventure
Review date: 2006-07-06 Rating: 6 out of 10
I can't add much to the reviews, just a couple of details.
When Laughton came to make the movie, he approached the tailors who made naval uniforms and asked if they had some of the detal of Blighs uniform. They still had it on record and the uniform he wwears in the film is accurate. Sadly the records where lot in the bombin during the war.
Shortly after he made this, not sure of the date, he appears in a film called Abbot and Costello meet Captain Kidd. He plays the captain, and spoofs his role in the Bounty. He also sings, not much, but its funny to list to.
'Your watch, Mr Christian. I must count the coconuts'.
Review date: 2004-07-26 Rating: 10 out of 10
A true classic. If you need to convince anyone that films aren't as good as they used to be, this is the one to show them. Gorgeous photography, brought vividly to life in this impeccable transfer, a rattling good story, wonderful performances, and no expense spared on sets and locations.
This version is a fictionalised account, based on Nordhoff and Hall's novel rather than the true history. (For a more accurate retelling, check out the 1984 version, 'The Bounty'.) In terms of events it's broadly correct but of course, in keeping with a good adventure story, it presents Bligh as a sour-faced sadist rather that the complex, troubled character he really was. As such, Charles Laughton turns in a performance to relish, perhaps the greatest of his career.
If you can accept Clark Gable as a Cumbrian, this is a good old adventure movie of the very best kind, and a terrific film by any standards.
A fascinating bonus on this disc is the short documentary 'Pitcairn Today', showing life on the island as it was in the 1930s.
Not the most exciting classic
Review date: 2004-07-18 Rating: 6 out of 10
Inspired by true events on board of HMS Bounty, the film tells the story of a group of sailors rebelled against their cruel captain. I have to say that I was rather curious to see the film but I was a bit disappointed. It never quite did it for me, and I found myself losing interest at several points. Gable was never one of my favourite actors and this isn't the one that going to change it. As for Laughton, although he is very good, I prefer to see him in "Witness for the Prossecution" any day.
The film transfer without being one of the best I've seen in films from the 30's and 40's is quite good. The DVD has a few minor extras, the most curious of which is an MGM short about the fate of the rebels and their descendants. A bit condescendent but still a nice epilogue to the film.
Classic performances by Laughton & Gable
Review date: 2002-05-06 Rating: 10 out of 10
This true story, with, admittedly, plenty of liberties taken with that truth, has gone down in popular consciousness as a true folk tale that everyone is familiar with. It has even been filmed three times. Captain Bligh has gone down in history as the epitome of tyranny and Fletcher Christian has become a symbol of man’s struggle against tyranny. Good against evil. Tyranny against freedom. A David verses Goliath story, if you will, or a George Washington verses George III. If you want to know why this myth has become so enduring – and it is a myth. The true story is no-where near as black and white, as the 1980s remake hints at - then watch this film.
Clark Gable is utterly convincing as the hero who can take no more of Captain Bligh’s tyrannical leadership and leads the men to mutiny against him. His performance knocks both Marlon Brando and Mel Gibson’s later feeble efforts into a three-cornered hat. Best of all is Charles Laughton’s portrayal of Captain Bligh. Bligh is tyranny personified. His very presence on screen oozes menace. His eyes glare malevolently at his crew. Every word that comes out of his mouth drips with contempt. Never has an actor portrayed evil so convincingly and so thoroughly. Most actors would overplay it. Laughton, the master that he is, gets it exactly right. Loathsome though Bligh is, he never becomes a caricature. He is a man as well as a monster. (Tim Roth and Alan Rickman should eat their hearts out.) It is one of the best performances in 20th Century cinema.
This film works at every level: the brisk pacing, the characterisation of the ships crew, the sets scenes on board ship and on the Island of Tahiti, and the cinematography. It is a wonderful film to watch and one that has ingrained itself into our collective memories thanks, mainly, to Charles Laughton.
Product Details/Specifications
Actor(s):
Eddie Quillan
Clark Gable
Herbert Mundin
Franchot Tone
Charles Laughton
Creators:
Charles Laughton (Primary Contributor)
Clark Gable (Primary Contributor)
Director(s):
Recording label: Warner Home Video
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
EAN: 7321900650908
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: Black & White, PAL,
Release date: 2006-06-01
Number of discs: 1
Audience rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 132 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1936
Language: English (Original Language)