Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)

Fletcher Christian successfully leads a revolt against the ruthless Captain Bligh on the HMS Bounty. However, Bligh returns one year later, hell bent on avenging his captors.

Director:

Frank Lloyd

Writers:

Talbot Jennings (screenplay), Jules Furthman (screenplay),

Stars:

Charles Laughton, Clark Gable, Franchot Tone

Won 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Charles Laughton	...	Bligh
Clark Gable	...	Christian
Franchot Tone	...	Byam
Herbert Mundin	...	Smith
Eddie Quillan	...	Ellison
Dudley Digges	...	Bacchus
Donald Crisp	...	Burkitt
Henry Stephenson	...	Sir Joseph Banks
Francis Lister	...	Capt. Nelson
Spring Byington	...	Mrs. Byam
Movita	...	Tehani
Mamo Clark	...	Maimiti (as Mamo)
Byron Russell	...	Quintal
Percy Waram	...	Coleman
David Torrence	...	Lord Hood

Storyline

Midshipman Roger Byam joins Captain Bligh and Fletcher Christian aboard the HMS Bounty for a voyage to Tahiti. Bligh proves to be a brutal tyrant and, after six pleasant months on Tahiti, Christian leads the crew to mutiny on the homeward voyage. Even though Byam takes no part in the mutiny, he must defend himself against charges that he supported Christian.

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Plot Keywords:

tahiti | bounty | mutiny | voyage | ship | 

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Taglines:

Clark Gable as the daring mutineer in the screen's most exciting adventure story!

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | History

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Polynesian

Release Date:

1936 (Turkey)

Also Known As:

Meuterei auf der Bounty

Filming Locations:

French Polynesia

Box Office

Budget:

$1,950,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

132 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Clark Gable was initially disappointed when Franchot Tone was cast as Byam. The two actors had been bitter rivals for the affections of Joan Crawford, and did not like each other at all. However, during filming Gable surprisingly became close friends with Tone when they discovered a mutual interest in alcohol and women, both of which were abundantly available in Avalon, the island of Catalina's famous pleasure town.

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Goofs

Captain Bligh punished one of his sailors by having him "keelhauled". However this was a Dutch practice and there's no documented evidence it was ever done on a ship of the British Royal Navy.

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Quotes

[Byam enters the courtroom and sees that the midshipman's dirk on the table points toward him; he knows that he has been condemned to death]
Lord Hood: Have you anything to say before the sentence of this court is passed upon you?
[long pause]
Byam: Milord, much as I desire to live, I'm not afraid to die. Since I first sailed on the Bounty over four years ago, I've know how men can be made to suffer worse things than death, cruelly, beyond duty, beyond necessity.
[turns to Captain Bligh]
Byam: Captain Bligh, you've told...
[...]

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Connections

Spoofed in Good Noose (1962)

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Soundtracks

"Love Song of Tahiti"
(1935) (uncredited)
Music by Bronislau Kaper & Walter Jurmann
Lyrics by Gus Kahn

User Reviews

Exquisite.

Wow. I haven't seen this movie for many years and it turned out to be even better than I'd remembered it. I really have to admire this film, as the acting and entire production are top-notch. I rarely give 10s, but this one comes very close--oh, heck...the more I think about it, the more I realize it does deserve it.

As far as the historical accuracy of the film goes, while it isn't perfect (after all, Bligh's exact role in starting the mutiny is tough to determine), it did get most of the points of this true tale correct--showing a rare reverence for the source material. All too often, history takes a back seat to making a marketable film. The only major thing the film got seriously wrong were the mutineers themselves. However, this is because only recent excavations have shown that the men who mutinied in effect killed each other off--as they apparently WERE scum after all. But, based on material available at the time, it was pretty good. As to Bligh's temperament, the British admiralty found Bligh completely blameless. However, later as governor of Australia, Bligh alienated everyone and was, by most accounts, a real jerk. So, the essence of the film appears to be true. Hmm...for once I have no serious complaints about the accuracy of a historical film--that's pretty rare.

The best part of the film, however, is that the actors were absolutely on top of their game. Charles Laughton, though prone to overacting by all accounts, was exceptional here. Clark Gable was in his element--and simply one of his best film roles. The same can also be said of Franchot Tone--here, he has a much deeper and meatier role than usual. In fact, the three came off so well that all three were nominated for Best Actor--necessitating the creation of Best Supporting Actor and Actress categories. The rest of the cast, the supporting journeymen actors, were great--with Donald Crisp (with hair!!) excellent as a troublemaker, Dudley Diggs as a very sympathetic drunkard and many others in top form.

The direction by Frank Lloyd, the cinematography, music, sets and location shooting were also wonderful. So why, if this film was so perfect, would they try remaking it?! This is a great example of a film whose remakes definitely pale by comparison. A perfect or at least near-perfect film in every way.

By the way, if you are curious about the real life Bligh, after both this mutiny and the rebellion in Australia (that he appeared to instigate), he was rewarded with the rank of Rear Admiral! Who says life has to be fair?