Damn the Defiant! (1962)
"H.M.S. Defiant" (original title)

Defiant's crew is part of a fleet-wide movement to present a petition of grievances to the Admiralty. Violence must be no part of it. The continual sadism of Defiant's first officer makes ... See full summary »

Director:

Lewis Gilbert

Writers:

Nigel Kneale (screenplay), Edmund H. North (screenplay),

Stars:

Alec Guinness, Dirk Bogarde, Maurice Denham

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Alec Guinness	...	Captain Crawford
Dirk Bogarde	...	Lieut. Scott-Padget
Maurice Denham	...	Mr. Goss (Ship's Surgeon)
Nigel Stock	...	Senior Midshipman Kilpatrick
Richard Carpenter	...	Lieut. Ponsonby
Peter Gill	...	Lieut. D'Arblay
David Robinson	...	Harvey Crawford
Robin Stewart	...	Pardoe
Ray Brooks	...	Hayes
Peter Greenspan	...	Johnson
Anthony Quayle	...	Vizard
Tom Bell	...	Evans
Murray Melvin	...	Wagstaffe
Victor Maddern	...	Dawlish
Bryan Pringle	...	Sgt. Kneebone

Storyline

Defiant's crew is part of a fleet-wide movement to present a petition of grievances to the Admiralty. Violence must be no part of it. The continual sadism of Defiant's first officer makes this difficult, and when the captain is disabled, the chance for violence increases.

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Plot Keywords:

mutiny | napoleonic wars | corporal punishment | cruelty | dictator | 

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Taglines:

The cry was MUTINY... and the decks ran red!...

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | History

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English French

Release Date:

15 April 1962 (UK)

Also Known As:

The Mutineers

Filming Locations:

Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation, G.W. Films Limited

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Last film role of Joy Shelton.

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Goofs

At one point a sailor is heard singing "Oh Shenandoah." While the origins of this folk song remain unclear, most believe it originated in the early 1800s and thus would not have been known at the time of this movie's 1797 setting.

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Quotes

Lieut. Scott-Padget: Ship's company ready to witness punishment, sir.

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Connections

Featured in War of 1812 (1999)

User Reviews

British production with two exceptional actors , Guinness and Bogarde , both of whom pitting a strong battle of wits

This sea saga is set during the Napoleonic Wars , Captain Crawford (Alec Guinness) takes command of the HMS Defiant and is ordered to rendezvous with the British fleet in island of Corsica . With his son aboard as a new midshipman , Captain Crawford takes an even friendship with his crew . Defiant's crew is part of a fleet-wide movement to present a petition of grievances to the Admiralty . The continual sadism of Defiant's first officer pits a battle of wits against the captain in this stalwart story set in Napoleonic period . As it pits the first commanding and a hated second-in-command officer and when the captain is wounded , the chance for violence enhances . Scott-Paget (Dick Bogarde) uses Crawford's son (David Robinson as Midshipman Harvey) in an attempt to get the Captain to lash out against him . Meanwhile, some of the crew (Tom Bell) , led by seaman Vizard (Anthony Quayle), are organising to strike for better conditions , in conjunction with similar efforts throughout the British fleet . The men on the verge of mutiny and tension increases when they must also take on the French ships . They eventually pledge virtually the entire crew , then there ensues the mutiny .

Dramatic film with impressive battle of wills between humane Captain Crawford in command of the warship HMS Defiant perfectly performed by Alec Guinness against his first officer, the sadistic and supercilious first lieutenant , splendidly interpreted by Dick Bogarde . Authenticity is the hallmark of this breathtaking adventure along with awesome acting , spectacular warships and overwhelming sea battles . Production design , gowns and ambient show great attention to period detail . The support cast performances by all concerned are superb as Maurice Denham as Mr. Goss , Nigel Stock as Senior Midshipman Kilpatrick , Richard Carpenter as Lieutenant Ponsonby ,Peter Gill as Lieutenant D'Arblay ,David Robinson as Midshipman Harvey Crawford , Robin Stewart as Midshipman Pardoe , Ray Brooks as Hayes , and specially Anthony Quayle as Vizard . Very good cinematography in Cinemascope by Christopher Challis and evocative score by Clifton Parker . The motion picture was well directed by Lewis Gilbert .

The flick was inspired on actual events as ¨The mutiny at Spithead¨ in 1797. Sailors on 16 ships in the Channel Fleet, commanded by Admiral Lord Bridport, protested against the living conditions aboard Royal Navy vessels and demanded a pay raise. Seamen's pay rates had been established in 1658, and because of the stability of wages and prices, they were still reasonable as recently as the 1756–1763 Seven Years' War . The Royal Navy had not made adjustments for any of these changes, and was slow to understand their effects on its crews. Finally, the new wartime quota system meant that crews had many landsmen from inshore, who did not mix well with the career seamen , leading to discontented ships' companies. The mutineers were led by elected delegates and tried to negotiate with the Admiralty for two weeks, focusing their demands on better pay , and the removal of a handful of unpopular officers; neither flogging nor impressment was mentioned in the mutineers' demands. The mutineers maintained regular naval routine and discipline aboard their ships , allowed some ships to leave for convoy escort duty or patrols, and promised to suspend the mutiny and go to sea immediately if French ships were spotted heading for English shores.Because of mistrust, especially over pardons for the mutineers, the negotiations broke down, and minor incidents broke out, with several unpopular officers sent to shore and others treated with signs of deliberate disrespect. When the situation calmed, Admiral Lord Howe intervened to negotiate an agreement that saw a Royal pardon for all crews, reassignment of some of the unpopular officers and a pay raise . Afterward, the mutiny was to become nicknamed "breeze at Spithead".