Mutiny on the Bounty (1962)

Director:

Lewis Milestone

Writers:

Charles Lederer (screenplay)
Charles Nordhoff (novel) ...

Release Date:

8 November 1962 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | History | Romance

Tagline:

The mightiest excitement that ever swept across the sea or the screen!

Plot:

The Bounty leaves Portsmouth in 1787. Its destination: to sail to Tahiti and load bread-fruit. Captain...

Plot Keywords:

Tahiti | Crew | Discipline | Paradise | Mutiny

Awards:

Nominated for 7 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Marlon Brando	...	1st Lt. Fletcher Christian
Trevor Howard	...	Captain William Bligh
Richard Harris	...	Seaman John Mills
Hugh Griffith	...	Alexander Smith
Richard Haydn	...	William Brown
Tarita	...	Maimiti
Percy Herbert	...	Captain Matthew Quintal
Duncan Lamont	...	John Williams
Gordon Jackson	...	Seaman Edward Birkett
Chips Rafferty	...	Michael Byrne
Noel Purcell	...	Seaman William McCoy
Ashley Cowan	...	Samuel Mack
Eddie Byrne	...	John Fryer (Sailing Master)
Frank Silvera	...	Minarii
Tim Seely	...	Midshipman Edward 'Ned' Young

Runtime:

178 min | UK:185 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.76 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) (Westrex Recording System) | 4-Track Stereo (35mm release) (some prints) | Stereo (DVD Release) | Mono (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Finland:K-14 (uncut) (1993) | Finland:K-16 (cut) (1962) | Norway:12 (video rating) | Norway:16 | Iceland:12 | UK:15 (TV rating) | UK:15 (video rating) | USA:Approved (certificate #19794) | UK:12 (video re-rating) (2006) | Finland:K-11 (uncut) (2007) | Sweden:15 | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Bora-Bora, Tahiti, French Polynesia

Company:

Arcola Pictures

Trivia:

The Bounty's original reason for going to Tahiti was to transport breadfruit seedlings to Jamaica where they would be cultivated to provide inexpensive food for the slaves working on English plantations.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): Francis Drake is reported as the man who brought potatoes to the Old World, but they were actually carried by the Spanish after the conquest of Peru.

Quotes:

Captain Bligh: While our mission remains unfulfilled I'm not in any port, Mr Fryer, I'm command where you may find one day it's always lonely. You see, command allows no intimacies. You can hardly expect unquestioning obedience from last night's partner in a debauch.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Peter Boyle/Al Jarreau (#1.13)" (1976)

Soundtrack:

Follow Me

Terribly underrated version of the original classic

This is my favorite version of Mutiny of the Bounty, and I think it takes a very unfair pounding mainly on the basis of comparisons to the original. The production is superb, the story is paced a lot better, and it details Captain Bligh's cruelty more thoroughly. I can't vouch for the historical accuracy of the film, Brando's concept as a foppish Mr. Christian is a bit hard to believe, although he played it extremely well. Trevor Howard's Bligh is one of the most underrated performances in the world. For him to take a role heavily identified with another actor, play it his own way, and pull it off is extremely difficult. I give him enormous credit for this outstanding performance. I think the biggest criticism of this film is that it's not the original, but still extremely well done under the circumstances and very entertaining. ***