Mutiny on the Bounty (1962)

Director:

Lewis Milestone
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Writers:

Charles Lederer (screenplay)
Charles Nordhoff (novel) ...
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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 | Paradise | Crew | Discipline | 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	...	Seaman 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
Keith McConnell	...	James Morrison
Rahera Tuia	...	Tahitian
Ruita Salmon	...	Tahitian
Nathalie Tehahe	...	Tahitian
Tematai Tevaearai	...	Tahitian
Odile Hinano Paofai	...	Tahitian
Teretiaiti Teyahineheipua Maifano	...	Tahitian
Virau Tepii	...	Tahitian
Maeva Maitihe	...	Tahitian
Louise Tefaafana	...	Tahitian
Tinorua Vaitahe	...	Tahitian
Adrien Vaatete Mahitete	...	Tahitian
Tufariu Tumatana Haamoeura	...	Tahitian
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Antoinette Bower	...	Lady Gwendenare (uncredited)
Henry Daniell	...	Court-martial judge (uncredited)
Larry Duran	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Anna Lee	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Gilchrist Stuart	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Matahiarii Tama	...	Chief Hitihiti (uncredited)
Torin Thatcher	...	Staines (uncredited)
Les Tremayne	...	Trailer Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Roger Ward	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Ben Wright	...	Graves (uncredited)

Directed by
Lewis Milestone
Carol Reed		(uncredited) (some scenes)

Writing credits
Charles Lederer		(screenplay)
Charles Nordhoff		(novel) and
James Norman Hall		(novel)
Eric Ambler		uncredited
Borden Chase		uncredited
William L. Driscoll		uncredited
John Gay		uncredited
Ben Hecht		uncredited

Produced by
Aaron Rosenberg	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Bronislau Kaper

Cinematography by
Robert Surtees		(director of photography) (as Robert L. Surtees)

Film Editing by
John McSweeney Jr.

Casting by
Irene Howard		(uncredited)

Art Direction by
George W. Davis
J. McMillan Johnson

Set Decoration by
Henry Grace
Hugh Hunt

Costume Design by
Moss Mabry

Makeup Department
Mary Keats	....	hair stylist
William Tuttle	....	makeup creator

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ridgeway Callow	....	assistant director
James Curtis Havens	....	second unit director (as James C. Havens)
Lynn Guthrie	....	second assistant director (uncredited)
Robert H. Justman	....	additional assistant director (uncredited)
Paul Rapp	....	assistant director (uncredited)
Carl 'Major' Roup	....	second assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Franklin Milton	....	recording supervisor
Van Allen James	....	sound editor (uncredited)
Milo B. Lory	....	special sound effects (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
A. Arnold Gillespie	....	special visual effects
Robert R. Hoag	....	special visual effects
Lee LeBlanc	....	special visual effects
Cliff Shirpser	....	matte camera operator (uncredited)
Matthew Yuricich	....	visual effects artist (uncredited)

Stunts
Paul Baxley	....	stunt coordinator (uncredited)
Paul Baxley	....	stunt double: Marlon Brando (uncredited)
Paul Baxley	....	stunts (uncredited)
Morton C. Thompson	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Harold E. Wellman	....	additional photography
Conrad L. Hall	....	camera operator (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Robert Fuca	....	assistant set costumer (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Charles K. Hagedon	....	color consultant

Music Department
Robert Armbruster	....	conductor
Robert Franklyn	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Michael Goldsen	....	music producer: native music (uncredited)

Other crew
Bengt Danielsson	....	technical advisor
Leo Langomazino	....	technical advisor
Donald MacIntyre	....	technical advisor (as Captain Donald Macintyre R.N.)
Aurora Natua	....	technical advisor
Hamil Petroff	....	choreographer
William Smith	....	french-language translator (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (presents)
• Arcola Pictures (as An Arcola Picture)

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1962) (USA) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1962) (UK) (theatrical)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1967) (USA) (TV) (original airing) (pan/scan)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1997) (USA) (VHS) (pan/scan)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1997) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Fox Films (1963) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Audio Visual Enterprises (1986) (Greece) (VHS)
• Esselte Video (1989) (Finland) (VHS)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (1984) (Finland) (TV)
• Warner Bros. Entertainment Finland Oy (2007) (Finland) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (Germany) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2011) (Germany) (DVD) (Blu-Ray)
• Warner Home Video (1993) (Finland) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  cranes and dollies
• Turner Entertainment  package design

Also Known As:

Runtime:

178 min | UK:185 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Polynesian | 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:

Sweden:15 | West Germany:12 | 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) (1986) (1995) | USA:Approved (certificate #19794) | UK:12 (video re-rating) (2006) | Finland:K-11 (uncut) (2007) | UK:A (original rating) | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Bora Bora, Leeward Islands, French Polynesia

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Ironically, the breadfruit seedlings which Bligh brought to Jamaica as an inexpensive food for the slaves working on English plantations were an utter failure. The slaves took one bite, and refused to eat any more. In effect, they mutinied, just like Bligh's crew.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: Bligh's map shows Tahiti too far east in the Pacific Ocean, almost on the same longitude as Baja California (114 deg W) whereas Tahiti is approximately 2100 nautical miles further west on longitude 149 deg 30 min W.

Quotes:

court-martial judge:Your methods, so far as this court can discern, show what we shall cautiously term an excess of zeal. We cannot condemn zeal. We cannot rebuke an officer who has administered discipline according to the articles of war but the articles are fallible, as any articles are bound to be...

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Rise of Two Legends (2006) (V)

Soundtrack:

Follow Me

Maybe Marlon Brando best performance

I have screened again tonight, in his memory, MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY (USA 1962) directed by Lewis Milestone. It is not a such commonly quoted movie in his filmography but it could be, all balanced in my memories of movie critic, his most wonderful performance of all : a deep and sharp "témoignage" - as we say in French - for humanity against inhumanity. I have screened that movie many times and each time I screen it, emotion and beauty are rising. Not only because of him : all the movie in all its aspects is reaching dramatic and aesthetic perfection. But mainly, if I should say so, because Brando manages, under the fine direction of this last Milestone directing work, during the first 157' of the movie, to bear on his shoulder the burden of humanity in front of a sadistic and inhuman being and to bear it in a rising tension till the breaking point - the mutiny itself. Rarely such part has been incarnated with such a talent and he overpasses the already memorable Gable's performance. Such a part was more difficult to play - according to me - than many of his acclaimed (and rightly acclaimed, of course)other previous and next performances.

Of course anyone who wants to know what is acting has to screen ON THE WATERFRONT, JULIUS CAESAR, his directing masterpiece western ONE-EYED JACK [I want to remind or let know its French beautiful exploitation title : LA VENGEANCE AUX DEUX VISAGES], THE GODFATHER, APOCALYPSE NOW and so many others.

Nevertheless, Brando will be forever ("à tout jamais") in my memory, the noble and human Lieutenant Fletcher rising for human value, alone and finally dying for preserving an idea of justice