The Bounty (1984)

The familiar story of Lieutenant Bligh, whose cruelty leads to a mutiny on his ship. This version follows both the efforts of Fletcher Christian to get his men beyond the reach of British ... See full summary »

Director:

Roger Donaldson

Writers:

Richard Hough (book), Robert Bolt (screenplay)

Stars:

Mel Gibson, Anthony Hopkins, Laurence Olivier

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mel Gibson	...	Fletcher Christian Master's Mate
Anthony Hopkins	...	Lieutenant William Bligh
Laurence Olivier	...	Admiral Hood
Edward Fox	...	Captain Greetham
Daniel Day-Lewis	...	John Fryer
Bernard Hill	...	William Cole
Philip Davis	...	Edward Young
Liam Neeson	...	Seaman Charles Churchill
Wi Kuki Kaa	...	King Tynah
Tevaite Vernette	...	Mauatua
Philip Martin Brown	...	Seaman John Adams
Simon Chandler	...	David Nelson
Malcolm Terris	...	Dr. John Huggan
Simon Adams	...	Thomas Heywood
John Sessions	...	John Smith

Storyline

The familiar story of Lieutenant Bligh, whose cruelty leads to a mutiny on his ship. This version follows both the efforts of Fletcher Christian to get his men beyond the reach of British retribution, and the epic voyage of Lieutenant Bligh to get his loyalists safely to East Timor in a tiny lifeboat.

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Plot Keywords:

lieutenant | mutiny | lifeboat | ship | cruelty | 

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Taglines:

After 200 years, the truth behind the legend.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | History

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 May 1984 (USA)

Also Known As:

Die Bounty

Filming Locations:

15 Montpelier Row, Twickenham, Middlesex, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$8,600,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dino De Laurentiis Company, Bounty Productions Ltd.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

132 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The recreation of the "Bounty" specially built for the movie had, for a number of years, been used as a tourist cruise ship at Darling Harbour, Sydney, Australia until 2007 when it was sold to HKR International Limited. The ship is now on Lantau Island in Discovery Bay, Hong Kong and continues to function as a tourist cruise charter.

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Goofs

At the beginning of a meal, the officers toast the King, but do so while sitting. British serving officers always stood while toasting the monarch, even though only in the captain's cabin of a large ship would there be enough headroom to stand upright. When William IV, a naval officer since he was about 13, became King in 1830, he allowed serving officers to toast him while sitting, but this was more than 30 years too late for the officers of the Bounty.

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Quotes

Bligh: The Royal Navy is not a humorous institution, sir, and insubordination is no laughing matter.

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Connections

Featured in Persuasion (1995)

User Reviews

Excellent performances from a great cast

I have seen this film many time over the years and i never get bored of watching Sir Anthony Hopkins give a riveting performance in this classic story of life aboard The Bounty and the events that lead to mutiny.

Mel Gibson plays Fletcher Christian who must watch helplessly as his captain(Hopkins) demoralizes his men and drives them ever closer to the brink of mutiny. The tension builds throughout the film and in no small part to the excellent score. The disgruntled crew has many recognisable faces including Liam Neeson and Bernard Hill which makes the film all the more enjoyable. Daniel Day Lewis is particularly watchable as mr. frier, showing us a rather smug and sometimes fiery officer. The film is shot beautifully and the story is compelling. Even the script holds up in a film where the best performances come from the actors with the least to say.