The Bounty (1984)

Fed up with their captain's harsh discipline, a sailing ship's crew decides to take action.

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
Phil Davis	...	Edward Young (as Philip Davis)
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 story of Lieutenant Bligh, whose cruelty leads to a mutiny on his ship. 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:

mutiny | lieutenant | ship | lifeboat | ship's crew | 

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Taglines:

An epic saga of passion, betrayal and heroism.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | History | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

UK USA New Zealand

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 May 1984 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Lawbreakers

Filming Locations:

15 Montpelier Row, Twickenham, Middlesex, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,622,306, 6 May 1984, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$8,600,000

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

Mel Gibson's performance as Fletcher Christian was widely criticized as bland.

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Goofs

Among the midshipmen on the historical Bounty voyage were a Thomas Hayward and a Peter Heywood. These two are understandably combined in the film into a single character. It was, for example, Mr. Hayward who fell asleep on watch the night three men deserted ship, but Mr. Haywood who stayed behind when the Bounty returned to Tahiti. While this composite character is named "Thomas Heywood" in the credits, Fletcher Christian calls him "Peter" near the end of the film.

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Quotes

Bligh: Three men jumped ship last night. Churchill was one of them. You don't seem surprised?
Christian: Well no, now that it's happened I'm not, I'm not surprised.
Bligh: Well, I must say I'm no longer surprised myself now that I see the example that's being set by my first officer. Just look at yourself, man, look at the way you're dressed. Come on, you're no better than one of these natives.
Christian: Well, at least I am no worse.
Bligh: Mr. Christian, I think your brain has received too much sunlight and your body overindulged in ...
[...]

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Alternate Versions

German version misses ca. 26 minutes.

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Connections

Featured in Screen Two: 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.