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IMDbPro

The Bounty

  • 19841984
  • PGPG
  • 2h 12m
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
28K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,890
347
Mel Gibson, Anthony Hopkins, and Tevaite Vernette in The Bounty (1984)
Trailer for The Bounty
Play trailer2:00
1 Video
88 Photos
AdventureDramaHistory
Fed up with their Captain's harsh discipline, a sailing ship's crew decides to take action.Fed up with their Captain's harsh discipline, a sailing ship's crew decides to take action.Fed up with their Captain's harsh discipline, a sailing ship's crew decides to take action.
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
28K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,890
347
    • Roger Donaldson
    • Robert Bolt(screenplay by)
    • Richard Hough(based upon book "Captain Bligh and Mr. Christian" by)
    • Ian Mune(re-writes)
  • Stars
    • Mel Gibson
    • Anthony Hopkins
    • Laurence Olivier
    • Roger Donaldson
    • Robert Bolt(screenplay by)
    • Richard Hough(based upon book "Captain Bligh and Mr. Christian" by)
    • Ian Mune(re-writes)
  • Stars
    • Mel Gibson
    • Anthony Hopkins
    • Laurence Olivier
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 137User reviews
    • 52Critic reviews
    • 62Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards

    Videos1

    The Bounty
    Trailer 2:00
    Watch The Bounty

    Photos88

    Mel Gibson and Anthony Hopkins in The Bounty (1984)
    Mel Gibson, Anthony Hopkins, Liam Neeson, Dexter Fletcher, and Phil Davis in The Bounty (1984)
    Mel Gibson and Tevaite Vernette in The Bounty (1984)
    Anthony Hopkins in The Bounty (1984)
    Mel Gibson, Anthony Hopkins, Liam Neeson, Dexter Fletcher, and Phil Davis in The Bounty (1984)
    Anthony Hopkins and Bernard Hill in The Bounty (1984)
    Mel Gibson and Bernard Hill in The Bounty (1984)
    The Bounty (1984)
    Mel Gibson and Anthony Hopkins in The Bounty (1984)
    Anthony Hopkins in The Bounty (1984)
    The Bounty (1984)
    Mel Gibson, Anthony Hopkins, Liam Neeson, and Bernard Hill in The Bounty (1984)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Mel Gibson
    Mel Gibson
    • Fletcher Christian
    Anthony Hopkins
    Anthony Hopkins
    • Lt William Bligh
    Laurence Olivier
    Laurence Olivier
    • Admiral Hood
    Edward Fox
    Edward Fox
    • Captain Greetham
    Daniel Day-Lewis
    Daniel Day-Lewis
    • Fryer
    Bernard Hill
    Bernard Hill
    • Cole
    Phil Davis
    Phil Davis
    • Young
    • (as Philip Davis)
    Liam Neeson
    Liam Neeson
    • Churchill
    Wi Kuki Kaa
    • King Tynah
    Tevaite Vernette
    • Mauatua
    Philip Martin Brown
    Philip Martin Brown
    • Adams
    Simon Chandler
    Simon Chandler
    • Nelson
    Malcolm Terris
    Malcolm Terris
    • Doctor Huggan
    Simon Adams
    • Heywood
    John Sessions
    John Sessions
    • Smith
    Andrew Wilde
    Andrew Wilde
    • McKoy
    Neil Morrissey
    Neil Morrissey
    • Quintal
    Richard Graham
    Richard Graham
    • Mills
      • Roger Donaldson
      • Robert Bolt(screenplay by)
      • Richard Hough(based upon book "Captain Bligh and Mr. Christian" by)
      • Ian Mune(re-writes) (uncredited)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Mel Gibson was disappointed with his performance and the finished movie. He later said of the movie, "I think the main problem with that film was that it tried to be a fresh look at the dynamic of the mutiny situation, but didn't go far enough. In the old version, Captain Bligh was the bad guy and Fletcher Christian was the good guy. But really Fletcher Christian was a social climber and an opportunist. They should have made him the bad guy, which indeed he was. He ended up setting all these people adrift to die, without any real justification. Maybe he'd gone island crazy. They should have painted it that way. But they wanted to exonerate Captain Bligh while still having the dynamic where the guy was mutinying for the good of the crew. It didn't quite work."
    • Goofs
      When Bligh, Fryer and Christian are in Bligh's home planning the voyage, Bligh refers to a route that would take them around the coast of 'Australia'. But at the time of the Bounty's voyage in 1789 what we now know as Australia was instead universally called New Holland - a name which also appears on Bligh's map and which he later uses after being cast adrift. 'Australia' only came into common usage in the early 19th century; it gained official status in 1824.
    • Quotes

      Bligh: We are still faced with a long, hard voyage. I mean to make good use of every hour of sailing time, and to assist me in this, I am replacing Mr. Fryer with Mr. Christian, who will now act as executive second in command, with the rank of Acting Second Lieutenant...

      [Fryer walks away]

      Bligh: Mr. Fryer, come back here.

      [shouts after Mr. Fryer, who is continuing to walk away]

      Bligh: Mr. Fryer, sir! Come back here!

      [Mr. Fryer returns; Bligh continues, quietly]

      Bligh: I will dismiss when I have done with you, sir. Do you hear me?

      John Fryer: This is an outrage!

      Bligh: Mr. Fryer!

      John Fryer: In all my years at sea...

      Bligh: Your "years at sea"? Good Lord, man! If I'd known your nature, I would not have accepted you as boatswain of a river barge.

      John Fryer: Must I suffer this before the men?

      Bligh: You will suffer my correction whenever you're at fault, sir!

      John Fryer: What fault?

      Bligh: [shouts] God damn your eyes, man! You turned your back on me!

      John Fryer: Well for that, I apologize.

      Bligh: Very well.

      John Fryer: But I protest.

      Bligh: You protest, do you?

      John Fryer: I am Master of the Bounty!

      Bligh: [shouts] And I, sir, am *Commander*! By law! I am the first! Do you understand? God damn your hide! And now you may dismiss, sir!

    • Alternate versions
      German version misses ca. 26 minutes.
    • Connections
      Featured in The Making of 'the Bounty' (1984)

    User reviews137

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    9/10
    A Better Interpretation Based on Hough's Book
    Not only is the story of Bligh and Christian the most famous mutiny in history, it is also the most filmed. It started with an Australian silent movie in 1916. The Aussies took another shot at filming the Bounty mutiny in 1933, providing a young Errol Flynn (as Fletcher Christian) with his first movie role. That was followed only two years later by the first American try with Charles Laughton in a tour-de-force performance as a sadistic Captain Bligh. Nearly thirty years passed before another movie attempted the story. The 1962 production remains controversial, as does Marlon Brando's affected turn as Christian. These earlier movies were based on the books by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall that portrayed the Bounty's commander, William Bligh, as a brutal disciplinarian and the second in command, Fletcher Christian, as a hero. The actual story is not so black and white. In Captain Bligh and Mister Christian: The Men and the Mutiny (1972), Richard Hough presented a more balanced account of the famous mutiny that is meticulously researched and shows keen psychological insight into the characters of the men involved. It is on Hough's book that The Bounty is based.

    The Bounty has a lot going for it. It is based on Hough's book, perhaps the best account of the mutiny. The screenplay was written by Robert Bolt, who also wrote such classics as Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago, A Man for All Seasons, and Ryan's Daughter. His work shows in the complex, fully realized characters that are the center of this story. And those characters are brought to life by an amazingly strong cast - Anthony Hopkins (an Oscar for Silence of the Lambs) as William Bligh, Mel Gibson (an Oscar for directing Braveheart) as Fletcher Christian, Daniel Day-Lewis (an Oscar for My Left Foot) as John Fryer, and Liam Neeson (nominated for an Oscar for Schindler's List) as Churchill. Of course, none of these actors were famous yet when they performed in The Bounty. Two film giants, Laurence Olivier and James Fox, make cameo appearances as Admiral Hood and Captain Greenham, respectively, members of the Court Martial that tries Bligh on his return to Britain. The rest of the cast is not so well known, but they are all excellent.

    Anthony Hopkins' Bligh is definitely not a villain, but he is at best a flawed hero. Hopkins, as he always does, makes the character of Bligh completely believable. He is a superb seaman and a man of unquestioned courage. He is also a very capable leader in the right circumstances, but he has a quick temper and a tendency to shift responsibility from himself to others. And he is an ambitious man with no connections or influence in a society where those weigh as heavily as skill and competency. When the chance to make a name for himself seems to be drifting from his grasp, his frustration and anger is turned on those around him. Hopkins never seems to be acting. He becomes Bligh.

    Mel Gibson was a bigger name actor than Hopkins even when this movie was made, but it is obvious that he is not quite in the same league. His is the weakest performance of the primary actors, but that's still not bad considering the caliber of this cast. He does a nice job of letting Fletcher Christian evolve from a rather shallow, genial fop into a tortured leader of a mutiny. He seems to work a little too hard at being the tormented soul during the mutiny but it's a good overall performance and does not detract from the story.

    The Bounty does an especially fine job of showing the Tahitians as real people. The costumes and behavior feel completely authentic. Wi Kuki Kaa as King Tynah, although not on screen for very long, manages to create a fully realized and sympathetic character. Tevaite Vernette as Mauatua, Christian's Tahitian wife, is lovely but a bit bland at first. Once the mutineers have left Tahiti on the Bounty, she develops into a stronger character who backs Christian when the other mutineers turn against him.

    Roger Donaldson's direction is deliberate. He builds the story slowly and purposefully, piling small scenes one atop another to build a foundation for the intense, emotion-laden scenes of the mutiny and its consequences. The pace may be too slow for modern viewers grown accustomed to the quick-cut editing of contemporary action/adventure movies, but the pay-off is worth the effort for those with some patience.

    The Bounty is a beautiful movie. Wonderful cinematography by Arthur Ibbetson makes full use of the sea and tropical islands. There's nothing quite like the appeal of a full rigged ship under sail and we get plenty of the Bounty - brilliant, sun-drenched shots, towering waves and howling winds around the Horn, silhouettes of the ship against color saturated evening skies, and more.

    Of the three movies I've seen based on the story of the mutiny on the Bounty, this is my favorite. It is more historically accurate in its presentation of the events, the characters, the ship, and the Tahitian people and culture. A brilliant screen play and fine performances from an exceptional cast are the core of the movie. It is well crafted and beautifully filmed. The pacing may be slow for some, but for anyone interested in this famous mutiny or sea stories, in general, it is highly recommended.
    helpful•29
    3
    • blackhawk66
    • Mar 29, 2006

    FAQ5

    • What is 'The Bounty' about?
    • Is 'The Bounty' based on a book?
    • How does the movie end?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 4, 1984 (United States)
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
      • New Zealand
      • English
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Moorea, French Polynesia
    • Production companies
      • Dino De Laurentiis Company
      • Bounty Productions Ltd.
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • 2 hours 12 minutes
      • Color
      • Dolby Stereo

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