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 (Sir Anthony Hopkins), whose cruelty leads to a mutiny on his ship. Follows both the efforts of Fletcher Christian (Mel Gibson) 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 has expressed a belief that this movie's revisionism did not go far enough, believing that his character should have been portrayed as the antagonist. He praised Sir Anthony Hopkins' performance, as Lieutenant William Bligh, as the best aspect of the movie.

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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

Christian: William, about your decision to go around the Horn.
Bligh: "William"? Not "Sir", not "Captain"; "William"?
Christian: I don't think the men will have it.
Bligh: Oh, the men won't have it. Are they in charge of the Bounty?
Christian: They might be if you insist.
Bligh: Again, would you repeat that please. "The men might be in charge." What are you threatening me with?
Christian: It's not a threat, it's a warning.
Bligh: [sarcastically] Oh, there are rumblings, are there?
Christian: No, there is fear.
Bligh: Around the Horn is the easiest way, the better way, and that is how...
[...]

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Alternate Versions

German version misses ca. 26 minutes.

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Connections

Referenced in The Trip: The Inn at Whitewell (2010)

User Reviews

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.