Top 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsMost Popular Video GamesMost Popular Music VideosMost Popular Podcasts
    Release CalendarBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersSundance Film FestivalIndependent Spirit AwardsBlack History MonthSXSWSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
Sign In
New Customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
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

    More like this

    Mutiny on the Bounty
    7.2
    Mutiny on the Bounty
    Gallipoli
    7.4
    Gallipoli
    The River
    6.3
    The River
    The Year of Living Dangerously
    7.1
    The Year of Living Dangerously
    Air America
    5.8
    Air America
    Tequila Sunrise
    6.0
    Tequila Sunrise
    The Man Without a Face
    6.7
    The Man Without a Face
    Mutiny on the Bounty
    7.6
    Mutiny on the Bounty
    Maverick
    7.0
    Maverick
    Rob Roy
    6.9
    Rob Roy
    Conspiracy Theory
    6.7
    Conspiracy Theory
    Bird on a Wire
    6.0
    Bird on a Wire

    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
    8/10
    H.M.S. Bounty, A Troubled Ship
    The latest retelling of this tale shifts a lot of the blame about the voyage over to Fletcher Christian and the fact that he and a lot of the crew had simply gone native.

    One of the great villainous portrayals on the screen is Charles Laughton's Captain Bligh from the stirring 1935 film. Laughton is pretty unforgettable with that jutting lower lip and that bellowing voice at the crew. Anthony Hopkins has given us a kinder, gentler view of Bligh which may be far closer to the facts.

    Bligh certainly was a stern taskmaster as a captain of a naval vessel. In fact he served with distinction in several naval battles during the Napoleonic wars. What he unfortunately had was a sarcastic tongue, something not really needed for what in fact was a peaceful voyage to obtain breadfruit plants.

    Scurvy which is caused by a Vitamin C deficiency ran rampant on the ocean going ships of the time, none more so than in British ships because they had the most of them. This was a pretty important voyage, to bring back Tahitian breadfruit to see if it could be cultivated in the climate of the United Kingdom. Maybe the mistake was in not sending a civilian ship to do the job, who knows.

    Anyway Bligh punished men who got out of line, no more so than what was normal. The problem arose when after months at sea, his crew got just too used to frolicking among the female population of Tahiti. That would also unfortunately include Bligh's second mate Fletcher Christian, played in this version by Mel Gibson.

    It wasn't Bligh's fault they lingered in Tahiti, the plants had to be mature enough to stand the voyage to Great Britain. Nevertheless the lack of discipline there, contrasted with what was expected of British seaman on a naval vessel, a return to that life was what led to the mutiny.

    Certainly Fletcher Christian by all accounts was a charismatic guy, he would have to have been to get the men to mutiny. He was portrayed by four charismatic actors, Errol Flynn, Clark Gable, Marlon Brando, and now Mel Gibson. Only his intervention prevented the men from killing Bligh and a few others.

    What I like most about this version is the fact that it does give due attention to Bligh's remarkable voyage in a long boat to Timor which was some 1500 miles from where he and the loyalists were cast adrift. It was a remarkable piece of seamanship, no mutinies during that voyage.

    The luckless Captain Bligh also had the misfortune to be the Governor of New South Wales, appointed by the Crown, and was overthrown there in a power struggle with the merchants of the colony. That didn't help his historical reputation a bit.

    Among the crew of the Bounty you will find Daniel Day-Lewis as John Fryer who Bligh replaced mid voyage with Fletcher Christian and Liam Neeson as one of the mutineers. Laurence Olivier plays Admiral Hood who led the court of inquiry that cleared Bligh of blame for the mutiny.

    Still Hopkins and Gibson dominate the film with their skills and talents. Who knows who might bring the saga of this troubled ship next to the screen. This story has fascinated us for generations.
    helpful•52
    12
    • bkoganbing
    • Dec 17, 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

    Edit
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 2 hours 12 minutes
      • Color
      • Dolby Stereo

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Mel Gibson, Anthony Hopkins, and Tevaite Vernette in The Bounty (1984)
    Top Gap
    By what name was The Bounty (1984) officially released in India in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2023 by IMDb.com, Inc.