Barnes & Noble

The winner of 1935's Best Picture Oscar, this sumptuously produced adaptation of the Charles Nordhoff-James Norman Hall bestseller has weathered the intervening decades extremely well. It's just as powerful and exciting today and remains the best of several big-screen versions. Based on real-life events, Mutiny dramatizes a momentous voyage of HMS Bounty, an 18th-century cargo ship sent to Tahiti to gather supplies of breadfruit that will be sold to West Indian colonies. The ship's new first mate, Fletcher Christian (Clark Gable), discovers early on that Captain Bligh (Charles Laughton), the Bounty's commanding officer, is a ruthless tyrant. A series of outrages gradually turns Christian against Bligh, and the mate leads his rebellious crew in a mutiny that culminates in the captain's expulsion from the ship. But that's only part of this unusually complex story line, beautifully developed by top screenwriters Talbot Jennings, Jules Furthman, and Carey Wilson. Legendary MGM executive Irving Thalberg personally supervised the production, insisting on period accuracy down to the most minute details: Although the film's Tahitian maidens were garbed somewhat more modestly than their real-life counterparts, the sets and costumes were flawlessly re-created and shipboard routine was realistically pictured. In actual fact, Bligh was not quite the heartless villain he's made out to be here, nor was Christian the altruistic humanist of Gable portrayal. But that doesn't matter, really. As a rousing historical drama, Mutiny on the Bounty is expertly constructed. It's one of several superb motion pictures directed by that underappreciated journeyman, Frank Lloyd, whose masterly touches made the film an instant classic -- and one that has withstood the test of time. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

The 1932 publication of Charles Nordhoff and James Norton Hall's Mutiny on the Bounty sparked a revival of interest in the titular 1789 ship mutiny, and this 1935 MGM movie version won the Oscar for Best Picture. Clark Gable stars as Fletcher Christian, first mate of the infamous HMS Bounty, skippered by Captain William Bligh (Charles Laughton), the cruelest taskmaster on the Seven Seas. Bligh's villainy knows no bounds: he is even willing to flog a dead man if it will strengthen his hold over the crew. Christian despises Bligh and is sailing on the Bounty under protest. During the journey back to England, Bligh's cruelties become more than Christian can bear; and after the captain indirectly causes the death of the ship's doctor, the crew stages a mutiny, with Christian in charge. Bligh and a handful of officers loyal to him are set adrift in an open boat. Through sheer force of will, he guides the tiny vessel on a 49-day, 4000-mile journey to the Dutch East Indies without losing a man. Historians differ on whether Captain Bligh was truly such a monster or Christian such a paragon of virtue (some believe that the mutiny was largely inspired by Christian's lust for the Tahitian girls). The movie struck gold at the box office, and, in addition to the Best Picture Oscar, Gable, Laughton, and Franchot Tone as one of the Bounty's crew were all nominated for Best Actor (they all lost to Victor McLaglan in The Informer). The film was remade (badly) in 1962 and adapted into the "revisionist" 1984 feature The Bounty with Mel Gibson as Fletcher Christian and Anthony Hopkins as Captain Bligh. Hal Erickson

Product Details

• UPC: 012569509023
• Source: WARNER HOME VIDEO
• Region Code: 1
• Aspect Ratio: Full Frame
• Editions: Subtitled
• Time: 2:12:00
• Sales Rank: 6,184

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