Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)
Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)
People who know me well know that I am fascinated with history. I always had a thing about pirates, European nations battling over the seas, and just how hard seamanship was back in the 18th-19th centuries. Because I am well-versed on the history, I am very familiar with the mutiny that this 1935 film, Mutiny on the Bounty is based upon. As a history major, I was appalled by the historical inaccuracies especially those concerning Captain Bligh. As a film fan, I found the movie to be an action-packed, rousing adventure about overcoming a tyrannical sea captain.
In addition to this film, the mutiny inspired two other major films; 1962’s Mutiny on the Bounty starring Marlon Brando and 1984’s The Bounty starring Mel Gibson (which I shall review sometime in the near future). These films deliver a more sympathetic view of Captain Bligh and tend to be more historically accurate. This particular film, directed by Frank Lloyd and starring Charles Laughton and Clark Gable, is the best received out of the three films. Although the other films did get good notices too.
HMS Bounty is on a voyage to Tahiti to gather plants for Jamaica. The ship is commandeered by Captain Bligh (Charles Laughton), a tyrannical man quick to judge and unleash punishment on his subjects. His second-in-command is Fletcher Christian (Clark Gable) who is hard-willed but someone who wants to ensure the survival of his men. Once they reach Tahiti, the men fell in love with the natives and do not want to leave. Once they do reach that point, Christian and his men are sick of Bligh’s leadership and they take command of the ship. They, along with reluctant first mate Byam (Franchot Tone), travel back to Tahiti. However, they soon realize that Captain Bligh is still alive and may be hunting them.
The film excels in part of the performances given. Charles Laughton is absolutely fantastic as the evil Bligh. The actor’s height, looks, and voice created a character that is memorable in every sense. The actor himself is sensitive to his looks, but it gave the character a certain demeanor. Sometimes, he added a bit of comedy. But there is no denying the power. Flogging a dead man, shown towards the beginning of the film, is enough to show he means no monkey business. Clark Gable had to shave off his famous mustache to provide a sense of historical accuracy and that made people moan. It never affected his performance because I loved the warmth and the edge he provided for his character.
If you studied the case a little bit, you’ll know that the film tends to stray in terms of accuracy. Bligh wasn’t nearly as harsh as seen in the film and he most certainly did not flog a dead man. But the one thing that the film rightly captures is his plight after the mutiny. Contemporary historians say that he was one of history’s best navigator. From the middle of nowhere back to his land, he only lost two men. The script by Talbot Jennings, Jules Furthman, and Carey Wilson do capture that side about Bligh.
As an action film and a character film, this film is really fun. Every time the film’s cook came on screen, he provided enough comic relief to relieve the tension. The scenes on Tahiti are also really well made. The English actually enslaved some of the natives (not depicted here), but being in paradise is always fun, right? This film is actually based on a trilogy of books written by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall. These books were never that accurate in the first place, so it makes sense the movie followed the direction of these books.
Regardless, I had a fun time watching the movie. It received the Academy’s highest honor in 1935. The three lead actors (Laughton, Gable, and Tone) were nominated for Best Actor. Because of this, the Supporting Actor/Actress categories were formed the following year. Yay, for historical trivia! Mutiny on the Bounty is a well-directed and well-acted film. The fighting sequences are realistic enough and you will never forget the line Laughton screams, “I’ll live to see you-all of you- hanging from the highest yardarm in the British fleet.”
My Grade: B+
People who know me well know that I am fascinated with history. I always had a thing about pirates, European nations battling over the seas, and just how hard seamanship was back in the 18th-19th centuries. Because I am well-versed on the history, I am very familiar with the mutiny that this 1935 film, Mutiny on the Bounty is based upon. As a history major, I was appalled by the historical inaccuracies especially those concerning Captain Bligh. As a film fan, I found the movie to be an action-packed, rousing adventure about overcoming a tyrannical sea captain.
In addition to this film, the mutiny inspired two other major films; 1962’s Mutiny on the Bounty starring Marlon Brando and 1984’s The Bounty starring Mel Gibson (which I shall review sometime in the near future). These films deliver a more sympathetic view of Captain Bligh and tend to be more historically accurate. This particular film, directed by Frank Lloyd and starring Charles Laughton and Clark Gable, is the best received out of the three films. Although the other films did get good notices too.
HMS Bounty is on a voyage to Tahiti to gather plants for Jamaica. The ship is commandeered by Captain Bligh (Charles Laughton), a tyrannical man quick to judge and unleash punishment on his subjects. His second-in-command is Fletcher Christian (Clark Gable) who is hard-willed but someone who wants to ensure the survival of his men. Once they reach Tahiti, the men fell in love with the natives and do not want to leave. Once they do reach that point, Christian and his men are sick of Bligh’s leadership and they take command of the ship. They, along with reluctant first mate Byam (Franchot Tone), travel back to Tahiti. However, they soon realize that Captain Bligh is still alive and may be hunting them.
The film excels in part of the performances given. Charles Laughton is absolutely fantastic as the evil Bligh. The actor’s height, looks, and voice created a character that is memorable in every sense. The actor himself is sensitive to his looks, but it gave the character a certain demeanor. Sometimes, he added a bit of comedy. But there is no denying the power. Flogging a dead man, shown towards the beginning of the film, is enough to show he means no monkey business. Clark Gable had to shave off his famous mustache to provide a sense of historical accuracy and that made people moan. It never affected his performance because I loved the warmth and the edge he provided for his character.
If you studied the case a little bit, you’ll know that the film tends to stray in terms of accuracy. Bligh wasn’t nearly as harsh as seen in the film and he most certainly did not flog a dead man. But the one thing that the film rightly captures is his plight after the mutiny. Contemporary historians say that he was one of history’s best navigator. From the middle of nowhere back to his land, he only lost two men. The script by Talbot Jennings, Jules Furthman, and Carey Wilson do capture that side about Bligh.
As an action film and a character film, this film is really fun. Every time the film’s cook came on screen, he provided enough comic relief to relieve the tension. The scenes on Tahiti are also really well made. The English actually enslaved some of the natives (not depicted here), but being in paradise is always fun, right? This film is actually based on a trilogy of books written by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall. These books were never that accurate in the first place, so it makes sense the movie followed the direction of these books.
Regardless, I had a fun time watching the movie. It received the Academy’s highest honor in 1935. The three lead actors (Laughton, Gable, and Tone) were nominated for Best Actor. Because of this, the Supporting Actor/Actress categories were formed the following year. Yay, for historical trivia! Mutiny on the Bounty is a well-directed and well-acted film. The fighting sequences are realistic enough and you will never forget the line Laughton screams, “I’ll live to see you-all of you- hanging from the highest yardarm in the British fleet.”
My Grade: B+
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