In 1789, the Royal Navy warship HMS Bounty, under the command of Captain William Bligh, was sent on a two-year long voyage to the South Seas island of Tahiti. There, the ship was to pick up breadfruit plants from the natives and also interact with the local culture. Bligh’s rule over his ship was tyrannical, to say the least, and on the return trip, led by mate Fletcher Christian, the crew mutinied. Bligh and those loyal were cast adrift in a launch and forced to navigate 3600 miles of ocean with bare essentials- a compass and mere skill- before finding a friendly port. The feat was one of the most incredible in all of maritime history, and Bligh’s will to get Fletcher Christian and the others was only strengthened when he is rescued. The Bounty mutineers were never convicted, though, since they wrecked on Pitcairn Island to start their own lives anew, while a few of the Bounty sailors stayed on Tahiti to face up to the British navy, and to a court-martial in England.

This high seas drama- the most famous (Infamous?) mutiny in naval history- was later the subject of a book by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall (Whom also wrote books on Bligh’s adventure in the launch and about Pitcairn Island). In 1935, with the sound era in movies blooming, Hollywood decided to adapt the book into an epic, big budget movie. Academy award winners Charles Laughton and Clark Gable were cast as Captain Bligh and Fletcher Christian, respectively, while another role was invented- Midshipman Roger Byam, sent to the island to make a dictionary of the Tahitian language- which was portrayed by Franchot Tone.

Laughton’s performance, of course, has become one of the most famous from this period in cinema. Laughton chews up the scenery like only he can, in a dramatic style but also one that never reeks of over-acting (Though it could be argued that it is). With his trademark swagger, hunched pose and glum look, Laughton makes Bligh one of the greatest villains of all cinema history as he tears down his crew. His speech to Fletcher Christian while being cast adrift is a memorable one as well, particularly his delivery of the “Highest yardarm” bit. Clark Gable had won an Oscar a year earlier for It Happened One Night, and he’s cast in another part perfect for his talents (Except for his mustache, which he had to shave off for this part due to the fact that Royal Navy officers were clean shaven in the 1700’s). Fletcher Christian is the ultimate officer and a gentleman: He does have a conscious and obviously disproves of Bligh’s actions, but he’s also smart and controls himself for a good portion of the movie, since he knows that can be exposed as a weakness as well. Gable would later star in another movie with a similar captain vs. first mate conflict in 1958’s Run Silent, Run Deep, only Gable played the captain in that movie opposite Burt Lancaster’s executive officer.

I am uncertain as to whether the character of Byam ever actually existed or was a concoction (Though likely there was a real life inspiration for his creation). Byam is the meekest and probably most aristocratic of the movie’s characters, not to mention that his family has a rich legacy of serving their country. He does become somewhat of an idealist, though, as shown near the end at the court martial, when he makes a statement defending Fletcher Christian and reacting against the rule that had been put on by Captain Bligh. A seaman (Donald Crisp) becomes somewhat of a memorable character as well, though mainly for sentimental reasons (It is all but hammered in us that he has a wife and newborn son that he has to leave behind because of the Bounty’s voyage). The ship’s doctor (Dudley Digges) is a wooden legged, alcoholic but lovable character, whom provides some of the morale of the ship and is a friend to all aboard, as he regales story after story about how he lost his leg. He does become a bit of a sentimental tool and the character itself has become a bit of a cliche, but this was an era in cinema when they were still inventing cliches.

Frank Lloyd, director of the Oscar-winning romp Cavalcade (Don’t ask…) was tapped to direct, and does a solid job maintaining pace and interest, although the movie slows down a little bit during the scenes in Tahiti, where Fletcher Christian finds love and several other crewmen find love. As a little trivia note, Arthur Edeson- the director of photography on this and several other Hollywood classics (All Quiet on the Western Front, The Maltese Falcon, Casablanca and others)- is one of my distant relatives (My aunt’s great uncle). A fine music score is also provided by Herbert Stothart.

Hollywood legend has it that, during the production of the movie at Catalina Island, James Cagney stopped by one day on his yacht. He told director Frank Lloyd that he was on vacation and could use some money. Lloyd promptly cast him as an extra in a sailor’s outfit and he did a bit of work. The Internet Movie Database lists both him and David Niven as among the uncredited extras, but where they are exactly in the movie is something I have not yet found out.

The mutiny was certainly detested and not looked upon kindly at the time it was done, and history can and has made its opinions about Fletcher Christian and his fellow mutineers. The end result, though, did prompt a change in tactics utilized by the British navy for disciplining men, and I’m sure it also eventually convinced them that rounding up ex-convicts and similar types to man ships wasn’t ultimately in their best interest. At the time the movie was released, the Royal Navy was still the world’s major sea power (The extent of the growth of Japan’s Imperial Navy was not yet fully known) and it would remain as such until the end of World War II.

At the 1936 academy awards, Mutiny on the Bounty received a single Oscar. But it was the big one: Best Picture. Gable, Laughton and Tone were in a three-way struggle for the Best Actor award, which was picked up by Victor MacLaghan for The Informer. As a result, the Academy established another award the following year for Best Supporting Actor: A more befitting category for parts such as that played by Tone in this movie. Mutiny on the Bounty was also a selection by the American Film Institute for its list of America’s greatest movies. Of course, you can look at that list how you may prefer to, but it at least proves that Mutiny on the Bounty is still being watched, still being emulated and inspiring filmmakers and actors and still provides for an enjoyable high-seas romp. Now make way for sail!

The DVD includes a fine print of the movie- though the mono track will make one have to frequently turn up the volume- a newsreel about Pitcairn Island today (Or at least in 1935) that goes on a little too long but includes some very interesting bits, a short, pointless newsreel showing the presentation of the Best Picture Oscar to Mutiny on the Bounty’s producer and trailers for this version as well as the 1962 remake with Marlon Brando (Review of that is upcoming).

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening