Rating: 
Summary: Not as good as the UK Special Edition
Review: Despite the excellent transfer on MGM's version, the UK release is miles better and includes 2 audio commentaries (from director and production team; and historical consultant Stephen Walters; PLUS a 50 minute "making of" documentary.) It's been released in England by a company called Sanctuary (???)and although amazon.co.uk says it's PAL it's actually NTSC multi-region. I ordered one from amazon in England and the disc plays perfectly on my U.S. Sony player. If you're a fan of this movie (as I am) then this is the version for you.
Rating: 
Summary: A magnificient DVD with no extras
Review: Everybody knows already the story of The Bounty and how it ends. The battle of wills between Captain Bligh (excellent Anthony Hopkins) and Fletcher Christian (equally excellent Mel Gibson). What prompted me to write a review is another review, one from Mr. Stefan Schott from Germany (December 29, 2000), who gave the DVD one star! He said that the dialogues were so distorted that it is impossible to watch the movie and that image quality is below average.First, maybe the quality of the copy in Europe (Region 2) is different from the one that sells for Region 1. I bought the DVD yesterday and watched it last night. This is a prime example of low price/high quality DVD. The widescreen is a perfect media to set off the visual quality of that movie. The sunsets are marvelous, the close-ups are stunning and the scenes filmed at the water's edge leave us breathless. As for the audio quality, I did not find any flaws. The sound is perfectly clear and the dialogues are all audible. Obviously, Mr. Schott had a much different experience than I did with the DVD version of "The Bounty". I just wanted to bring that to the attention of potential American buyers so that they will not be put off by Mr. Schott's review. The only let down of this DVD is that there are no extras. At that price though, the fact that the movie itself on DVD is exceptional is worth the price.
Rating:
Summary: EXCELLENT!
Review: Excellent in every way re-telling of the well known BOUNTY story. Features a stellar cast, many of whom were on the edge of stardom (Hopkins, Gibson, Neeson, Day-Lewis). Beautiful and authentic scenary, haunting soundtrack, excellent acting - what more could you ask for?
Rating:
Summary: Great Reimagining of an Old Story
Review: Although this is not a new story on film, it is an excellent reworking of it. Mel Gibson and (pre-Hannibal) Anthony Hopkins are excellent as Fletcher Christian and William Bligh. This version adds backstory: Bligh and Christian were friends before their tragic journey that would leave one on trial and one marooned. The story is told via flashbacks by Bligh in front of a court-martial headed by the legendary Lawrence Olivier. This is not your typical production of the Bounty story, this beginning proves it. Next we are shown something of Bligh: he is an aging, ambitious Navy man who wants to advance with this mission: bring bread fruits from Tahiti to the colony in the West Indies, where a famine is occuring. After accomplishing their mission, some sailors, notably Churchill(Liam Neeson, excellent), decide to stay on the island. Punishing them has detrimental effects for Bligh's popularity. Bligh soon is out of control, and it is time for Christian to stage his mutiny. Beautiful photography is just a part of its brilliance. Modern audiences will love this retelling of a classic tale, and it has a stellar cast, high production values, and has that sense of adventure that is essential. A great film.
Rating: 
Summary: The Truest Version
Review: I always liked the Marlon Brando (as Fletcher Christian) and Trevor Howard (as William Bligh) version until I did my own bit of research and found that it was pure Hollywood fiction. About the only thing Hollywood got right was that the story took place in Tahiti and that breadfruit was involved. This more obscure version of the story gets it right! History seems to show that William Bligh was an extremely capable and competent naval officer who was given a very difficult job, with no other commissioned officers for help (Mr. Christian was Masters Mate and Acting Lieutenant) and no Royal Marine guards for protection (they needed the room for all the flower pots). Bligh himself was only a Lieutenant having previously served as Master under Captain Cook. Even after the mutiny and being abandoned at sea, he didn't give up and heroically captained his open boat to the nearest settlement 3,000+ miles away on Timor. Mel Gibson and Anthony Hopkins do a great job portraying the principles in script which is probably close to what actually happened based on all evidence. This version at least helps rectify a great historical injustice regarding the command of Mr. Bligh.
Rating:
Summary: Mutiny on The Bounty
Review: The Bounty starring Mel Gibson and Anthony Hopkins is one of the best films that I have ever seen. If you like movies with superb acting, beautiful tropical setting, and excellent filmmaking, The Bounty is the movie for you. It starts off a little slow but it is definitely worth the wait. It shows the full acting abilities of both superstars and will give you little shivers up your backbone.
Rating:
Summary: For fans of good movies and Anthony Hopkins.
Review: Sir Anthony plays a somewhat sympathic William Bligh in this retelling of the true story where his command is taken away from him like Mr. Christian(Mel Gibson), the naval trial of Bligh, and the ultimate fate of the crew of the Bounty after they reach the island, but were never caught by the Royal Navy. Good acting and directon from Roger Donaldson.
Rating:
Summary: Good Movie
Review: In reply to a previous reviewer,so what if The Bounty is rated PG and features topless ladies? I would rather my children watched this movie than one featuring a lot a people being murdered by serial killers or bent coppers! What is it with US society and nakedness??? IT IS PERFECTLY NATURAL,GET USED TO IT!!!
Rating: 
Summary: MGM have really butchered this DVD - it's a shame.
Review: I'm really not a movie critic and I feel there are other people and forums better suited to review a movie than this. This is to discuss the quality of the release for sale at amazon, in this case the DVD. When one writes an online review, the first thing to answer is: How do you rate this DVD? and not: How do you rate this movie! Well, the DVD unfortunately is a disgrace to the studio MGM. With the monaural VHS tape of "The Bounty", they have already proven that they are totally ignorant to audio quality, but the DVD even manages to top this. The dialogues, especially in the latter half of the movie, are so distorted (clipping) that is is impossible to watch this movie with any kind of enjoyment. Although encoded in Dolby Digital, the rear speakers are dead quiet for all but one very brief scene. The same applies for the subwoofer channel, which might as well be out for lunch, even in the scene where the ship gets hammered by giant waves near Cape Horn. To make matters worse, the image quality is also well below average, which is particularly disappointing for an anamorphic transfer such as this. There are compression artefacts throughout and a lack of detail which makes me wonder what transfer MGM actually used to produce this DVD. My guess is they dug up some old letterbox tape from their vaults and gained anamorphic format by way of interpolation. There are no bonus features of any kind, not even English subtitles. To anyone who, like me, loves "The Bounty" and the brilliant performances by Mel Gibson and Anthony Hopkins, I recommend not to buy this DVD - you will inevitably end up with a lot of anger and a sour stomach! Let's hope there will be a re-issue or a collector's edition one day...
Rating:
Summary: A powerful,engrossing, somber film - with a great cast!
Review: Please listen to those folks who recommended THE BOUNTY, they are right on the money. This is one of my favorite films and has been for 15 years. Never less than immensely entertaining and beautifully crafted, THE BOUNTY is a powerhouse work-gorgeously photographed,expertly acted (Hopkins,Gibson,Neeson,Day-Lewis,and oh yeah, Olivier),perfectly scored by synth genius Vangelis (don't listen to inane critisicms claiming period films ought only to be scored with 'appropriate' instruments-was the 'Chariots of Fire' score innapropriate?!?),and written sensitively and accurately by screenwriting legend Robert Bolt. I can remember anticipating seeing THE BOUNTY on cable in the mid-80's, having (like most) missed it in theaters. When I finally did, I pretty much became obsessed with it, watching it repeatedly, memorizing whole scenes, and becoming increasingly mesmerized by Vangelis' throbbing,over-heated score(a double c.d. soundtrack I'm proud to say I own since only 2000 were produced). The 80's won't be remembered for many cinematic gems, but THE BOUNTY ought to be mentioned as being one of the few. It's a classy, serious drama(not a melodrama like the other versions), and it really deserves to be re-examined. As does Hopkins performance which is nothing less than brilliant. His Bligh is so textured,his interpretation so authentically prismatic,each mood and expression acted with such devastating skill, it's a crime so few have experienced it.
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