Rating: 
Summary: Hollywood's High-Seas Extravaganza Unmatched.
Review: Truly, there was no better high-seas epic than the original 1935 version of "Mutiny on the Bounty." The great American actor, Clark Gable, paired off with one of Britain's greats, Charles Laughton--along with a fantastic supporting cast--to create a Hollywood classic.
Based loosely upon a true story set in early 1800's England, the H.M.S. Bounty, a frigate bound for Fiji in order to stock up on fruit trees to bring back to Blighty, sets course under the brutal leadership of Captain Bligh (Laughton). First Mate Fletcher Christian (Gable) tries admirably to keep his dignity under Bligh's chafing while trying diplomatically to keep Bligh from punishing the crew too harshly. In fact, much of the crew are recruits from British prisons who chose to labor at sea rather than wear balls and chains in English cells.
After many months of Bligh's harsh treatment, the chance to go ashore at Fiji proves a welcome respite. But Christian is forbidden to go ashore; luckily, local tribe leader Tehanni (Movita) intercedes, talking Bligh into letting the First Mate come ashore. Bligh concedes, not wishing to anger the man who allows him to take his fruit trees back home.
Christian falls in love with the island, and with a local island girl. Fellow officer Roger Byam (Franchot Tone) has similar tastes, and even goes so far as to study the island's linguistics if ever he is to return to Fiji. But Captain Bligh takes control as the return voyage begins. Christian tires of the gratuitous beatings meted out by the sadistic sea captain. Mutiny is inevitable, as Christian and Byam (less eagerly) wrest control of the Bounty, and send Captain Bligh adrift in a lifeboat with his loyal men, leaving them to fend for themselves.
Thus begins a story of revenge for one man, and an attempt at refuge for another. The story moves along briskly, showing how the eventual climactic battle for superiority on the high seas must play out. Laughton's performance is truly memorable, evoking decades of comedic imitations in numerous cartoons and comedy-club stages. The pairing of American and British actors strangely works for this film. Perhaps it is because the sets were so incredibly believable, the cinematography absolutely brilliant. It is hard to believe this was only a black-and-white film, so vivid are its backdrops.
There have been other movies depicting the plight of the Bounty, but none have been as exhilarating as this. Character actors, such as Dudley Digges and Donald Crisp, leant their fine techniques to make this version the one to own.
Technically, the film has suffered no ill effects. The tone and texture of the mid-30's film holds up well. The sound is as good as can be expected. Original trailers for the film are also available.
The American Film Institute chose "Bounty" as one of its Top 100 Films of All Time back in 1997.
Rating: 
Summary: THRILLING SEA EPIC IN VERY NICE LOOKING TRANSFER
Review: "Mutiny On The Bounty" is a classic sea epic about the crew of a British tall ship who revolt after their captain (Charles Laughton) becomes tyrannical on the high seas. Clark Gable cuts a handsome swashbuckling figure as Fletcher Christian - king of the mutineers. His ability to insight revolt leads to a disastrous outcome for all concerned. Franchot Tone give a poignant performance as one of the wronged sea men, put on trial but eventually exonerated from the charge of mutiny. For adventure on the high seas there's none to touch this harrowing classic!Warner Brothers' transfer is a mixed blessing. Though much of the footage shot on indoor stages seems to have held up well over time the exterior and location photography is riddled with age related artifacts, slightly out of focus image quality and glaring film grain, dirt and grit. The gray scale sometimes has a well balanced look to it. At other times it appears to be suffering from low contrast levels. Blacks are never solid or deep. There are no digital anomalies. Fine details are never realized. The audio is mono but very nicely cleaned up. Extras include a couple of featurettes and a trailer. Ho-hum...the pirates life for me!
Rating:
Summary: THRILLING SEA EPIC IN VERY NICE LOOKING TRANSFER
Review: "Mutiny On The Bounty" is a great sea epic about a crew that revolts after their captain (Charles Laughton)becomes the tyrannt of the high seas. Clark Gable cuts a handsome swashbuckling figure as Fletcher Christian - king of the mutineers. His ability to insite revolt leads to a disastrous outcome. For adventure there's none to touch this classic!
TRANSFER: A complete surprise - Warner gives us a relatively clean and sharp looking transfer. The gray scale has been beautifully rendered. Age related artifacts are kept to a bare minimum. Ditto for film grain. There are no digital artifacts for a very smooth picture. Fine details are nicely realized. Black and contrast levels are bang on. The audio is mono but very nicely cleaned up.
EXTRAS: A couple of featurettes and a trailer. Ho-hum...the pirates life for me!
BOTTOM LINE: This one is definitely worth adding to your home library.
Rating:
Summary: Terrific entertainment
Review: "Mutiny on the Bounty" is a wonderful movie. Just great. The type of movie they just don't make any more. And what a terrific cast! This 1935 version of the Bounty saga is not as historically accurate as the 1984 version starring Mel Gibson and Anthony Hopkins, but I do believe it's the most entertaining to watch.
Rating:
Summary: THRILLING SEA EPIC IN VERY NICE LOOKING TRANSFER
Review: "Mutiny On The Bounty" is a great sea epic about a crew that revolts after their captain (Charles Laughton)becomes the tyrannt of the high seas. Clark Gable cuts a handsome swashbuckling figure as Fletcher Christian - king of the mutineers. His ability to insite revolt leads to a disastrous outcome. For adventure there's none to touch this classic!
TRANSFER: A complete surprise - Warner gives us a relatively clean and sharp looking transfer. The gray scale has been beautifully rendered. Age related artifacts are kept to a bare minimum. Ditto for film grain. There are no digital artifacts for a very smooth picture. Fine details are nicely realized. Black and contrast levels are bang on. The audio is mono but very nicely cleaned up.
EXTRAS: A couple of featurettes and a trailer. Ho-hum...the pirates life for me!
BOTTOM LINE: This one is definitely worth adding to your home library.
Rating:
Summary: Legendary, Memorable--and Somewhat Problematic
Review: Based on the then-popular novel by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall, the 1935 MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY is among a series of legendary films of the 1930s that have been repeatedly celebrated for cinematic achievement. And small wonder: the film has a host of powerful assets.
The single most obvious among these is the star power involved: led by two Oscar-winning stars, the critically formidable Charles Laughton and the incredibly popular Clark Gable, the cast reads like a Who's Who of mid-1930s male actors ranging from leading man Franchot Tone to the memorable character actor Donald Crisp. In a visual sense, the film is also a knockout: filmed on location in a full-size replica of the Bounty, it set a new standard for capturing the sea on film. And the story itself is powerful, the tale of the battle between the cruel and autocratic Bligh and the humane and populist Fletcher Christian. Taken together, it makes for a powerful ride.
Still, some viewers may not find MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY all it is cracked to be. Then as now, Hollywood was less interested in getting the facts right than in telling a good story--and from a factual point of view the film is perhaps twenty percent accurate and eighty percent nothing more nor less than historical tarradiddle. That is no real hinderance per se; after all, we're not watching a documentary. But seen from a modern standpoint the cast now feels somewhat problematic.
Charles Laughton was so critically well regarded that he received star billing over Clark Gable for the film, and seen today his performance is easily the single most powerful in the entire film. Autocratic, brilliant, and immediately and increasingly unlikable, he drives the film from start to finish--and it is here, really, in which most of the film's historical accuracy resides. The rest of the cast, however, is extremely Hollywood. Clark Gable, Franchot Tone and all the rest give an excellent show, full of power and drive--but you never for a moment forget that they are indeed Hollywood stars and not members of the British Navy.
This is very much a "big" film in the MGM tradition, often brilliant, often memorable, and often setting new standards for the motion picture industry. And when regarded from that point of view it is extremely, extremely entertaining. But it may also be a film whose power has slightly faded with the passing of time.
The DVD package is slight and less informative than simply entertaining, including trailers, a scrap of newsreel footage, and (most interesting) a short documentary on Pitcairn Island as it existed about the time MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY was made. Although the picture and sound have not been restored per se, both are best-possible-quality short of digital restoration. Recommended to fans of classic 1930s Hollywood.
GFT, Amazon Reviewer
Rating:
Summary: It's naval, not navels...
Review: Charles Laughton gives the standout performance in this classic retelling of the Bounty mutiny. Gable appears properly confounded and gives a believable and sympathetic rendering of Fletcher Christian. The movie holds up remarkably well despite some awkward editing and gaps in the story line. Still, at 133 minutes it is a relatively long film but it never drags. In spite of allegations made in other reviews there are no "white girls in blackface" or "boats in a bathtub" scenes. True, navels are concealed but the two female leads are obviously and revealingly topless in several scenes. As for "toy boats in a bathtub" there is only one sequence that obviously utilizes a model and it isn't all that obvious. Laughton is the luminary here and his Bligh stays with you. In fact it has stayed with the culture for sixty-five years. His performance is without fault and repeated watchings bear this out. A couple of sequences bear a closer look: The mutiny montage is startlingly effective and intense. It is a realistic portrayal of sudden violence; short, confusing, and graphic. The Sunday morning prayers on deck sequence is poetic and approaches the sublime. The ship's sails gleam translucent in the sun, the Union Jack floats majestically in the breeze, sunlight reflects brightly on faces as the Captain invokes God's blessings on the voyage. The extreme contrast of light and dark in the black and white print and the metaphorical contrast of good against Bligh, the epitome of evil, is subtle yet effective. It is a beautiful few moments. In every way but gloss this film is superior to the 1962 version. The 1984 "Bounty" with Mel Gibson is a fine film but it fades in the memory. This version lingers in the subconsious.
Rating:
Summary: One of Hollywood's best classic films
Review: Charles Laughton is pure martinet evil, and Clark Cable is a sizzling hunka studmuffin in this classic version of the famous (and famously fictionalized) story of the 1787 rebellion aboard the HMS Bounty. Laughton's Captain Bligh embodies cruelty itself as he terrorizes, tortures and flogs the poor souls toiling under his command, Clark is noble and true to his morals, even as he forsakes his country in order to stand up to the tyranny of the mad ship's captain. This film is magnificently made, filmed in black & white that's as crisp and clear-cut as the plot itself... Best of all, though, is Gable at his most dashing and magnetic -- if you've ever wondered where his star appeal came from, then check this film out. (For an interesting contrast, try out the 1962 remake, with Marlon Brando, of all people, taking a cool turn at the Gable character...)
Rating:
Summary: Drama on the High Seas
Review: Clark Gable and Charles Laughton set the screen on fire with conflict. Laughton commands the bounty as an implacable tyrant, Gable is the compasionate second in command. A true story originaly researched and written by two word war I flying aces, the movie follows the written story almost exactly. These mythic characters changed the face of the modern Navy not only in england, but the world. The DVD also includes a Movie Tone news story on "modern day" Pitcairn Island. This movie is a must own.
Rating: 
Summary: Dull Black-and-White Sea Voyage
Review: Filmed in 1935, this film is in black and white. The colorized version seems livelier, but there are several historical flaws. The most serious demonstrates how the film was caught up in the artifical morals of 1930's censorious Hollywood. For example, we are expected to believe that British sailors, impressed from the lowest levels of British society, and able to have sexual intercourse on demand with any of the Tahitian maidens, never exposed their navels to public view!
|
