In 1787, British ship Bounty leaves Portsmouth to bring a cargo of bread-fruit from Tahiti, but the savage on-board conditions imposed by Captain Bligh trigger a mutiny led by first officer ... Read allIn 1787, British ship Bounty leaves Portsmouth to bring a cargo of bread-fruit from Tahiti, but the savage on-board conditions imposed by Captain Bligh trigger a mutiny led by first officer Fletcher Christian.In 1787, British ship Bounty leaves Portsmouth to bring a cargo of bread-fruit from Tahiti, but the savage on-board conditions imposed by Captain Bligh trigger a mutiny led by first officer Fletcher Christian.
- Nominated for 7 Oscars
- 3 wins & 13 nominations total
- Directors
- Lewis Milestone
- Carol Reed(fired) (uncredited)
- George Seaton(Christian's death scene) (uncredited)
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe ship built for the film sank in the Atlantic Ocean after taking on water on October 29, 2012 during Hurricane Sandy off of the East Coast of the United States. It was last seen with only the masts standing above the water. Two of the crew died: the Captain, Robin Walbridge, and Claudene Christian, the direct descendant of Fletcher Christian.
- GoofsThe actual mutiny did not happen in the manner portrayed in the film. Christian and the other mutineers actually took the ship in the early hours of the morning, while Bligh and almost everyone else was asleep.
- Quotes
Fletcher Christian: [to Captain Bligh] You remarkable pig. You can thank whatever pig god you pray to that you haven't turned me into a murderer.
- Alternate versionsThe original 1962 print had a different opening scene, in which a ship's crew lands on Pitcairn and discovers an artifact belonging to the H.M.S. Bounty. They can barely read the name until William Brown (Richard Haydn), now aged, appears on the beach and says "Bounty". He then proceeds to tell the story of the famous mutiny, of which he is apparently the last surviving member. That is why we hear his voice narrating the story. In all current prints, including the one shown on Turner Classic Movies ca. 2005, this opening scene is omitted, so we do not know why Brown is telling the story in voiceover. However, the scene has been restored on the 2006 DVD release.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Hollywood: The Fabulous Era (1962)
When I many years later decided to buy it on VHS and watch it concentratedly, I fell in love with it immediately. I have always been a fan of large-scale films like Ben Hur, Doctor Zhivago and Lawrence of Arabia and Mutiny is definitely a "large-scale" film. Not only boasting a wide variety of colourful locations, from breathtaking, sun-drenched sea vistas to exotic beachscapes on Tahiti, it also includes some great actors, such as Marlon Brando, Richard Harris and Trevor Howard as the despicable captain Bligh. Contributing to the "large-scale" feel is Bronislau Kaper's lush and magic music score, featuring haunting chorus statements of the main theme, interestingly entitled "Follow me". The music was so lovely that I had to try out the theme on the piano once I finished watching the film.
I suppose most readers of this post are already familiar with the basic plotline, so I will not have to go through that.
I find that the film contains quite a lot of nice dialogue that sticks in your memory. But it is above all the growing conflict aboard the ship that is the major interesting theme of the film. Just to see how the conflict between Bligh and Christian builds step by step, from more or less nothing to mutiny. Even though it is unpleasant, it is a delight to follow. In any case, it had me glued to the screen.
I cannot say whether the events are portrayed authentically as they happened historically or not, but to me that is of minor interest. The film comes out magnificent all the same and appear to me to be quite realistic.
Another thing about the film that appealed to me is that it is so beautiful. Not only are the locations beautiful, but a lot of the actors, their contemporary clothing, not to mention the Tahitian beauties, are simply eye-catching. The Bounty, the ship itself, is also quite something else. A lot of the film's beauty, I believe, also has to do with good photography thoughout. The film lends itself incredibly well to widescreen-viewing.
I would heartily recommend this film to any fan of cinema. It is a film filled to the brim with colour and spectacle with marvelous actors and a catching and disturbing story of power abuse and the British Empire in its heyday. The only disturbing thing at the moment of writing, is that it still has not been released on DVD. But when it is, I sincerely hope it comes in a deservedly magnificent picture- and sound-transfer including a mountain of extras. I simply cannot wait.
- lanilen
- Oct 2, 2003
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Meuterei auf der Bounty
- Filming locations
- Bora Bora, Leeward Islands, French Polynesia(first breadfruit collecting party)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $19,000,000 (estimated)
- Runtime2 hours 58 minutes
- Aspect ratio
- 2.76 : 1
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