I approach this film as I would a textual account of the events it claims to portray. As a researcher of the events of the H.M.S. Bounty, I feel confident in declaring that, while all of the Hollywood films are inaccurate, this one solidly deserve to be characterized as pure fiction. It even starts off with a howler,when Brando takes an immediate disliking of Bligh at their first meeting. In fact, Bligh took a liking to Christian and promoted him over Fryer as second in command. And as to the mutiny itself, the actions of the participants are not in the slightest doubt, and are 180 degrees at variance with the manufactured scenes in this movie. Bligh was only 34 years old, only a few years older than Christian. Nor was he, by any accounts, considered a cruel captain. The punishment he gave to the deserters on Tahiti were far milder than the usual execution prescribed by law. Nor was there any case of him denying water to a dying sailor. The entire film should be destroyed as an example of the slanderous murder of a good man's reputation. Hollywood has no ethics when it comes to historical accuracy - anything that sells they will film. They call it "dramatic license." What it is is plain old lying in order to make a buck.
Review of Mutiny on the Bounty
