Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)

Director:

Frank Lloyd

Writers:

Talbot Jennings (screenplay) and
Jules Furthman (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

1936 (Germany)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | History

Tagline:

A Thousand Hours of Hell For One Moment of Love!

Plot:

Fletcher Christian successfully leads a revolt against the ruthless Captain Bligh on the HMS Bounty. However, Bligh returns one year later, hell bent on avenging his captors.

Plot Keywords:

High Sea | Cat | Atmospheric | Corporal Punishment | 18th Century

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 1 win & 7 nominations

Cast

Charles Laughton	...	Bligh
Clark Gable	...	Christian
Franchot Tone	...	Byam
Herbert Mundin	...	Smith
Eddie Quillan	...	Ellison
Dudley Digges	...	Bacchus
Donald Crisp	...	Burkitt
Henry Stephenson	...	Sir Joseph Banks
Francis Lister	...	Captain Nelson
Spring Byington	...	Mrs. Byam
Movita	...	Tehani
Mamo Clark	...	Maimiti (as Mamo)
Byron Russell	...	Quintal
Percy Waram	...	Coleman
David Torrence	...	Lord Hood

Runtime:

132 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Polynesian

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

South Korea:12 (2003) | Canada:PG (video rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:G | Germany:12 | USA:Approved (PCA #1531) | UK:PG (video rating) (2002) | Netherlands:12 | UK:A (original rating)

Filming Locations:

French Polynesia

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Irving Thalberg cast Clark Gable and Charles Laughton together in the hope that they would hate each other, making their on screen sparring more lifelike. He knew that Gable, a notorious homophobe, would not care for Laughton's overt homosexuality and would feel inferior to the RADA-trained Shakesperaean actor. Relations between the two stars broke down completely after Laughton brought his boyfriend to the island.

Goofs:

Continuity: After he takes the pearls from Christian with his right hand and passes them to someone, Bligh appears in the following shot with a book in the same hand.

Quotes:

Captain William Bligh: Mr. Christian!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Pirate Party on Catalina Isle (1935)

Lavish, Interesting, & Memorable (Whether Historical Or Not)

With three fine leading performances, lavish settings and scenery, and an engrossing story, the 1935 version of "Mutiny on the Bounty" is certainly the best cinema version of the familiar story, whether or not it is historically accurate. The 1962 version had some quality aspects, but it seemed to suffer from some odd casting and from over-extending itself. The revisionist 80's version made claims to being more historically accurate than the others, which may or may not be the case, and it was interesting for Anthony Hopkins's distinctive portrayal of Captain Bligh, but it was otherwise an unremarkable and not especially creative film.

The trio of Charles Laughton, Clark Gable, and Franchot Tone set a standard that none of the rest could come close to equaling. Laughton is perfect as Bligh, or at least as the kind of captain that Bligh is/was commonly assumed to have been. Gable does very well in adapting Fletcher Christian just enough to fit his own strengths - Gable is not quite what you expect of a British naval officer, but if he had tried to force himself into that mold, it probably would have been rather unconvincing. In themselves, Gable's charisma, decisiveness, and energetic personality seem just right for Christian. Tone also fits smoothly into the role of Byam, giving it the right combination of earnestness and restraint.

Their performances are set off nicely by the carefully detailed and interesting settings, and by a supporting cast that gets its share of good moments. The historical truths of the Bounty incident can be fairly debated, since it's unlikely that anyone now knows the inside story. But setting aside those questions, and purely as a movie, it would be hard to argue the virtues of this version of the story.