Customer Reviews

The Bounty (Widescreen Edition)

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I've not seen either preceding version of Mutiny on the Bounty (neither Gable's nor Brando's) so my review reflects only the value of this flick independant of how it may compare with it's antecedents.

On the whole, this is a compelling movie.

It's creators understood the value of embodying two polarizing forces within the same character or situation. By exploiting that tension, you create real drama. It's a simple formula, but easier said then done.

Fortunately both Mel Gibson and Anthony Hopkins are able to pull it off elegantly and seamlessly.

Gibson is simultaneously pulled by both the responsibility of loyalty and the passion that any vital man possesses.

Hopkins is divided by both the egoists desire to create a legacy and the LACK of male vitality that usually fuels such desires.

Of the two, Hopkins part is much tougher, yet he captures it in all it's poetic sadness.

In watching a conflict like this, everyone has to chose a side. I relate much more to Gibson, his disloyalty notwithstanding, as he allowed himself to be led more by power than form. (And I saw this before Mel became one of my all time great heroes for his phenomenal work in THE PASSION.)

Hopkins was an old man in the dark days of pre-Viagra civilization. He just didn't have any mojo left and his men sensed that.

Given that he was cooped up in a boat with ALL MEN for countless days, it boggles the mind that ANY man would not feel he had found absolute paradise when landing on Tahiti and all that it offered. And I mean ALL.

Mel of course understood exactly what they had swung into and, given his game, quickly began enjoying it to it's fullest.

That is essentially what this movie is about. The conflict between true, perhaps even raw passion and an old decaying passion limping along on it's last pathetic leg while attempting to provide some subtext for it's existence.

Two best scenes:

1) Mel and his Tahitian bride coming together for the first time.

2) The bitter tears shed by Mel's father-in-law as his daughter chose to go with Mel rather than remain with him.

BTW - I don't know why the last 3 reviewers of this film are all from the Ann Arbor/Plymouth Michigan area. Perhaps we just enjoy tropical climates more than others around the country!

In an excellent dramatic portrayal of a young man in conflict, Mel Gibson as Fletcher Christian must choose the life he has always known or actions that betray his code of honor.

Anthony Hopkins is Captain Bly. Perhaps the cruelty of the times caused him to treat his men so harshly, perhaps it was the code of the Royal Navy in order to maintain discipline, but either way Hopkins pulled it off perfectly. I thought how these early rolls gave him the power to play Hannibal Lecter so well in later films.

There is no way to judge the actions of a mutineer by today's standards, but I agreed with Fletcher Christion for the leniency toward the crew that would have kept the ship in tact and in the Master's command. Beatings, whippings, hitting a man on his bare buttox while is sprawled over a cannon, and depriving the men of the freedom they had been granted for over three months on Tahiti set the captain up for the mutiny.

How could men who had not been all that happy with a captain consumed to circumnavigate the globe on his personal quest, thereby bringing them in grave danger, be trusted? This was particularly true when this captain punished men for simply speaking out -- not against him -- but with questions about his command to return to Cape Horn where they had all nearly died in a bitter 31 day battle against the sea, which had won. They did not make it around Cape Horn the first time when their crew was full and energetic. Though he was warned privately by his First Mate, he still refused to listen.

This is also a love story about men who fell in love with their native wives and did not want to lose them. Had they not followed the captain's orders to return to the boat, without further shore leave, they would have been flogged or shot. Perhaps if Captain Bly had not been so rigid and Puritanical, this story would never have happened, but it is as alive and full of questions now as it was then.

This is a deep story. The acting is excellent. Five Stars.

Victoria Tarrani

One day I came across this film whilst channel-surfing cable TV. Like most Americans, I never paid attention to any of Mel Gibson's early movies, save "The Road Warrior". Boy, what we have missed! I came upon it during a scene where Hopkins and Gibson were arguing: it was absolutely enthralling; perhaps the most masterful display of acting that I have ever seen on film. Add to that the most accurate portrayal yet filmed of a fabulous true story, all the benefits of modern cinematography set upon the beautiful South Pacific, and a supporting cast that includes Daniel Day-Lewis, Liam Neelson, Laurence Olivier (!), and some of the most beautiful Tahitian gals in the world, and you have hands down one of the 10 best movies of the 1980s. I have since seen the earlier versions with Gable and Brando, and they pale sadly in comparison to this film. See "It Happened One Night" (1934) or "On the Waterfront" (1954) if you want to see those actors at their best.

There are a number of Great films that were commercial and critical failures upon release but were only recognized for their greatness after many years. Think of Intolerance (1916), Citizen Kane (1941), or Touch of Evil (1958). "The Bounty" certainly deserves a similar destiny and a position of honor amongst the great films of history.

The director of this film had a fine cast at his command, and an alternately witty and sensitively intelligent script to place them in, which was provided by the insightful screen-writer Robert Bolt, who also wrote the screenplay for "A Man For All Seasons".
The story is told very well, and the acting is convincing. But it did not, I feel, fulfill its potential. There are lots of close-ups and tense scenes within confined spaces, which indicates, to me, that the director was attempting to psychologically analyze the events on board the Bounty, but it seems to fail, nevertheless, to plumb the emotional depths of the characters. One feels, for example, that Anthony Hopkins was there to render the nuanced performance he did for "The Remains of the Day" a number of years later, but he was just not utilized by this director.
So it is good, but knowing, as most of us probably do, how talented the actors are, it is not as good as it could, and therefore should, have been.

It's not every day that you see a film with an all British cast. Since the 1981 Ocasr winning film Chariots Of Fire, the audience in the United States did not see a remarkable film from the United Kingdom Of Great Britian for some time. When The Bounty hit the big screen in 1984, the long wait had ended. And this film would go down in history as the best and most accurate adaptation of the historical mutiny.

Filmed on location in New Zealand, Polynesia, London, and at Pinewood Studios in England, Roger Donaldson definately put the material he had been given to very good use. Robert Bolt, who wrote the screenplay also did his research well. With such leading actors as Mel Gibson, Sir Anthony Hopkins, the late Sir Lawrence Olivier, Daniel Day Lewis, Liam Neeson, and countless others...this film was a box office winner. The cinema-photography was very sharp and beautiful, and the native women in the film, just as beautiful, native, scintillating, and sexy. Even the nudity of the women was in good taste.

Hopkins delivers an Oscar winning perfomance as Captain William Bligh, as does Mel Gibson in his role as First mate Fletcher Christian. Both actors from Wales and Austrailia portray the characters as human beings with very human faults. There is no villian or hero in this version. It boils down to faults on both sides. Both Bligh and Christian. Liam Neeson gives an excellent portrayal of Charles Churchill, a very scrappy seaman with an explosive force of nature. And Daniel Day Lewis gives a very hateful and sneaky performance as the ill fated John Friar. A character who gets the fate that he deserves in the end.

From an historical point of view, the film was right on the mark. That also includes the sets, costume designs, and other factual parts of the film. Most of all Vangelis's musical score for the film is just as beautiful as his score was for Chariots Of Fire and Blade Runner.

If you enjoy history, fine acting from the ebst in the United Kingdom, and other certain aspects, I would recommend this version of the mutiny on the bounty. It is beautiful, haunting, explosive, and powerful on all levels of cinema.

This is the third major cinematic retelling of the story of the Bounty. The standard is still the 1935 version with Charles Laughton and Clark Gable, of course, but this most recent version has the advantage of color, and plenty of beautiful, topless Tahitian women.

Speaking of which, this retelling places the major responsibility for the mutiny on the beautiful, topless Tahitian women. Hopkins portrays Captain Bligh as hard-nosed, but not cruel, and his disciplinary actions are depicted as well within the bounds of what was acceptable in those days. No keel hauling, no letting people die of thirst, no banishing people to the rigging during storms, etc. The problem is that Fletcher Christian has fallen in love with a Tahitian princess, who becomes pregnant with his child, and he is heartbroken about leaving her. Bligh is totally insensitive to his friend's predicament, and chooses that moment to start running a tight ship. Even so, Christian is conflicted about the mutiny. He seems to know he is doing the wrong thing, but can't help himself.

This may be a more balanced (and perhaps more historically accurate, I don't know) portrayal of the story, but it leaves you with no one to root for and no one to identify with. You feel bad for both men. You feel sorry for Christian, because it must have been gut-wrenching for him to have to leave his young Tahitian wife, but you can't really approve of the mutiny, either. On the other hand, you do not like Bligh, who is an insensitive, arrogant prick, but he has done nothing that even comes close to justifying taking the ship away from him.

On a technical note, the picture looks great, and the sound is unusually good for DVD. On the negative side, there are no extras whatsoever. I am chagrined to learn, from a previous reviewer, that there were two commentary tracks on the British version. The DVD is being sold inexpensively in America, but I bet most buyers would have gladly paid a little more to get the version with the commentary tracks and some decent extras.

Deftly directed by Roger Donaldson and beautifully acted, this is a well nuanced film. Based upon a true story and adapted from the book, "Captain Bligh and Mr. Christian", by Richard Hough, the film relates the series of events that brought about the eventual mutiny of the English vessel, The Bounty, by its crew. The mutiny was led by Fletcher Christian, the Master's Mate, and friend of Lt. William Bligh, Captain of the ship. The film opens with the trial of Captain Bligh (Anthony Hopkins) before the Admiraly Board, where he is questioned by Captain Greetham (Edward Fox) and Admiral Hood (Laurence Olivier). Captain Bligh then relates his account of why it was that he lost a ship under his command.

The star-crossed voyage of "The Bounty" started innocuously enough. Captain William Bligh (Anthony Hopkins) convinced his friend, Fletcher Christian (Mel Gibson), to set sail with him as Master's Mate to ship Master John Fryer (Daniel Day Lewis). "The Bounty" was commissioned to set sail for Tahiti in order to obtain breadfruit plants for transport to Jamaica. In order to save time, the Captain would navigate a little used used route around the horn of Africa to save time. It was to be a voyage to remember.

During the voyage, the viewer sees the tension build amongst the crew, as well as amongst the officers. The innate savagery and baseness of some of the seamen is personified by Charles Churchill (Liam Neeson), a seaman who needs little provocation. The disdain of the officers for the crew is best exemplified by John Fryer, the ship's Master, who seems to relish the cruelty of the punishments meted out to those crewmen found guilty of infractions. Tension then spills over between the crew and officers, as the rigors of the voyage eats away at morale. By the time the ship reaches Tahiti, the die is cast. Months on the lovely island creates a false reality and an indolence that sets the stage for what is to come. Fletcher's erotic romance with a Tahitian princess further erodes discipline and strains the friensdhip between Bligh and Christian. By the time they finally shove off and set sail back to England with the breadfruit plants that they had sought, the end is near.

Mel Gibsin does a superb job with the role of Fletcher Christian. The viewer first sees him as an ambitious, yet kindly young man, who, having weathered the rigors and cruelties of the voyage, finds romance and peace on the idyllic island of Tahiti. Setting sail to return home and once again encountering the rigors and reality of a sea voyage, Christian seems to be a man on the verge of a nervous breakdown. With morale low among the crew, he makes a life defining decision. The rest is history.

Anthony Hopkins is simply brilliant in the role of William Bligh. Playing him as a hard working, by the book captain, he creates a three dimensional character that is sympathetic. Betrayed by friendship and beset by the fates, Bligh manages to pull together and save those men who were cast adrift in a dinghy with him. Masterful and mindful of his professional obligations, he makes an astounding voyage, believable because of the qualities of character infused in him by Hopkins' portrayal. The viewer senses, however, that he will forever be at a loss to comprehend Christian's actions.

This is a visually beautiful film, with stunningly lush island scenes. There is an original musical score by Vangelis that is wonderfully atmospheric. The performances by the cast are superlative. What more could a film lover ask for? Bravo!

I first saw this film about 12 years ago by accident on TV one Christmas. From the first opening credits picturing sunsets over South Sea Island Beaches with that haunting Vangelis theme, I was mesmorised. The flashback style of storytelling from Bligh's Court Marshal was an inspired piece of film making, and immediately got me into the film. Great acting as ever from Sir Anthony and a very fine Performance if slightly dodgy English accent from Mr Gibson. Other notable appearances are Liam Neeson, Daniel Day Lewis and then a little known Neil Morrisey as Quintel.

I can thoroughly recommend this film as a captivating piece of cinema, and one which I regularly watch. Dispite what other people have said, I think the Vangelis sountrack helps lift the film above the norm, one particularly striking scene is punctauted with a thunder like clap of sound when Bligh reduces Fryer in Rank in front of the crew - you can smell the tension!!!

A thoroughly underated and undeservedly ignored film, which I believe deserves the badge of 'Cult Classic'.

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.

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.