Mutiny on the Bounty (1962)

Director:

Lewis Milestone

Writers:

Charles Nordhoff (novel) and
James Norman Hall (novel) ...

Release Date:

8 November 1962 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | History | Romance

Tagline:

The mightiest excitement that ever swept across the sea or the screen!

Plot:

The Bounty leaves Portsmouth in 1787. Its destination: to sail to Tahiti and load bread-fruit. Captain...

Plot Keywords:

Naval Officer | Sailing Ship | Naval | Voyage | Crew

Awards:

Nominated for 7 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Marlon Brando	...	1st Lt. Fletcher Christian
Trevor Howard	...	Capt. William Bligh
Richard Harris	...	Seaman John Mills
Hugh Griffith	...	Alexander Smith
Richard Haydn	...	William Brown
Tarita	...	Maimiti
Percy Herbert	...	Matthew Quintal
Duncan Lamont	...	John Williams
Gordon Jackson	...	Seaman Edward Birkett
Chips Rafferty	...	Michael Byrne
Noel Purcell	...	Seaman William McCoy
Ashley Cowan	...	Samuel Mack
Eddie Byrne	...	John Fryer (Sailing Master)
Frank Silvera	...	Minarii
Tim Seely	...	Midshipman Edward 'Ned' Young

Runtime:

178 min | UK:185 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.76 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo (DVD Release) | 4-Track Stereo (35mm release) (some prints) | Mono (35 mm prints) | 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Norway:12 (video rating) | Iceland:12 | Norway:16 | UK:15 (video rating) | Finland:K-14 (uncut) (1993) | UK:15 (TV rating) | Finland:K-16 (cut) (1962) | UK:12 (video re-rating) (2006) | USA:Approved (certificate #19794) | Sweden:15 | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Bora-Bora, Tahiti, French Polynesia

Company:

Arcola Pictures

Trivia:

The MGM built vessel was to be burned at the conclusion of the movie, as the historical ship had been: Marlon Brando said if they burned the ship he would not finish the film. A 40-foot model Bounty was constructed and burned instead.

Goofs:

Factual errors: In the movie, Christian dies on the beach as the Bounty burns. In reality, there are no beaches on Pitcairn, and Christian died much later at the hands of the Tahitian men during subsequent conflicts on the island.

Quotes:

Captain Bligh: Midshipmen - be a dull navy without them. Now get that slut off my ship.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Leave It to Beaver: Summer in Alaska (#6.33)" (1963)

Soundtrack:

Follow Me

Terribly underrated version of the original classic

This is my favorite version of Mutiny of the Bounty, and I think it takes a very unfair pounding mainly on the basis of comparisons to the original. The production is superb, the story is paced a lot better, and it details Captain Bligh's cruelty more thoroughly. I can't vouch for the historical accuracy of the film, Brando's concept as a foppish Mr. Christian is a bit hard to believe, although he played it extremely well. Trevor Howard's Bligh is one of the most underrated performances in the world. For him to take a role heavily identified with another actor, play it his own way, and pull it off is extremely difficult. I give him enormous credit for this outstanding performance. I think the biggest criticism of this film is that it's not the original, but still extremely well done under the circumstances and very entertaining. ***