Mutiny on the Bounty (1962)

For the life of me, I have never been able to understand why the 1962 version of the "Bounty" tale is so maligned. It is a magnificent movie, stunningly photographed. It is not a perfect film, but it is undeniably entertaining. I actually (dare I say it?) enjoy it more than the original 1935 version that is so revered.

I can understand that some viewers balk at Marlon Brando's affected foppishness. IMO, however, the actor is taking a calculated risk in attempting to illustrate the profound transformation that Fletcher Christian undergoes as the story progresses. It does not always ring true, but, taken as a whole, it works very well. Some moments are brilliant. By the time we reach the actual mutiny, his growing rage (which has been suppressed almost imperceptibly up to this point) explodes in a massive rush and instantly we see a side of Christian that we weren't quite sure existed. His self-serving has finally given way to inevitable sympathy for the much-abused crew and even a sort of new-found idealism.

However, it is Trevor Howard's performance as Lt. Bligh which is the backbone of this movie. This man IS Bligh. At first he seems approachable and even affable, but each succeeding scene reveals some new brush stroke of character that illustrates the single-minded, ruthless soul of stone contained within. Howard also has this playfully mischievous smile that, every now and then, leads you to believe that there may be some glimmer of warmth inside the man. This hope, of course, is dashed to pieces every time.

"Mutiny on the Bounty" is also a strong example of how a soundtrack can make a film. This music always gives me goosebumps. From the overture through intermission to closing, it sets the tone of the picture brilliantly as a seafaring drama/adventure. It sounds like the ocean. It sounds the way the cinematography looks. Vast panoramas of blue ocean, endless skies, lush green tropical islands, and, most of all, the ship itself (which was built specifically for this film). And the icing on the cake is the song "Follow Me", one of the most hauntingly beautiful melodies ever written for the screen. To me (here I go again), it sounds like Tahiti.

Watch "Mutiny on the Bounty" in letterbox and full stereophonic sound and THEN see if you don't like it.

Fmovies: Nominated for seven academy awards [1962] including Best Picture, "this spectacular movie of grandeur and intimacy, sex and humor, cruelty and nobility" (The Hollywood Reporter) stars two-time best actor winner Marlon Brando (The Godfather, On the Waterfront) as Fletcher Christian, a high-born English aristocrat and elegant gentleman turned Naval Lieutenant and able first officer, whose honor is inseparable from his humanity. Also in an impeccable performance, Trevor Howard's steely, sadistic Captain William Bligh commands by contempt, as malevolent toward his officers as to the crew he tortures. In idyllic Tahiti, exquisitely captured by Academy Award winner (Best Cinematography) Robert L. Surtees, Christian is seduced by Miamiti. She is portrayed by "enchanting Tarita, a 19 year-old native whose swaying hips find their own varying levels of audience appreciation." (Daily Variety). "Mr. Brando's steel-spring vigor when the patience of Fletcher Christian snaps and he whiplashes into the fateful incitement of mutiny is truly electrifying." (New York Times)

Complete with furious storms at sea, exotic native ceremonies, magnificent South Pacific island scenery, 6000 Tahitian extras, and a larger-than-life performance by the legendary Brando, this remake of the 1935 original Mutiny on the Bounty is one of the most exciting and visually astonishing adventures ever made. "A superb blending of direction [Lewis Milestone], photography and special effects" (Variety) this movie became an instant classic and still lives to this day as the best rendition of the re-telling of this true story. Very rich in visual imagery and complimented by a mesmerizing original music score (Bronislau Kaper), this film features some of the best dialogue and character portrayals of recent memory (too many to name here, but worthy of note is Hugh Griffith, Richard Harris, and Noel Purcell). Truly a classic in the true sense of the word, and a must see film for all connoisseurs of fine movie making! A superb motion picture! Excellent!

Your website regarding Mutiny on the Bounty is well done. I know a lot about the movie because I helped to make it in Tahiti in 1960-1961. Iwas secretary to the writers, and "girl Friday" on the picture. A year in Tahiti with Marlon Brando was, and still is, most memorable. I am writing a book and including some of that experience. When I am set on he title I will come back and let you and your readers know. I loved the film because it captured the essence of Tahiti, both on the water and in the dance sequences. We had two trips to Tahiti because there was so much rain when the group from MGM was first there and we had to return to MGM in January and wait until the rainy season was over. Ia Orana. Suzanne

Mutiny on the Bounty fmovies. MGM's 1962 remake of their own 1935 Mutiny on the Bounty, makes the older film look hokey at best, and like an outright joke at worst. The newer version takes a far more realistic and honest look at every facet of the legendary mutiny. The movie potrays the two key characters in the story, Captain Bligh (Trevor Howard), and Fletcher Christian (Marlon Brando), as real men, and not like the cardboard cutouts as was the case in the 1935 version.

Howard's Bligh is brilliant, and not at all like the prancing cartoonish Charles Laughton version in '35. And when it comes to Christian, the protaganist of the mutiny, Brando makes an admirable effort to capture the essence of the the fopish and aristocratic character as portrayed in the Nordhoff and Hall book upon which both MGM "Bountys" are based. Brando becomes Christian, in the 1935 movie Clark Gable as Christian is just Gable as Gable, and that's that. Richard Harris as crew member Mills, is another solid portrayal in the 1962 movie.

Don't get me wrong, the 1935 movie's fun, but the 1962 movie is infinitely more impressive in all respects, especially its use of a real ship made just for the film, the awesome "shots" of life at see in the late 1700s, and of course the spectacular location filming in Tahiti.

1935's Mutiny on the Bounty, was a fine film in its day, but it doesn't stand the test of time, 1962's film stands that test. Is it a great movie, probably not, but it is a very good one. Considering that MGM did not deliver the ship on time for filming before the bad weather set in in Tahiti, MGM's firing of legendary director Carol Reed, and other miscalculations mainly attributable to producer Aaron Rosenberg, the film is a remarkable achievement.

The studio used an off-form Lewis Milestone as a replacement for director Reed. Once they decided that Reed wasn't their cup of tea, they just tried to slide by with Milestone, instead of securing the services of one of the many still vital directing greats working in the early 1960s. A movie of epic proportions like 1962's Mutiny on the Bounty, cried out for a William Wyler, a David Lean, or a Fred Zinneman, to take over the helm once Reed was canned.

When the movie didn't hit like gangbusters, MGM's publicity machine moved quickly to "sandbag" their star, and the lemmings of the early 60s entertainment press corps swallowed the studio's propaganda whole. It was open-season on Brando, and it was shameful, but anybody who has seen the movie and also read the book, knows that Brando's Christian is a very solid performance. I'm sure Brando was peevish and nettlesome at times during production, Trevor Howard says as much in his biography, but to blame Brando for the film's bloated final cost and its lack of epic earnings is ludicrous.

I love 1962's Mutiny on the Bounty, it should have been better, but its still one beautiful movie. It is an under-appreciated and highly underrated movie. I strongly recommend it, to me calling Brando and Howard's Mutiny on the Bounty of 1962, a minor film, as one IMDb movie fan recently did, is blasphemous. The truth is MGM, just fumbled the ball on Mutiny on the Bounty in 1962, despite all of their ineptitude during production, they still had what should have been a major hit. But they opened it as a road-show movie in just a few theatres nation wide instead of in as many theatres as possible like the studios do with all major movies to

The 1962 remake of 'Mutiny On The Bounty' has received many scathing attacks from some of the most prolific film critics throughout the years. It has been regarded as an overlong, overblown epic, which boasted an outrageous performance from Marlon Brando as the heroic captain's mate, Fletcher Christian. I believe that these initial reviews have been nothing short of harsh.

The 1935 version boasted a superb cast and was then regarded as a epitome of the classic story film-making. It is now regarded as a slackly told adventure, yet highly entertaining. So when the remake was in production in 1960, the critics' began to relish the possibility of another "turkey". The 1935 version was still clear in the memory. The rumours of discontent on the set and other production follies only assisted in tarnishing the reputation of the movie long before it was even released.

This movie is in fact a highly entertaining sea story. It is sweeping and visually beautiful, with a haunting musical score from Bronislau Kaper. It is in my opinion that Brando's performance was a brave if unsuccessful attempt to show a different side of Fletcher Christian. Brando's performance expresses a hero who suffers personal turmoil with the problems he experiences on the HMS Bounty. It is also unfair that many English critics have leapt upon Brando's accent. I am Irish and I have to listen to a multitude of strange Irish accents from many classic movies. It is in my view that Brando's accent seems to be a genuine foppish English accent which may not have been too far removed from the truth. The real Fletcher Christian was only 22 years of age when the Bounty sailed and he was a renowned ladies man.

Trevor Howard's performance of the rogue Captain William Bligh is masterful, even if he was another over-aged star to take on the role (The real Bligh was only 33 years old). The other performances are excellent especially from Richard Harris, Tarita and Hugh Griffith.

This movie is no worse than the 1935 version. It does have faults, but it is a genuinely beautiful movie to watch. The 1962 version of 'Mutiny On The Bounty' is not a testament on the problems of remaking of a classic adventure movie but of the real fact that critics really do get their facts wrong.

While the initial critical reception given MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY was not as favorable as that given the original 1935 film, seen nowadays it is a very impressive telling of the Bounty story with some fine performances and a stirring musical score by Bronislau Kaper that fully captures the mood with some haunting and truly striking themes that give the film added dimension. The pictorial splendor of the technicolor photography at sea and in Tahiti is never less than eyefilling. A thrilling high point is the storm at sea with Kaper's music rising to powerful intensity.

Furthermore, there are two fascinating performances by Marlon Brando and Trevor Howard. Howard is not quite as showy in the role as the scenery-chewing Laughton but his characterization is a bit more complex. Brando does an excellent job as Christian, posturing in the manner of a gentleman and speaking with an upper crust British accent that is entirely credible. Indeed, when he reaches the mutinous moment in a rage of uncontrolled anger, he is at the top of his acting form. Even so, some of his most effective moments are quietly underplayed. His performance deserved an Oscar nomination--but with so much bad publicity surrounding the film and the hardships and strains involved in the making, Hollywood apparently gave him the cold shoulder. Years later, they did the same to Russell Crowe for his bad boy behavior.

Technically, of course, the film is far superior to the B&W 1935 Gable-Laughton film. Gorgeous sunsets are backdrops to the ship at sea and the island scenes in Tahiti are gorgeous to behold.

A missing element from the earlier film is the absence of the character played by Franchot Tone. Indeed, Tone was nominated for a Best Actor award, along with Gable. There are numerous other differences but this take on the story is a good one, every bit as valid as the 1935 film.

With all of the bad publicity surrounding the film relegated to the past, we can look at this film with a fresh viewpoint today and enjoy it for the entertaining blockbuster that it is. Highly recommended.