The Bounty

( 2 )

Overview

This fourth film dramatization of the 1789 mutiny aboard the H.M.S. Bounty is based not on the familiar Nordhoff and Hall book, but on Richard Hough's novel Captain Bligh and Mr. Christian. This time, the infamous Captain Bligh Anthony Hopkins is as strict a disciplinarian as ever. He is, however, no monster; faced with his crew's increasing laxity after an idyllic visit to Tahiti the search for breadfruit takes second place to limitless sex with the island girls, Bligh is forced to resort to flogging and other ...
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Overview

This fourth film dramatization of the 1789 mutiny aboard the H.M.S. Bounty is based not on the familiar Nordhoff and Hall book, but on Richard Hough's novel Captain Bligh and Mr. Christian. This time, the infamous Captain Bligh Anthony Hopkins is as strict a disciplinarian as ever. He is, however, no monster; faced with his crew's increasing laxity after an idyllic visit to Tahiti the search for breadfruit takes second place to limitless sex with the island girls, Bligh is forced to resort to flogging and other such means to keep his men in line. Mr. Christian Mel Gibson, formerly Bligh's friend, is of little use to the captain, having fallen in love with a native girl himself. Christian becomes the leader of the mutiny virtually in spite of himself; and when the mutineers try to seek refuge on Tahiti, they find that the local chief wants no part of them, which is why they settle for the nearly uninhabitable Pitcairn.
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Editorial Reviews

Barnes & Noble - Ed Hulse
History's most famous mutiny, previously dramatized on-screen in 1935 and 1962, was again reenacted for movie cameras in this 1984 spectacle, an intelligently written period piece with a revisionist agenda. Director Roger Donaldson No Way Out presents in painstaking detail the taking of the Bounty by its crew, the casting adrift of its commanding officer, and the subsequent journey of the mutineers to idyllic Pitcairn Island. In his view, though, Captain William Bligh splendidly played by Anthony Hopkins isn't the one-dimensional villain of previous film versions: He's stern and repressed but hardly a sadistic tyrant. Head mutineer Fletcher Christian Mel Gibson, formerly depicted as a reluctant rebel acting solely out of principle, comes off as something of a dilettante, swayed from his duty without ample provocation. The Bounty, in addition to rehabilitating Captain Bligh's image, devotes considerable footage to his remarkable 4,000-mile journey to friendly shores and his subsequent efforts to bring Christian and his fellow conspirators to justice. Although it is not quite as rousing an adventure as the 1935 Clark Gable-Charles Laughton film, this Bounty is absorbing and elegantly appointed in the grand manner befitting the best historical dramas.
All Movie Guide - Michael Costello
Roger Donaldson's remake of the much-filmed tale of mutiny reduced the story's normal melodrama quotient, making for a thoughtful, if less powerful film. Based on a true story, the film follows the well-known events of the mutiny aboard the HMS Bounty during its voyage to Tahiti in the 18th century. In some respects the most well-made version of the story, Robert Bolt's script has chosen to humanize the character of Bligh (Anthony Hopkins), emphasizing his friendship with Fletcher Christian (Mel Gibson). When the crew finally revolts, it's less due to the captain's tyranny than to their revulsion toward shipboard life after having tasted the paradisiacal pleasures of the isle of Tahiti. Indeed, the question of whether the more civilized or the more primitive world is worth inhabiting is one that seems to interest the filmmakers the most. However, the impressive performance of Anthony Hopkins, who overshadows Gibson at this early stage in his career, could be read as their final comment on the matter. The excellent cast includes Liam Neeson, Daniel Day-Lewis, Laurence Olivier, and Edward Fox. Composer Vangelis employs a synthesizer to play his score, an instrument rarely heard during the 18th century, one whose absence would have been desirable here.
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Product Details

  • Release Date: 5/15/2001
  • UPC: 018713040527
  • Original Release: 1984

    • Rating:

  • Source: GOOD TIMES VIDEO
  • Format: VHS

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits
Mel Gibson Fletcher Christian
Anthony Hopkins Lt. William Bligh
Laurence Olivier Admiral Hood
Edward Fox Capt. Greetham
Daniel Day-Lewis Fryer
Bernard Hill Cole
Philip Davis Young
Liam Neeson Churchill
Wi Kuki Kaa King Tynah
Tevaite Vernette Mauatua
Philip Martin Brown Adams
Simon Adams Heywood
Sharon Bower Mrs. Bligh
Simon Chandler Nelson
Brendan Conroy Lamb
Dexter Fletcher Ellison
Jon Gadsby Norton
Richard Graham Mills
Pete Lee-Wilson Purcell
Jack May Prosecuting Captain
John Sessions Smith
Malcolm Terris Dr. Huggan
Andrew Wilde McCoy
Technical Credits
Roger Donaldson Director
John Bloomfield Costumes/Costume Designer
Robert Bolt Screenwriter
Robert Cartwright Set Decoration/Design
Dino de Laurentiis Producer
Clive Exton Screenwriter
Terry Gilbert Choreography
John Graysmark Production Designer
Arthur Ibbetson Cinematographer
Tony Lawson Editor
Tony Reading Art Director
John Stears Special Effects, Special Effects Supervisor
David Tringham Asst. Director
Vangelis Score Composer
Barrie Vince Editor
Bernard Williams Producer
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Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4.5
( 2 )
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Sort by: Showing all of 2 Customer Reviews

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    Lighter Side of Munity is...

    Sexual conquest with beautiful, half-clothed naked women on the beach. Captain Bligh in this film is not the sadistic villain of past, but a more sophisticated, ambitious and sexually backward man. I love the sort of nuanced relationship between Christian and Bligh that is implied in the film. The "relationship" being of a homosexual variety. Anthony Hopkins played brilliantly the stern and cruel Bligh. Don't forget Tahiti women! Also Daniel Day Lewis and Liam Neeson as Englishman in some of their first roles? Mel Gibson was as campy as ever.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    Best Bounty

    This film is the best and most historically acurate of the Mutiny on the Bounty films. It lays waste the myth of Capt William Bligh as a horrid orge. Bligh's trip across the Pacific with loyal officers in the Bounty's small launch is one of the greatest achievements in the anals of Naval history. The film is perfectly cast. An outstanding production by any measure and Mel Gibson's best film.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
Sort by: Showing all of 2 Customer Reviews