Mutiny on the Bounty [VHS]
![Mutiny on the Bounty [VHS]](/images/Mutiny-on-the-Bounty-VHS-B000056BRJ-L.jpg)
|
List Price: Category: VHS Video See more movie releases |
|---|
![Buy Mutiny on the Bounty [VHS] at Amazon.com](/images/buy.gif)
(Click here)
Buy this VHS video movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
VHS Movie Reviews of Mutiny on the Bounty [VHS]
Movie Review: Extremely Overrated, Factually Inaccurate, Undeserving Oscar Winner of 1935!
Summary: 2 Stars
Those of you who think that changing history for the sake of a "good" storyline is a relatively recent phenomenon couldn't be more wrong. It appears that as early as 1935, Hollywood had showed that it had no qualms about letting wholesale historical inaccuracies and character assassinations get in the way of an entertaining story. The only trouble is that the portrayal of the story is so far-fetched and the pace of the movie so pedantic that it makes me convinced that this movie only won the Oscar because the also rans that year were probably not much better.
The portrayal of Bligh as a vile animal is so overboard that only the most gullible would believe that he was the sole reason for the mutiny and could possibly have been that evil. Let's just say that the Oscars would see a lot better quality nominees let alone winners of the best picture award over the years than this one. As the movie is based upon a version of events that is so heavily slanted in favour of the mutineers against Bligh, one shouldn't be surprised except that the attempt to white wash the deeds of the mutineers is so nauseatingly obvious that it just detracts totally from the enjoyment of the film. It's hard to enjoy a film that loses credibility so early on.
The quality of the DVD transfers is also not very good; the video quality is patchy and so is the sound. One redeeming factor is the special features which includes a very interesting documentary on the real-life Pitcairn Islanders at the time. For diehard fans of this movie, I'd recommend waiting for a better DVD transfer to be released. For those interested in finding out the truth of this historical event, give this DVD a wide berth and head straight for your local library.
Movie Review: Slightly Pedantic, but Fascinating story
Summary: 4 Stars
It is a fascinating story, and the acting remains top notch even if the style of story telling is somewhat dated. At times the story telling boarders on being pedantic, a trend which starts right at the beginning with the opening prologue.
"In December, 1787, H.M.S. Bounty lay in Portsmouth harbour on the eve of departure for Tahiti in the uncharted waters of the Great South sea.
The Bounty's mission was to procure breadfruit trees for transplanting to the West Indies as cheap food for slaves.
Neither ship nor breadfruit reached the West Indies. Mutiny prevented it--mutiny against the harsh eighteenth century sea law. But this mutiny, famous in history and legend, helped bring about a new discipline, based upon mutual respect between officers and men, by which Britain's sea power is maintained as security for all who pass upon the seas."
Like a lot of old movies, subtlety is not always this films strong point.
The prologue pretty much spells out the films plot (which I guess we kind of knew already anyway from the title). And yet it is 1 hour 2o minutes into the film before the mutiny takes place. And during that time you are just patiently waiting for what you already know is going to happen anyway.
During the first 1 hour and 20 minutes the crew is given no lack of motivation to mutiny. In fact "The Simpson's" parody, in which Captain Bligh seems to almost want the crew to mutiny, isn't too far off the mark.
The last 40 minutes of the film, which deal with the aftermath of the mutiny, is in my opinion the most interesting part. And a good history lesson to all us Americans ignorant of British naval history (although there are some historical inaccuracies in the film).
Movie Review: The best version of all "Bounty" movies...
Summary: 4 Stars
Of the three films about the famous "Bounty" ship, this version with Clark Gable and Charles Laughton I liked the best. In this version my feelings never swayed as to whom I liked (Gable and the ship mates) and whom I despised (Laughton).
Clakr Gable's Fletcher Christian was a light hearted man who was a friend to all. His shipmates looked highly upon him, even though many had been forced to join the long voyage. He was sympathetic with the crew's plight and often times tried his best to protect them from the many vast punishments. When Christian is fully fed up with the majorly unfair antics of Bligh and his mission, he finally decides to take command the Bounty. Christian, once he is in command, never looks back and takes his followers back to paradise on an unknown and uncharted island to live the rest of his days.
Captain Bligh is a military man to the bone who demands respect from all, and achieves it through his rough tactics, stern discipline and often times uncaring ways. He leads his ship with the Navy War Rules Book in one hand and a whip in the other. His actions can most certainly be deemed unfair, unjust and most of all harsh. Bligh feels that fear in one's Captain is the only way to lead and earn respect. In a way he almost seems to relish finding ways to "push a man's buttons" so he can then take out his Navy Rules War Book and give reason for punishment. His sole reason of mission first, duty second no matter the cost to ones health or life leads to the eventual infamous mutiny.
Unlike the other 2 "Bounty" films whose Capt. Bligh's at times came across as too sympathetic; Charles Laughton's portrayal of Capt. Bligh came off more aggressive, uncaring and unlikeable. It was easy to hate him and cheer his eventual downfall. A great performance.
The other "Bounty" films are good and definitely worth watching (especially Marlon Brando), but the best of the lot is this great black and white 1935 version with Gable and Laughton.
Movie Review: Mutiny on the Bounty
Summary: 5 Stars
#86 on The American Film Institute's Top 100, "Mutiny on the Bounty" is one of the few films to receive only the Best Picture Oscar at the 1935 Academy Award ceremony. It's a film that begins slowly and then slowly builds to becoming a great masterpiece of film with terrific performances by Charles Laughton and Clark Gable. This movie proves along with "Gone With the Wind" and "It Happened One Night" why Gable is one of the most remembered actors. His charm and likeability is in top form in this film. I'm not a big fan of movies that take place almost entirely at sea (even "great" films like Master & Commander didn't rub me the right way), but "Mutiny on the Bounty" is an exception due to the great performances and the fact that once it takes off, it's pretty entertaining. Gable plays first officer Fletcher Christian, who in the opening of the film gathers up people to go aboard a ship called The Bounty. There they will dedicate two years of their lives to the ships, whether they like it or not. Christian and midshipman Byam (Franchot Tone) are nice enough but it's Captain Bligh (Laughton) that makes the ship a living hell for everyone. Bligh is a fat, ugly, mean man who takes pleasure in flogging his crewmembers and accusing them of things they haven't done. When he's caught in a lie, he responds by having the "catcher" flogged. Christian is smart enough to know that he has no choice but to tolerate Bligh's abuse, but Christian's temper is just as bad as Bligh's. Finally, he snaps and mutiny occurs on the Bounty...Although, I'm sure you probably already figured that out. It's little wonder that Gable, Laughton, and Tone were all nominated for Best Actor (they all lost to Victor McLaglen) for the first and only time in Oscar history, although the Best Supporting Actor category did not yet exist. "Mutiny on the Bounty" is not, in my opinion, one of the best films ever made. It is a great film that has aged better than a lot of films that were made 20 years after it and for 1935, a lot of the special effects are well done. This film is probably one of the littlest known films on that top 100 list, yet it deserves more viewings than other films on the list like "The Jazz Singer" and, dare I say it, "Ben-Hur." It won't appeal to everyone, but it's worth seeing for the performances alone. Both Gable and Tone are very likeable and charismatic, while Laughton isn't a character you love to hate. You just hate the guy.
GRADE: A-
Movie Review: Swashbuckling!
Summary: 4 Stars
"Mutiny on the Bounty" is the fictionalized tale of an actual event whose repercussions are felt to this day. Captain Bligh is charged with sailing the Bounty to Tahiti to harvest breadfruit plants for transplant to the West Indies - what should ultimately be a two-year mission. He is commander of a crew made up of both volunteers and those pressed into service by His Majesty's Royal Navy, the latter group being significantly less enthusiastic about their voyage. Bligh's discipline often crosses the line into malicious sadism and as the months wear on, many in the crew begin to contemplate a mutiny which they execute shortly after departing Tahiti. Bligh is put into a small boat with those of the crew who remain loyal and performs the amazing feat of sailing 3500 miles over 45 days with very little provision. He eventually returns to Tahiti, where first mate Christian and the rest of the mutineers reside along with some of the loyal crew who wouldn't fit on the boat. Capture, return to England, trial, and execution ensue for some of the mutineers.
"Mutiny" is great not because of the acting - Laughton is tremendous as Bligh, Gable is only servicable as Christian, and Tone is poor as conflicted midshipman Byam - but because of the characters that make up the story. Those performances which are less-than-great are swallowed up by the flow of the story which you can almost feel as an inevitable force driving them all to their fate. Bligh is to mean to die, Christian is too noble to die, Byam is to honorable to die. But each receives a very different reward for their actions.
The supporting cast is very solid and really conveys the sense of frustration and anger that builds as time passes on the Bounty. The shots of the Bounty on the open ocean are magnificent and are easily the equal of those from "Master and Commander". However, the obviously anglo "Tahitians" can be pretty distracting to someone who's grown up in politically correct America. Still, it's a minor point, especially in the black-and-white format.
A true classic. Highly recommend.