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Stars: Charles Laughton, Clark Gable, Franchot Tone,
Herbert Mundin, Eddie Quillan, Dudley Digges, and Donald Crisp
Director: Frank Lloyd
Feature length: 132 minutes
Extras: Vintage Featurette “Pitcairn Island
Today,” Academy Award Newsreel, Theatrical Trailers
Languages: English and French Language Monaural Sound
Subtitles: English Captions and Closed Captions and
French and Spanish Language Subtitles
Packaging: Snap Case
Chapter Stops: 35
Sound: Monaural Sound
Year of Theatrical Release: 1935/DVD Release: 2004
Theatrical Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures
Home Video Distributor: Warner Home Video
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Reviewer: Mark A. Rivera
The story of the mutiny aboard the HMS Bounty
is something of a legend. The characters of Fletcher Christian (Clark Gable) and
Captain Bligh (Charles Laughton) seem more like characters out of literature (and
they are) instead of historical figures. Gable’s performance as Mr.
Christian in this 1935 feature made him into the number one Hollywood leading
man of his era though I think people will remember him more so for his excellent
performance opposite Vivien Leigh in 1939’s “Gone With The Wind.”
Laughton’s performance as “Captain Bligh” is legendary in itself. His take
on the character seems to be of a man with a will of iron, but a sadistic and
vindictive man nonetheless. The side characters are played off more tragically
here since we see them conscripted against their will by Fletcher Christian
right from the beginning, but the earlier relationship between Christian and
Bligh, if there was one, appears to be lost in this adaptation. Instead the
movie frames the events and deaths that occurred following the mutiny are played
as a cause that resulted in the life of a British seaman becoming better somehow
and more just. Thus I guess the audience is somehow supposed to walk away
feeling a sense of catharsis and peace knowing that some good did come out if it
all, but I think that is more Hollywood rewriting history than the truth of the
matter.
In comparing this version to “The Bounty,” which
starred a young Mel Gibson as Mr. Christian and a pre-“Silence Of The Lambs”
Anthony Hopkins as Captain Bligh, I get a different take on the characters.
There is more of a subtext to Hopkin’s behavior in “The Bounty” and it is
in part because we are given a few minutes to understand that these men were
friends who respected each other before the ill fated voyage. So while
Hopkin’s is cruel, it is not as cut and dry as Laughton’s portrayal who
almost appears to be as mad as “Captain Ahab” from “Moby Dick” with his
desire for revenge against Christian, who he sees as the source for all his
troubles on this voyage. Now I will
admit that having seen “The Bounty” first before the Academy Award® winning
1935 version of “Mutiny On The Bounty” may have prejudiced my feelings
toward this adaptation. After all “Mutiny On The Bounty” is on the AFI top
100 American film selections and “The Bounty” is to the best of my
knowledge… not. However the ultimate fate of both men, in particular Captain
Bligh seems more believable than the manner in which his case is handled at the
end of the 1935 film. The whole I refuse to shake your hand though you have been
vindicated bit seems too contrived for me.
This MGM film released through Warner Home Video is a
bit of a disappointment in terms of the quality of the picture. It looks as
though the best available print might have been used for this DVD transfer, but
the source materials are a bit marred by imperfections like grain and dirt.
Since there are no notes at all mentioning any kind of restoration, I can only
think that either Warner Home Video did not have access to the negative if it
even still exists or did not find the investment in producing a better looking
DVD edition of “Mutiny On The Bounty” to be worth while at this time.
“Mutiny On The Bounty” is presented in a standard (1.33:1) aspect ratio
preserving the manner in which the film was exhibited theatrically as close as
possible for home video users. The English Monaural Soundtrack is clear and free
of any background noise, pops, crackling or hissing associated with older films.
A French Language Monaural Soundtrack and English Captions and Closed Captions
for the hearing impaired and French and Spanish Language Subtitles are encoded
onto the DVD as options.
The extra features include vintage newsreel showing
descendants of the original crew that made their home on Pitcairn Island more
than century before (9:39) and the film’s Producer being awarded the Oscar®
for Best Picture of 1935 at the Academy Awards®. The original theatrical
trailer (3:12) and the trailer for the 1962 remake starring Marlon Brando (4:04)
wrap up the extra value features included on this DVD release. The menus are all
standard interactive still frames that are easy to navigate. “Mutiny On The
Bounty” (1935) is available on DVD-Video now from Warner Home Video.
© Copyright 2004 By Mark A. Rivera
All Rights Reserved.
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