The Bounty

If William Bligh could return to this earth his lawyers would be handing out writs and summons left, right and centre for all the appalling things that have been said about him.

Bligh was a very good seaman, an excellent navigator, and a firm but fair ship's captain. There were far worse than him in the Royal Navy. His 3,500+ mile voyage in a small open boat with his loyal crew members has never been bettered.

After the slander of the two previous films in the 30's and 60's, this film gives a far more accurate and sympathetic portrayal of Bligh, and Anthony Hopkins is excellent as always.

No cast can beat the one in the Bounty. Just look at the list, Anthony Hopkins, Mel Gibson, Bernard Hill, Daniel Day Lewis, Liam Neeson, Laurence Oliver and even a young Neil Morrissey who puts in a good performance. I have seen three versions of The Bounty, the one with Clark Gable, the one with Brando and this and this version directed by Roger Donaldson is by far my favourite because it is so much more darker than the others. For one we have Anthony Hopkins as a caring but ruthless Captain Bligh who is hell bent on his ship sailing around Cape Town or something like that and the shipmen believe that doing it once was bad enough but doing it twice is suicide and that is where the film really kicks off but there are moments of tension between Bligh and Fletcher played by Mel Gibson and that's what makes this film all the more special than its predecessors.

If this film was made today with the same cast then it would not have had the same effect because it would have tried to win over it's audience with it's cast but the likes of Day Lewis, Liam Neeson and Mel Gibson were still unknowns in most countries and it was like an older version of the rat pack as they were the fresh faces coming up in the movies in 80's Hollywood especially for Gibson who just made action in the 80's apart from The Bounty and Gallipoli. What makes this movie all the more better was it's haunting soundtrack by Vangelis. Every scene in the film which contains a piece from the soundtrack is just spine tingling and the scene where Fletcher takes over the ship and the men are gathering together to mutiny is just fantastic.

It's not the best film ever but it feels like it when you watch it but then you take it in and you think of some of the scenes they could have included. A few more scenes between Bligh and Fletcher wouldn't have gone a miss and a bit more on Laurence Oliver's character but what we did see of him was more than enough and I shouldn't complain.

I have seen this film many time over the years and i never get bored of watching Sir Anthony Hopkins give a riveting performance in this classic story of life aboard The Bounty and the events that lead to mutiny.

Mel Gibson plays Fletcher Christian who must watch helplessly as his captain(Hopkins) demoralizes his men and drives them ever closer to the brink of mutiny. The tension builds throughout the film and in no small part to the excellent score. The disgruntled crew has many recognisable faces including Liam Neeson and Bernard Hill which makes the film all the more enjoyable. Daniel Day Lewis is particularly watchable as mr. frier, showing us a rather smug and sometimes fiery officer. The film is shot beautifully and the story is compelling. Even the script holds up in a film where the best performances come from the actors with the least to say.

The latest retelling of this tale shifts a lot of the blame about the voyage over to Fletcher Christian and the fact that he and a lot of the crew had simply gone native.

One of the great villainous portrayals on the screen is Charles Laughton's Captain Bligh from the stirring 1935 film. Laughton is pretty unforgettable with that jutting lower lip and that bellowing voice at the crew. Anthony Hopkins has given us a kinder, gentler view of Bligh which may be far closer to the facts.

Bligh certainly was a stern taskmaster as a captain of a naval vessel. In fact he served with distinction in several naval battles during the Napoleonic wars. What he unfortunately had was a sarcastic tongue, something not really needed for what in fact was a peaceful voyage to obtain breadfruit plants.

Scurvy which is caused by a Vitamin C deficiency ran rampant on the ocean going ships of the time, none more so than in British ships because they had the most of them. This was a pretty important voyage, to bring back Tahitian breadfruit to see if it could be cultivated in the climate of the United Kingdom. Maybe the mistake was in not sending a civilian ship to do the job, who knows.

Anyway Bligh punished men who got out of line, no more so than what was normal. The problem arose when after months at sea, his crew got just too used to frolicking among the female population of Tahiti. That would also unfortunately include Bligh's second mate Fletcher Christian, played in this version by Mel Gibson.

It wasn't Bligh's fault they lingered in Tahiti, the plants had to be mature enough to stand the voyage to Great Britain. Nevertheless the lack of discipline there, contrasted with what was expected of British seaman on a naval vessel, a return to that life was what led to the mutiny.

Certainly Fletcher Christian by all accounts was a charismatic guy, he would have to have been to get the men to mutiny. He was portrayed by four charismatic actors, Errol Flynn, Clark Gable, Marlon Brando, and now Mel Gibson. Only his intervention prevented the men from killing Bligh and a few others.

What I like most about this version is the fact that it does give due attention to Bligh's remarkable voyage in a long boat to Timor which was some 1500 miles from where he and the loyalists were cast adrift. It was a remarkable piece of seamanship, no mutinies during that voyage.

The luckless Captain Bligh also had the misfortune to be the Governor of New South Wales, appointed by the Crown, and was overthrown there in a power struggle with the merchants of the colony. That didn't help his historical reputation a bit.

Among the crew of the Bounty you will find Daniel Day-Lewis as John Fryer who Bligh replaced mid voyage with Fletcher Christian and Liam Neeson as one of the mutineers. Laurence Olivier plays Admiral Hood who led the court of inquiry that cleared Bligh of blame for the mutiny.

Still Hopkins and Gibson dominate the film with their skills and talents. Who knows who might bring the saga of this troubled ship next to the screen. This story has fascinated us for generations.

I will admit, I thought I'd seen it all when I first saw Charles Laughton bring the snivelling and maniacal Captain Bligh to life. I was dead wrong. Anthony Hopkins, whom I place on the highest rank of accomplished actors, recreates the memorable role with incredible flair and complexity. He shows us not just an insane seaman bent on ultimate subordination, but a man with real concern for maintaining order, knowing the consequences of anything less. "The Bounty", yet another retelling of the classic tale, is actually an amazing recreation of the sea fable, pumped with real emotion and drama. The writers really understand the characters in this story, especially in Bligh's case, but also in Fletcher Christian's as well. Mel Gibson reigns over the role this time, still fresh from his Australian beginnings, and undoubtedly one of the best at perfecting the challenged and affected hero. I proudly rave this version of the famous mutiny, and probably will place this among 1984's best films. Rating: Three stars and a half.