Mutiny on the Bounty, 1935

One of the first real “action” movies tells the story of harsh treatment and mutiny aboard the H.M.S. Bounty, highlighting the stories of the evil Captain Bligh and First Mate Fletcher Christian. This films pits two of the best actors of its time, Clark Gable as Christian and Charles Loughton as Bligh (most famous for his role as Quasimodo in 1939’s Hunchback of Notre Dame). Though based on a factual event the movie definitely takes many historical liberties, but what historical movie doesn’t.

The film starts in the English town of Portsmouth as the men are given their orders. They are to set sail on the H.M.S. Bounty and head for Tahiti to acquire breadfruit trees. The men know that it will be a long difficult journey, two years at sea, but there is an honor and whimsical feeling of being a sailor of that era. The men are proud and happy to serve their country and truly want to be good sailors.

As they are about to set sail they quickly learn that Capt. Bligh will be a harsh commander. He takes a sailor who stole rations and sentences him to a flogging. When they pull this soldier out in front of the men, the sailor is already dead, but Bligh has him flogged anyway. The next 35 minutes of the movie uses what is commonly known as an American montage. Using a map to indicate time is passing and then showing scenes to elaborate that passage of time.

Each vignette is basically another case of a sailor doing something “wrong” and Bligh punishing him. He makes one sailor sit in the lookout post for three days through a driving rain. Another man he has thrown over board to drown, and various floggings and imprisonments to others. Many of the sailors begin to grow weary and tired of the shabby treatment. On several occasion the ships first mate Fletcher Christian (Clark Gable) openly questions Capt. Bligh. After imprisoning several men for a theft they did not commit Christian decides its time to truly speak up.

Captain Bligh brings Christian up on trial for mutiny. However, as the proceedings are being conducted land is spotted off in the distance, they have reached their destination. The men will get a few months leave as they restock the ship and make repairs to sail back to England. However, Bligh makes Christian stay on the ship and oversee the repairs not granting him any shore leave. Eventually Bligh grants Christian some shore leave, but he abuses it showing up back to the ship two days late. Christian has fallen in love with a Tahitian girl, the daughter of the chief of the island.

As they ship out for their return to Portsmouth Bligh orders that water supply for the men be cut in order to provide enough water to keep the breadfruit plants alive. This turns out to be the last straw for Christian. He gathers up most of the underlings on the ship to lead a mutiny against Bligh. Most of the officers on the ship are on Bligh’s side and there is a set of 5 men who do not take either side. Christian sets Bligh and his supporters adrift on a small boat with some rations, supplies, and navigation equipment. Christian then announces to his men that they are setting sail back for Tahiti where they will live.

Bligh is an expert sailor and he sets his sights on the small island of Timor. As Bligh and his men have a harsh time getting to Timor, Christian and his men are enjoying a wonderful life on Tahiti. Bligh eventually reach’s his destination, and presumably finds safety. The men on Tahiti are enjoying themselves when after a year passes a ship is spotted in the distance flying the British flag. Captain Bligh is back for revenge, but Christian wants no conflict. He takes his men and sets the Mutiny at sail to find their own island to live. Bligh lands ashore on Tahiti and takes the five men who did not commit the mutiny under arrest.

The movie is a little confusing and jumps back and for the without much of a narrative as you can see by this rambling review. I don’t know how else to describe this movie but to try and show the back and forth. The men go back to England and are put on trial because even though they did not participate they did not do anything to prevent the mutiny. The one man sailor who is on trial is named Byam because he was heard plotting with Christian. As the trial is going on the Bounty has found an island to land on and live. But this is really the end of what we know about he sailors on the bounty. Byam is eventually found guilty of mutiny, but then the verdict is reversed and he is allowed to be a sailor again. That is the happy ending to the movie, but overall the end is rushed an inconclusive.

The movie was considered great at the time of its release presumably because of the power of the two main actors and because some of the sea scenes were monumental for the time. They actually set sail with a ship to shoot parts of the movie and went on location to Tahiti which in 1934 I can assume was not as easy as location shooting is today. Overall it was a disappointing movie, especially because of the ending. The other problem was Clark Gable was way too movie star handsome to be playing a gruff 18th century sailor. I have a problem saying it was any better than a 2 star movie.