MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY

US, 1935, 132 minutes, Black and white.
Charles Laughton, Clark Gable, Franchot Tone, Donald Crisp, Henry Stephenson, Spring Byington.
Directed by Frank Lloyd.

Mutiny on the Bounty is considered one of the Hollywood classics. It won the Oscar for best film of 1935. Its director, Frank Lloyd, was nominated but he had won the Oscar two years earlier for Cavalcade, which also won the Oscar for best film of 1933.

Most audiences are familiar with the story of The Mutiny on the Bounty. In 1933, veteran Australian pioneer director Charles Chauvel had made a semi-documentary called In the Wake of the Bounty with the dramatised sections starring Errol Flynn as Fletcher Christian. Flynn immediately went on to Hollywood where he soon appeared in Captain Blood and began his successful career.

This time Clark Gable, fresh from his Oscar-winning performance in It Happened One Night, is Fletcher Christian. Charles Laughton, who had won the Oscar the year before Gable for The Private Lives of Henry VIII, is a memorable Captain Bligh.

The film is an excellent re-creation of a seafaring adventure, life on ships in the British navy in the 18th century, the hardships, Fletcher Christian’s decision to lead the mutiny against Bligh, Bligh and his followers and their being put adrift – Bligh sailing a long journey to safety and later becoming Governor of New South Wales, Fletcher Christian and the rebels going to the Pitcairn Islands where their descendants still live.

There was a new version of The Mutiny on the Bounty, directed by Lewis Milestone, in 1962 with Trevor Howard as Bligh and Marlon Brando as an eccentric Fletcher Christian. Roger Donaldson directed a version in 1984, this time with Anthony Hopkins as Bligh and Mel Gibson as Fletcher Christian.

1. This film is considered a classic. Why? Does it stand the test of time? How enjoyable is it still?

2. What were your main impressions from this film? About Bligh? Fletcher Christian? Britain and its Navy?

3. How real did the film seem to be? Did the film director go for realism or did he go for some kind of contrived situation? Highlighting characters and behaviour? Preparing for the crisis of the mutiny? Its aftermath? Could one draw historical judgments about the characters from this film? Why?

4. How romantic was the presentation of the film: Britannia ruling the waves, the morale of the Navy, the picture of Christian as a noble hero, the picture of Tahiti and its noble savages, the honorable nature of the mutiny etc.? Were Bligh's and Christian's characters well developed? Or was Bligh a caricature?

5. The film was made in 1935. It shows a bias on British supremacy. How real does this seem now? Does it spoil in any way the impact of the film?

6. How vivid was the picture of the eighteenth century Navy? The reconstruction of the ship and life on the ship? The press-gangs? Bligh's authority in the ship? The initial punishment and the punishing of a dead man? The work, the rations, the fear-morale, the codes of the Navy? The nature of the trials on the ship? The loyalty of men who had to leave home for many years? The belief in the supremacy of the Navy? The Navy's role in having supplies e.g. from Tahiti? Following in Cook's trail?

7. Who was the central character of this film - Bligh or Christian? Why? Depending on your answer, how does this affect the balance of the film and audience sympathies?

8. How convincing a character was Fletcher Christian? Clark Gable's heroics? Leaving the press-gang, sympathetic to the men, his friendship with Byam, his revulsion at Bligh's methods, his obedience yet internal criticism his being victimised by Bligh, being pushed to mutiny? Why did he decide to lead the mutiny? Was he justified? Did he handle the mutiny well? His leadership of the men and their return to Tahiti? How well did he handle the men there - settling. marrying, reconciling Byam? His leadership in going to Pitcairn? Did he make the right decision in staying there and burning the ship? How much blame for the mutiny did Christian deserve? In terms of the laws of the time?

9. What impact did Charles Laughton's performance give? What kind of man was Bligh in himself? His personal life? Autocratic, his notions of authority, his belief in fear and punishment. his attitude towards the Navy? His attitudes towards the Navy in not being paid enough, and therefore his appropriating cheeses etc.? Was Bligh a victim of the system? How cruel was he? Did he have the right to punish as he did -Byam on the mast, victimising Christian, the floggings etc.? His treatment of Christian at Tahiti? The question of food and his being affronted? How did Bligh's achievement in the open boat alter audience attitude towards him? How heroic was his feat? His saving his men? The diary form etc.? How ugly was Bligh's revenge? His cruelty to Byam and the others? His wrecking the ship for his revenge? His behaviour at the Court Martial? His being rejected by the Admiral? Can sou see why Bligh later received Captaincy of more ships and the Governorship of New South Wales?

10. How attractive a character was Roger Byam? Could the audience identify with him? His background and family? His beginnings and earnestness? His role as midshipman - with the others? His being punished and victimised? His not wanting to mutiny? His relationship with Christian? His attitudes on Tahiti? His wanting to return honourably? The truth and falsity of the Court Martial? The fact that he did not die? That the ending too contrived on his return to his new ship?

11. How well did the film portray ordinary sailors? Burkitt and his insolence? Ellison and his being taken by the press-gang, encouraged by Christian, his role in the mutiny, his love for his wife and child, his return to the trial, his death? What was the impact of this on the audience?

12. How interesting were the sequences on Tahiti? In terms of the relationship of English to Tahitians? Their friendliness etc.? Their ability to return there after the mutiny? As a pause in the film and some ease before the cruelty resumed?

13, How traumatically was the mutiny filmed? Christian's role? The fighting? The vindictiveness against Bligh? Byam's being forced to stay?

14. Response to the Court Martial? Was justice done? Was it seen to be done?

15. Why has Bligh's story and the mutiny been of such interest over the centuries? What human attitudes did it highlight? What insights into behaviour did it give? What insight into law, authority, fear and cruelty did the film give?