January 15 - Mutiny on the Bounty (1962)

Today’s movie is a drama with a scene set today – January 15. I hope you will enjoy this film and watch it tonight.

MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY (1962)    

In 1787 the HMAV Bounty leaves England for Tahiti. There it is to pick up breadfruit trees and take them to Jamaica.  William Brown, who has been sent by the Royal Botanical Gardens to assist, tells Capt. Bligh that the plants cannot be taken during their dormant period. Bligh is an ambitious hard nose, while his first officer, Fletcher Christian is a patrician dilettante. When the ship sails, a crewman, Mills is accused of theft. When he proves and says it was actually the captain who is a thief, Bligh has him flogged. Bligh thinks fear of him is a great motivator for the crew. Bligh decides to try and take the ship around Cape Horn to save time. They run into terrible storms and a crewman is killed. The ship finally is forced to turn around and follow the original intended course, having lost a lot of time. Bligh pushes the crew hard to increase speed, but cuts their rations. They finally reach Tahiti, where the crew revels in the tropical climate and enjoys the easygoing lifestyle of the natives. In order to secure the breadfruit Bligh eventually has to order Christian to engage in a sexual liaison with   Princess Maimiti, daughter of the king. When the time finally comes to set sail for Jamaica, some men try to desert, with an eye towards staying in Tahiti, but they are caught and clapped in irons. Bligh has taken twice as many plants as ordered as atonement for the delay. He cuts water rations in favor of watering the breadfruit trees. When a crewman assaults Bligh over shipboard conditions, Bligh has him keelhauled, even though this is illegal.   When a member of the crew becomes sick from drinking seawater, Christian gives him fresh water. When he ignores the captain’s order to stop, Bligh knocks the ladle way and Christian punches him. Bligh tells Christian he will hang, but instead with the support of a large part of the crew Christian takes over the ship. The mutineers set Bligh and his supporters adrift in the lifeboat. Bligh navigates the boat 3600 miles to a port and he returns to England. Meanwhile the Bounty returns to Tahiti, where they pick up some natives who want to join them, including Maimiti. On January 15, 1790 [2:40:04 to 2:44:00] they reach the mis-charted Pitcairn Island and decide it will make a perfect hiding place. Christian tells the crew they have a duty to return to England to testify against Bligh. The crew instead sets the ship afire and Christian is killed.

A rather long telling of this story. The personalities and backgrounds of Bligh and Christian were nothing like what is portrayed in this film. As entertainment and not history, it’s a fairly good movie.

The Bounty by Caroline Alexander (Viking, New York, 2003) at page 355 gives the date the reach Pitcairn

Producer - Aaron Rosenberg

Director - Lewis Milestone

Awards – The film was nominated for the Best Picture, Best Color Art Direction, Best        Color Cinematography, Best Special Effects,  Best Film Editing, Best Original Score and Best Original Song Oscars at the 35^th Academy Awards.                

Screenplay - Charles Lederer

Runtime - 3 hours 15 minutes

Released - November 8, 1962

Starring - 

Marlon Brando as 1st Lt. Fletcher Christian

Trevor Howard as Capt. William Bligh

Richard Harris as Seaman John Mills

Hugh Griffith as Seaman John Adams

Richard Haydn as Horticulturalist William Brown

Tarita Teriipia as Princess Maimiti

Percy Herbert as Seaman Matthew Quintal

Duncan Lamont as John Williams

Gordon Jackson as Seaman Edward Birkett

Chips Rafferty as Seaman Michael Byrne

Noel Purcell as Helmsman William McCoy

Ashley Cowan as Samuel Mack

Eddie Byrne as John Fryer (Sailing Master)

Tim Seely: Edward 'Ned' Young (Midshipman)

Frank Silvera as Minarii