If you’re not familiar with the story of Mutiny on the Bounty then you need only pick up the book to catch up. If you’re too lazy, like me, then let me tell you what the movie is about. It follows the journey of a group of British sailors and soldiers going to Tahiti to acquire some breadfruit trees. The voyage will take two years (back and forth) and will require the men to give their very best efforts to make sure the voyage is safe. Regretfully, the only thing that could really ruin it all is a blowhard captain named Bligh. He leads with his fist and cares for nothing except the goal of getting to and from the place. Due to his cruel nature he beats men for disobeying orders and even kills them if need be. The men and a few of his officers put up with his heartless antics until it all reaches a boiling point where Christian (Clark Gable) performs a mutiny on the Bounty (thus the name).
You would think that such a story wouldn’t last very long. Its structure is very simplified and it doesn’t really offer much in hindsight for adventure. Surprisingly, the two main elements that make this adventure work briefly is the acting and, more importantly, the build. The acting is top-notch for 1935, as the two main characters, Bligh (Charles Laughton) and Christian (Clark Gable), butt heads perfectly. Laughton’s Bligh is a cruel bastard. Laughton plays this character brilliantly, so much so that by the end of the film you want this a-hole to get what he deserves (which he does…. sorta). Opposite of Laughton’s Bligh is Clark Gable’s Christian. Gable patience in the film is beautifully and gradually worn thin as Bligh becomes more abusive. By the time he erupts at the end of the film you’re about as ready as he is to take over the Bounty. Both of these characters play off the ‘build’ of the story.
The build is so important because it makes the story, which would normally be a little dry, far more exciting. For example, as Christian is rounding up everyone at the beginning of the film you get some small dramatic moments and some humor. The majority of the beginning is filled with reluctant good cheers. That all ends when Laughton steps on the ship and the dark cloud of cruelty starts to form. It gradually gets worse and worse, as Bligh’s cruel nature steps over the boundaries that have been allowed. You start out with lashings, it forms into deaths and then it forms into ‘no stopping this train’. It’s a fabulous build that’s important to the moment where a mutiny happens. It makes the story so intriguing and keeps you on the edge of your seat. What the build also does is make you care for the characters and help you to understand why they are revolting against their ‘master’. It’s the central focus that is handled very well by the actors and is led just enough to keep you constantly interested.
They don’t make movies like this anymore.
No flaws, huge classic.
As for the Blu-ray portion of the film, it’s good. Had I not seen the 1933 King Kong on Blu-ray I would have said this is the best looking 30s film transferred to HD to date. Regretfully, King Kong was far more cleaned up then this Mutiny on the Bounty, but that doesn’t mean that this transfer was bad. Taking into account that the film was shot on soundstages, at sea and various other locations, the HD transfer was about as good as it probably could get. Once in a while you see scratches come through, but mostly what you get in the transfer is some grain in the black and white picture. Still, for a film that was shot in 1935 it’s pretty damn clean. It looks great in 1080p and it looks a lot more preserved with the care that Warner Home Video provided it. I’m still very impressed, though I wouldn’t say that it’s the best transfer. As for the audio, it comes in Dolby Digital (no DTS-HD) at 1.0 mono. I’m not sure what could have been done here, but it’s fine the way it is.
Mutiny on the Bounty is bound in a nice Blu-ray booklet, much like other Warner Home Video classics on Blu-ray. The booklet is pretty neat, as you open it up it’s lined with original movie posters from the film. It also has some great info about the movie, the actors and just small little wonderful tidbits. Booklets are always fun to read when they come with Blu-ray.
As for actual features, here’s what you’re looking at:
– Vintage Featurette Pitcairn Island Today
– Academy Awards® Newsreel
– Theatrical Trailers of the 1935 and 1962 versions
While there isn’t a ton of things here there are some solid features. The vintage feaurette with the Pictairn Island is pretty cool. The newsreel is just pure fun because of the vintage feel to it. The trailers are neat, as you get to see two different visions with the same film. Not bad special features, as you probably can’t expect much more from a 75-year old film.