First officer Clark Gable and tyrannical captain Charles Laughton powerfully clash in this vigorous retelling of a true historic incident about a British ship commandeered from its brutal master. Franchot Tone also stars in 1935's Best Picture Academy Award choice.Running Time: 137 min.Format: DVD HD Genre: DRAMA UPC: 012569792135 Manufacturer No: 79213

Moral equivocation was a common trait among several of Marlon Brando's characters in the early part of his career, and so it makes good theoretical sense that he would play the role of Fletcher Christian, the tormented first mate aboard the British naval vessel Bounty. But in fact the part is an ill fit for the actor, whose British accent is poor and who never looked quite right in period costume, anyway. Director Lewis Milestone (All Quiet On the Western Front) makes a good-looking and at times (especially during scenes of shipboard cruelties and conflict) compelling movie out of the material, but overall the film just isn't there. --Tom Keogh

To call this re-telling of the 1935 cinematic classic a failure would be overly generous. It is a fiasco. In fact, it may be the worst big-budget movie ever made.
The antics that of Marlon Brando, who played Fletcher Christian, during filming have become legendary. He was often too drunk and spaced out on drugs to even read his lines from cards held up in front of him; he gained so much weight that he had to be filmed from different angles; etc. However, this movie would have a disaster even if Brando had been completely sober and maintained the same weight.
For reasons that are incompressible to me, the part of the plot leading up to the mutiny is made to hinge on the contrast that is created by depicting Fletcher Christian as an aristocratic fop and Captain Bligh as a self-made man who has risen through the ranks. To create the former persona, Brando seems to have imitated the intonations and mannerisms of Jackie Gleason's comic character Reginald van Gleason III. After the mutiny, the overlong plot meanders formlessly to an ending that is so bathetic that it is nearly comic. Conversely, the few deliberate attempts at humor are embarrassingly unsuccessful and blatantly inappropriate.
Not one character is at all interesting; and the enactment of their interactions is as amateurish as a high school play.
The photography also is inept, especially when combining close-ups with background in the same frame.

Was familiar with the movie altho it had been a number of years since I'd seen it. It's excellent. The DVD was in good shape; delivery was as promised. Everything as expected.

The 1962 film based on the Nordoff/Hall book about the "Mutiny on the Bounty" is an under-appreciated work of cinema. Aside from the beautiful settings the characters do the story well. Trevor Howard's
Bligh is a cruel, inhuman taskmaster (even though the real Bligh wasn't
that bad). The Tahitians who were tricked into serving aboard the Bounty
wasn't brought out, but that is another story, outside the book. The crew
of the Bounty couldn't have been a better group of actors. Then there's
Brando's Fletcher Christian. Okay, maybe he was a little over the top
in some respects, but more appealing than Clark Gable or Mel Gibson's
Christian. Don't agree? Take a longboat on a long voyage!

Great movie and even better in HD!!! If you have a chance, buy and enjoy!

Despite the negative reception this film received during its initial release (much related to Brando's infamous behavior on the set) this version of the historic mutiny is beautifully shot, intelligently scripted, and moves along at a good pace. Trevor Howard plays Captain Bligh as a truly misguided tyrant and commands attention whenever he is on screen. Marlon Brando plays Fletcher Christian as a gentrified dandy, that adds a very interesting dimension to the dynamics between the two leads, lending considerable weight to Christian's reluctant decision to mutiny. Lots of crackling dialog, much sweeping action. Bligh's dance at the behest of Hiti-Hiti is worth the purchase price. A great tale, very well told.