christoph404

A special edition of the Marlon Brando, Trevor Howard version of "Mutiny on The Bounty" has been released.(9th July 07) Apparently it is remastered and features overture and intermission as per the roadshow version that toured selected cinemas, and has a couple of featurettes on the discs as well. Sounds good. Carol Reed directed a good portion of this film before being fired and replaced by Lewis Milestone who takes full credit, the British cast were up in arms about Reeds dismisal and no wonder, with due respect to Lewis Milestone, Reed is a much better director in my opinion.I think it was a case of someone has to take the rap for the overuns and spiraling costs and poor Carol Reed was the fall guy, he didn't deserve it but was possibly glad to be out of it considering what happened after he left. The film notoriously almost sunk MGM and in a drastic cost saving drive afterwards MGM amongst other things were forced to close down their own in house camera departement and sell it off to Panavision who up until that time specialised in lenses. It was the start of Panavision's rise as the main supplier of Cameras and lenses for the film industry. Im off to HMV to see if I can find the DVD, well worth a look I think.

batman

Mutiny On The Bounty

I think this is the best version of the story. Although the film was made in an atmosphere of total chaos it is an thrilling film, beautifully photographed and with stirring music. Trevor Howard is excellent as Bligh and the supporting cast are, to a man, wonderful.

But, although his behaviour during the making of the film was allegedly appalling, Brando walks away with the acting honours. He carries us on a three hour journey with a man, Fletcher Christian, who transforms himself from a dandy and fop into a man of moral courage and physcal bravery, and not once does Brando lose control of the character. It is a stunning piece of acting and is hugely under-rated, probably due to his afore-mentioned 'bad behaviour'. He also demonstrates fine skill at comedy in this, something he never achieved in actual comedies until the late double whammy of The Freshman and Don Juan de Marco.

Although Milestone got director credit, he apparently did little else except sit on set and read newspapers, Brando having assumed total control after the departure of Carol Reed.

I shall definitely be getting a copy of this after years of watching pan and scan versions.

Highly recommended.



Bats.

I wish I had claws.

christoph404

Yes I agree, its also the version I like best, it received 7 academy award nominations including best film so not the stinker of a film that some would have us believe though I think the fact that it practically bankrupted MGM is something it has carried around....and then there are the stories of Brando's behaviour.I read in his biography that after conclusion of shooting each day he would jump into the sea in full costume, the sea water ruining the costume and hat etc. apparently he went through a lot of costumes and hats much to the dismay of the wardrobe man and accountants back in LA.
Im a big fan of Brando and he is the original deal but much as I like Mutiny, I thought his performane was weaker than those he has given in other films, I thought he started off the film as a languid fop with a very clipped upper class effete english accent which just disapeared when he lost his rag with Bligh! Gordon Jackson recalls how he played a lot of chess with Brando in between shooting and how Brando was never able to win a game from him.....now there is a surreal image, Cowley and Don Corleone playing chess on a remote Island in the Pacific! Great film indeed, I ordered my copy at £9.99...bargain.

batman

I agree that Brando's performance is not in the Terry Malloy or Stanley Kowalski class, but I think it has been unfairly dismissed by critics. I love the scene when he finally loses it with Bligh .... 'You bloody bastard, you'll not put your foot on me again' .... Howard's face as he picks himself up off the floor is priceless.



Bats.

I wish I had claws.

christoph404

Yep, great scene. To be honest Brando can do no wrong as far as Im concerned but as you say this is possibly not in the Terry Malloy or Kowalski class, good all the same.

Ted Holmes

Or Mr. Hudson and Peter Quint!

christoph404

..........

batman

'I'd keep an eye on that fellow if I were you Mrs Bridges ... and the chap with the arrow in his head doesn't look too respectable either'.



Bats.

I wish I had claws.

NappieB

It's always been my favourite version. Mel Gibson and Anthony Hopkins just didn't capture the same realism. Hope we get the new DVD here in USA soon.

"The future is yet to come" - George W. Bush

christoph404

The new DVD version has been out in the USA since the beginning of the year, check on amazon and you will find the region 1 special edition.

Just had a look on Amazon, a region 1 two disc special edition was released in the USA in November 2006, its description is the same as the recent Region 2 British release except the region 1 version is sold out and out of stock, you may have to find a used copy unless they release more stock in the USA.

AdrianTurner

I have had the R1 DVD since November and it's an absolute cracker, a beautiful transfer from the 65mm negative and presented in the correct aspect ratio of 2.75:1. The sound brings Kaper's fabulous score to life - reproducing that rich 60s stereo sound quality - and is complete with Overture, Intermission and Play-out. The extras on the disc are rather disappointing except for the Prologue and Epilogue which were to have book-ended the film and which explain by Richard Haydn narrates the movie. One of the best DVD releases of the year in my view.

batman

That version was a huge disappointment. Gibson was awful, especially in the scenes of the actual mutiny, and Hopkins appeared to be half asleep. Even the scenes at sea came across as half-hearted and when they reached the island, everyone else seemed to adopt Hopkins approach and nod off.



Gibson and Hopkins demonstrate how difficult it is to stay awake in all that sea air!

Bats.

I wish I had claws.

christoph404

I thought the Mel Gibson version generally disapointing though I did think Hopkins was the one redeeming feature, I thought he was quite good in it and gave a more three dimensional portrayal of Bligh. In the other versions I found myself simple hating the Bligh character and finding no sympathy for him at all yet in Hopkins's portrayal I found myself disliking him but also feeling sorry for him and admiring him in some ways, he seemed pitiful and somehow expressed more than the tyrannical hateful bully as portrayed by Laughton and to some extent Howard. Perhaps that is the weakness of the Hopkins version, his Bligh is just too human, better to be the out and out baddie that we love to hate!!!

batman

Even if Hopkins had been more hateful as Bligh as you suggest, the film would still have been let down by Gibson's bland Christian. He failed miserably to convey any of the internal struggles going on inside Christian and in the actual scene of the takeover of the ship, his performance is laughable ... which is what many people in the cinema when I saw it first time actually did! All that shouting and mugging ruined any tension that may have been present and destroyed any credibility he might have had as a leader of men .... and after it he just sulked like a schoolboy who'd had his i-pod confiscated. IMHO the only scenes which had any dramatic impact in the film were those with Bligh navigating that small boat to safety, especially the scene where they are attacked by islanders. If the film had more scenes like that it could have been good.

Bats.

I wish I had claws.

christoph404

Yes I agree, Gibson's performance is not very good, I thought Bligh was a more realsitically drawn character than Christian and you are right about the scenes in the boat where Bligh and crew are cast adrift, at that point I was rooting for Bligh and admired him in some ways and I think you have hit the nail on the head in describing Gibson's performance as laughable, its the biggest weakness of the film and ruins any tension that could hold our attention. I really think Hopkins is a very good actor, one hundred times better than Gibson and it shows in this film,and I think that is a problem when you are not totally convinced or won over by the "hero"
In the Brando version the character of Bligh may not be as roundly drawn as Hopkins interpretation but it is a very powerful and succinct performance from Howard we know exactly where we are with his character and of course we are with Brando within seconds of him appearing on screen, I would say Howard and Brando were very well matched , both superb actors with their own style and able to interact and inject conflict and tension in a very gripping way all these things sadly lacking in the Gibson remake but then Mel is no Marlon Brando!! I would give Hopkins 8 out of ten and Gibson null point