First mate Mr. Christian (Clark Gable) and his 18th-century shipmates overthrow cruel Capt. Bligh (Charles... (Learn more)
Starring: Charles Laughton, Clark Gable, Franchot Tone (View All)
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Starring: Charles Laughton, Clark Gable, Franchot Tone
The 1932 publication of Charles Nordhoff and James Norton Hall's Mutiny on the Bounty sparked a revival of interest in the titular 1789 ship mutiny, and this 1935 MGM movie version won the Oscar for Best Picture. Clark Gable stars as Fletcher Christian, first mate of the infamous HMS Bounty, skippered by Captain William Bligh (Charles Laughton), the cruelest taskmaster on the Seven Seas. Bligh's villainy knows no bounds: he is even willing to flog a dead man if it will strengthen his hold over the crew. Christian despises Bligh and is sailing on the Bounty under protest. During the journey back to England, Bligh's cruelties become more than Christian can bear; and after the captain indirectly causes the death of the ship's doctor, the crew stages a mutiny, with Christian in charge. Bligh and a handful of officers loyal to him are set adrift in an open boat. Through sheer force of will, he guides the tiny vessel on a 49-day, 4000-mile journey to the Dutch East Indies without losing a man. Historians differ on whether Captain Bligh was truly such a monster or Christian such a paragon of virtue (some believe that the mutiny was largely inspired by Christian's lust for the Tahitian girls). The movie struck gold at the box office, and, in addition to the Best Picture Oscar, Gable, Laughton, and Franchot Tone as one of the Bounty's crew were all nominated for Best Actor (they all lost to Victor McLaglan in The Informer). The film was remade in 1962 and adapted into the "revisionist" 1984 feature The Bounty with Mel Gibson as Fletcher Christian and Anthony Hopkins as Captain Bligh. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
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US Release Date
1/1/35
MPAA Rating
Not Rated
Running Time
132 mins.
Language
- English
Awards
- Winner of the 10 Best Films award at the 1935 Film Daily [Festival/Award] Awards.
- Nominated for a Best Director award at the 1935 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie Awards.
- Nominated for a Best Screenplay award at the 1935 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie Awards.
- Nominated for a Best Picture award at the 1935 National Board of Review [Festival/Awa Awards.
- Nominated for a Best Score award at the 1935 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie Awards.
- Nominated for a Best Editing award at the 1935 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie Awards.
- Winner of the Best Actor award at the 1935 New York Film Critics Circle [Festival Awards.
- Nominated for a Best Actor award at the 1935 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie Awards.
- Winner of the 100 Greatest American Movies award at the 1998 American Film Institute [Festival/Awar Awards.
- Winner of the Best Picture award at the 1935 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie Awards.
Distributor
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM)
- MGM Home Entertainment
