Mutiny on the Bounty

Movie: Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)

AFI List: #86 on the 1998 list, was not included on the 2007 list.

My List: #23
Starring: Clark Gable (who, without his moustache, looks a lot like George Clooney)

My rating: ˜˜˜˜

The movie chronicles the real-life mutiny aboard the Bounty led by Fletcher Christian (Clark Gable) against the ship's captain, William Bligh. The journey is from England, to Tahiti to pick up breadfruit plants to take to the West Indies to start growing breadfruit there for the slaves to eat. Most of the crew are press ganged into service (meaning they were dragged out of prisons and pubs to serve in the navy) and not very loyal or understanding of life and law on the seas.

The Captain is portrayed as an abusive villian whose brutality leads Christian and most of the crew to mutiny. They cast the Captain and a few loyal men off on the long boat to either find land or die. The Bounty then returns to Tahiti, then they sail off to find their own island because, as mutineers, they can never return to England or ever be found by the Royal Navy or they would hang, as the law requires. And, it's even more necessary for them to run and hide, because the Captain and the men that were sent a drift survived the 50 days on a long boat in the middle of the ocean and they returned to England to tell the tale of the mutiny.

This movie, was based on a book that was based on a true story. So, some liberty was taken with the story, but most of it was accurate, with only one major exception. It was an interesting story that actually inspired some other, deeper, rhetorical questions for me:

• Would I be willing to be a part of a mutiny knowing that I can never go home?
• Would it be worth it to mutiny knowing that you are already on your way home and it's almost over?

And a few others that would give away more of the story, so I won't include.

I liked the story because I'm interested in movies about the British Navy, i.e. A&E Horatio Hornblower, Master & Commander, etc. So, good story, but I enjoyed learning about the actual events more. I'm a nerd like that...