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Mutiny on the Bounty

Play trailer Poster for Mutiny on the Bounty 1935 2h 12m Adventure Play Trailer Watchlist
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96% Tomatometer 74 Reviews 84% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
As the cruel captain of the HMS Bounty, a ship bound for Tahiti, William Bligh (Charles Laughton) wins few friends. When the crew members finally tire of his abuse, Fletcher Christian (Clark Gable) leads a mutiny, resulting in Bligh's unceremonious removal from the ship. While Christian and the remaining crew sail on to Tahiti, Bligh becomes intent on exacting revenge, and he targets Roger Byam (Franchot Tone), a sailor who had actually tried to stop the mutiny.
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Mutiny on the Bounty

Mutiny on the Bounty

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Critics Consensus

The historical inaccuracies in this high-seas adventure are more than offset by its timeless themes, larger-than-life performances from Clark Gable and Charles Laughton, and Frank Lloyd's superb direction.

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Critics Reviews

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Pauline Kael The New Yorker 07/28/2022
The director, Frank Lloyd, goes after "human interest" details in a broad, conventional manner... But for the kind of big-budget, studio controlled romantic adventure that it is, it's very well done. Go to Full Review
Mildred Martin Philadelphia Inquirer 07/28/2022
This stirring, beautifully made and splendidly acted picture must stand as the maritime masterpiece of the motion picture art. Every hour and every dollar lavished upon the production is repaid two-fold in the result. Go to Full Review
Edwin Schallert Los Angeles Times 07/28/2022
It is a great production, recalling the best days of the silent films in its photographic excellence. Go to Full Review
Matt Brunson Film Frenzy Nov 11
4/4
An exciting, perfectly executed production that features Gable at his most magnetic and Laughton at his most commanding. Go to Full Review
Mark Johnson Awards Daily 06/27/2023
The film was a huge hit at the box office, and was heavy on action, mysterious settings, clashing drama, and high-seas adventure. Go to Full Review
Ada Hanifin San Francisco Examiner 07/28/2022
Never has Laughton recreated such a composite character as the strange, unhealthy creature that manned the Bounty... It is a magnificent performance, and, indisputably, Laughton's greatest. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Stephen C @bob25009 Jul 12 Success in 2 hour and 12 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! See more Alec B Apr 30 Its very Hollywood in a lot of ways (Bligh bad and Christian good) but there's also suprising nuance. Laughton's Bligh isn't some sniveling coward, he's the strongest one of the bunch and Gable's Christian is often conflicted until those final scenes. See more Connor S 03/02/2024 The rare true story that is almost perfectly executed. Yet, is it the best version of this I've seen? No. #Brando See more jelisije j 01/05/2023 For the time period for when this movie was made it was very good, but this is a classical example of films that don't age quite well when given the historical information that is provided in our modern times. See more Christopher B 08/26/2022 A Classic and inspiring tale of adventure and morality on the high seas. Both Charles Laughton and Clark Gable as well as all the other stars did an amazing job of portraying their characters with such vigor and care that you melt away into the film it's entire length. A great escapist fantasy film and one that has timeless themes that are always relevant, even today. Any great film is one in which you forget you are watching a movie, this is certainly one of the best to do so. Highly Recommended! See more stu b 03/31/2022 When men were men. ships were ships, and sea captains were callous and cruel. A pre-"Gone With the Wind" Clark Gable plays Fletcher Christian, first mate on an ocean voyage all the way from England to Tahiti, Charles Laughton co-stars as his commanding officer, the notorious Captain Bligh, and Franchot Tone is Fletcher's friend and fellow officer, Roger Byam. Gable is fine, sturdy and combative; Laughton--chin high, head thrust forward, menacing scowl etched permanently on his face--is typically brilliant; and Tone, torn between his friendship with Christian and fealty to Captain and Crown, is excellent. (All three were nominated for Oscars, although none of them won.) Bligh runs his ship like a dictator, with a zero tolerance policy writ in stone, and the men under his command (whom he flogs, and worse, with sickening regularity) begin--no surprise here--to despise him. The action flags a bit once they reach Paradise, but the look of the film is spectacular. (Some of the stormier sequences are so believable, you may find yourself reaching for the Dramamine.) Shot entirely in gorgeous black-and-white. Directed by Frank Lloyd; based on the 1932 novel. Worth seeing. See more Read all reviews
Mutiny on the Bounty

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Movie Info

Synopsis As the cruel captain of the HMS Bounty, a ship bound for Tahiti, William Bligh (Charles Laughton) wins few friends. When the crew members finally tire of his abuse, Fletcher Christian (Clark Gable) leads a mutiny, resulting in Bligh's unceremonious removal from the ship. While Christian and the remaining crew sail on to Tahiti, Bligh becomes intent on exacting revenge, and he targets Roger Byam (Franchot Tone), a sailor who had actually tried to stop the mutiny.
Director
Frank Lloyd
Producer
Frank Lloyd, Irving Thalberg
Screenwriter
Talbot Jennings, Jules Furthman, Carey Wilson
Distributor
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Production Co
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Genre
Adventure
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 8, 1935, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 21, 2016
Runtime
2h 12m
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