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Released by: Twilight Time
Released on: March, 2015.
Director: Roger Donaldson
Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Mel Gibson
Year: 1984
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The Movie:
Originally conceived as a massive David Lean production, 1984's THE BOUNTY was eventually handed off to director Roger Donaldson when producer Dino De Laurentis decided to keep going after Lean abandoned the film for various reasons. The tale of Captain Bligh and his mutinous first officer had been filmed a few times by this point, but THE BOUNTY stands out in one crucial respect. Captain Bligh, here portrayed by Anthony Hopkins in a career high point, is far from the strutting unhinged lunatic made famous by Charles Laughton in the 1935 take. He's also a fair site more balanced than Trevor Howard's 1962 version.
Which leads us to just what makes this such a fine and under appreciated film in many respects. The story of a "difficult" sea captain who pushes his crew to mutiny by being an abusive control freak makes for explosive drama. The complex tale of a well-meaning but conflicted leader grappling with an undisciplined crew and his own ambitions and self-doubts makes for an engrossing one. Bligh has been tasked by her majesty with piloting a small ship from Great Britain with a non-commissioned crew to sail to Tahiti. Once there, they are to pick up breadfruit pods which are then to be transported to the Caribbean. Bligh's ambition to "round the Horn" on the journey and circumnavigate the globe is thwarted by foul weather. Forced to take the longer route, he stews a bit. He starts to resent his Sailing Master John Fryer (Daniel Day-Lewis in a wonderfully nuanced performance). Beginning to regard Fryer as a coward (due to the man's overly cautious nature and refusal to support the Horn maneuver), Bligh ends up appointing his friend and far less experienced Master's Mate Fletcher Christian (Mel Gibson) to the position. This does not sit well with Fryer, but ironically when the mutiny comes he refuses to take part. That occurs after the group is forced (once again due to inclement weather) to remain in Tahiti for months longer than originally intended after the culling of the breadfruits. The men - an unruly lot to begin with - become sated with sex and various indulgences offered on the tropical paradise. Finally back on the ship and headed home to England they snap under Bligh's authoritarian rule.
THE BOUNTY takes place in three distinct acts with some interspersed flashbacks. It opens with Bligh on trial in England. Presided over by superiors Admiral Hood (Laurence Olivier) and Captain Greetham (Edward Fox) he tells them the story of what happened. These trial scenes are short and lead to the real first act which is the ill-fated initial voyage. This is where we get to know the various characters which include a violent ruffian crewman named Churchill (Liam Neeson) and a drunk ship's surgeon Doctor Huggan (Malcolm Terris). Act two takes place on the island of Tahiti. We meet King Tynah (Wi Kuki Kaa) and his beautiful daughter Mauatua (who ends up becoming Christian's lover). The final act begins with the mutiny on the return voyage (and ejection of Bligh from the vessel). The shorter final scenes cover Bligh's and Christian's final fates.
THE BOUNTY is a film that almost demands two viewings. One's initial reaction tends towards viewing Bligh unfavorably. But dig below the surface and you begin to grasp his dilemma. The crucial giveaway is when he is set adrift in the middle of nowhere by Fletcher Christian directly after the mutiny. Thrown in a very small lifeboat with his loyalists, no guns and little food, he manages (without navigational charts) to get his group eventually to safety. And while Bligh's methods of crew discipline might seem harsh by modern standards he was actually a bit of a progressive by the standards of his day. Whippings and gaggings and such things were very much part of naval protocol then. Usually however, a British sea captain was backed by armed marines and served by a professional crew. This voyage - utilizing an undersized ship and non-commissioned crew - afforded Captain Bligh no protection. When his first mate becomes addled with too much sex and leisure and his crew becomes lazy and insolent, Bligh's stern nature leads to an impasse. The captain was also a true family man and had no use for the native women due to his loyalty to his wife. And while Mel Gibson's Fletcher isn't an entirely unsympathetic figure, he's clearly out of his depth when it comes to true leadership.
Hopkins does a lot of very interesting things with this role. He portrays a fascinating mix of deep and almost primal annoyance when faced with crew insolence. But he considers Fletcher - certainly initially - a friend. He tries on a few occasions to appeal to his friend's professionalism. When that fails he assumes a more authoritarian role. But that ultimately causes the mutiny. One's overwhelming sense of Bligh is that he loathes incompetence and lack of order, but prefers a harmonious ship and detests unnecessary drama. Christian, on the other hand, seems like a bit of a flake. Gibson's epic freak out ("I am in hell, sir!) as he casts Bligh adrift may seem a trite over the top but it fits the character. And after he blunders by returning with the ship to Tahiti post-mutiny (where King Tynah sends him away again due to fear of a British Invasion of his island), Fletcher's attempt at finding refuge for his mutinous crew goes very poorly. This is contrasted with Bligh's journey under far more arduous circumstances. Fletcher's only real success was getting King Tynah to let his daughter go with him after being thrown out of Tahiti. Bligh leads his group to safety and civilization. Fletcher finds them a woebegone pile of rocks (Pitcairn Island) that's only benefit is not being listed on any British naval charts.
The fine acting, rock solid storytelling and historical accuracy of the film are paired with stunning cinematography and arresting imagery. Donaldson's work on an early storm scene in the film is particularly breathtaking. The chaos and terror of a full assault by the elements is shown brilliantly. The island scenes are simply gorgeous and the appeal of the native women is shown without ever resorting to cheap titillation. The score by Vangelis is a bit outlier for this type of period historical drama but it fits. Donaldson does marvelous things with lighting and shading as well. The image of a burning ship near the end of the film (as a man laments "We'll never see England again, sir, shall we?") is particularly striking.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Twilight Time rarely screw up and THE BOUNTY is a fine addition to that tradition. The 2.34:1 AVC encoded 1080p transfer has a lively and lovely overall appearance. The sections aboard the ship tended to be shot soft, but the transfer shows impressive detail overall. Faces (you can trace the bags under Hopkin's eyes and count the whiskers in his late-in-the-runtime appearing beard) do very well and clothing is visible to the stitches. The transfer really shows its strengths in the lengthy island sequences. There's plenty of "pop" here. And lush color. Organic looking grain structure? Indeed. Good black levels? Check. DNR? Zilch.
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track provided is a suitable companion to the excellent visual presentation. Fidelity is rock-ribbed and the mix displays an impressive use of the surround sound field. The storm sequence in particular stands out. The LFE presentation is good and there's a nice full-blooded feeling to the audio overall. Volume fluctuations aren't an issue and the track has no audible flaws.
Extras are comprised of two audio commentaries and an isolated score track. The first track with director Donaldson, production designer John Graysmark and producer Bernard Williams is actually the less interesting of the two. The men have a tendency to get bogged down in technical details too often which makes this primarily of interest to filmmakers. The second track - with historical consultant Stephen Walters is utterly engrossing though. Walters walks us through the entire history of the real life HMS Bounty mutiny in a highly engaging chat. He praises the film for its historical accuracy and delivers tidbits about the actors and production as well. This is a superlative commentary that delivers the goods.
Finally, the talented Julie Kirgo continues to give us the icing on the cake with her insightful liner notes which provide a concise analysis of the previous BOUNTY films as well as some fascinating thoughts on the themes and message of this particular version. Well worth a look.
The Final Word:
There's a lot more to the story of The HMS Bounty than a crazed captain and a crew driven to rebellion by his cruelty. Donaldson's film gets into the fascinating corners of this historical tale, and while it may be seen as revisionist in some ways, the film has the ring of truth to it. Bolstered by Anthony Hopkin's subtle and brilliant performance, Mel Gibson's strong showing and a top tier supporting cast including Daniel Day-Lewis and a young Liam Neeson, THE BOUNTY is an engrossing and satisfying film. Twilight Time's edition may be a tad skimpy on extras but it boasts an A level technical presentation, one sterling audio commentary and first rate liner notes in the plus column. Highly recommended.
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