We watched "Mutiny on the Bounty", the 1935 version in black and white, starring Charles Laughton, Clark Gable and Franchot Tone. It won the Oscar for best picture that year. It's quite well done, and fun to watch. There are lots of recognizable character actors and beautiful closeups on their faces. The story is inherently gripping, and the life at sea well portrayed. The ships, the sea, the islands and everything are first rate. It was filmed partly in Tahiti, and part in Monterey, Santa Catalina, and various California locales, but the editing makes the scenes smooth. Gable is very engaging as Fletcher Christian, and Laughton complex and msyterious as Bligh. Tone is gorgeous as the man mediating between them both. You never understand why Bligh takes such a dislike to Gable, except Gable is charismatic and so likeable, with dimples to boot. But the differences in their looks help you fill in the blanks. Interestingly, when Bligh is cast at sea in a small lifeboat his demeanor transforms and he's kind and encouraging and fair to the other men, making you wonder if he has had an epiphany or just is the ultimate pragmatist. The islanders seem authentic and their lifestyle appealing, and you have no trouble seeing the allure of staying versus the harsh world of sailors at sea. The woman Christian marries, Morita, in real life became the second wife of Marlon Brando, who played Christian in an unnecessary remake of the film in the sixties. She was Mexican, and very beautiful.
A little documentary of Pitcairn Island, where the mutineers lived and their descendants still live, is a great addition to the DVD, and it's strange to think that they escaped without punishment, though a ship was sent back to Tahiti, and captured the mutineers who didn't follow Christian. So much energy and loss of life trying to find the mutineers, when in fact none died from the mutiny. But the symbol they presented must have been deemed exceedingly dangerous. The irony is that the Bounty's mission was to bring breadfruit plants to slaves held by the British in other colonies. So much hoopla over a few plants.
The movie is delightful, filled with humor, poignancy and passion. Gable and Laughton are a match, as two men with tempers that cannot abide each other. Compassion will always be more appealing than rules, and we easily side with the mutiny, as Americans and as anti-authoritarians. And we like a rogue when we see him. Gable was an superstar and the film shows us why.
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