Cheap The Bounty (DVD) (Mel Gibson, Anthony Hopkins) (Roger Donaldson) Price

Related Products

Customer Reviews of The Bounty

SPELLBINDING STORY OF A MOMENT'S MADNESS ON THE HIGH SEAS...
Deftly directed by Roger Donaldson and beautifully acted, this is a well nuanced film. Based upon a true story and adapted from the book, "Captain Bligh and Mr. Christian", by Richard Hough, the film relates the series of events that brought about the eventual mutiny of the English vessel, The Bounty, by its crew. The mutiny was led by Fletcher Christian, the Master's Mate, and friend of Lt. William Bligh, Captain of the ship. The film opens with the trial of Captain Bligh (Anthony Hopkins) before the Admiraly Board, where he is questioned by Captain Greetham (Edward Fox) and Admiral Hood (Laurence Olivier). Captain Bligh then relates his account of why it was that he lost a ship under his command.

The star-crossed voyage of "The Bounty" started innocuously enough. Captain William Bligh (Anthony Hopkins) convinced his friend, Fletcher Christian (Mel Gibson), to set sail with him as Master's Mate to ship Master John Fryer (Daniel Day Lewis). "The Bounty" was commissioned to set sail for Tahiti in order to obtain breadfruit plants for transport to Jamaica. In order to save time, the Captain would navigate a little used used route around the horn of Africa to save time. It was to be a voyage to remember.

During the voyage, the viewer sees the tension build amongst the crew, as well as amongst the officers. The innate savagery and baseness of some of the seamen is personified by Charles Churchill (Liam Neeson), a seaman who needs little provocation. The disdain of the officers for the crew is best exemplified by John Fryer, the ship's Master, who seems to relish the cruelty of the punishments meted out to those crewmen found guilty of infractions. Tension then spills over between the crew and officers, as the rigors of the voyage eats away at morale. By the time the ship reaches Tahiti, the die is cast. Months on the lovely island creates a false reality and an indolence that sets the stage for what is to come. Fletcher's erotic romance with a Tahitian princess further erodes discipline and strains the friensdhip between Bligh and Christian. By the time they finally shove off and set sail back to England with the breadfruit plants that they had sought, the end is near.

Mel Gibsin does a superb job with the role of Fletcher Christian. The viewer first sees him as an ambitious, yet kindly young man, who, having weathered the rigors and cruelties of the voyage, finds romance and peace on the idyllic island of Tahiti. Setting sail to return home and once again encountering the rigors and reality of a sea voyage, Christian seems to be a man on the verge of a nervous breakdown. With morale low among the crew, he makes a life defining decision. The rest is history.

Anthony Hopkins is simply brilliant in the role of William Bligh. Playing him as a hard working, by the book captain, he creates a three dimensional character that is sympathetic. Betrayed by friendship and beset by the fates, Bligh manages to pull together and save those men who were cast adrift in a dinghy with him. Masterful and mindful of his professional obligations, he makes an astounding voyage, believable because of the qualities of character infused in him by Hopkins' portrayal. The viewer senses, however, that he will forever be at a loss to comprehend Christian's actions.

This is a visually beautiful film, with stunningly lush island scenes. There is an original musical score by Vangelis that is wonderfully atmospheric. The performances by the cast are superlative. What more could a film lover ask for? Bravo!

Being two things at the same time.
I've not seen either preceding version of Mutiny on the Bounty (neither Gable's nor Brando's) so my review reflects only the value of this flick independant of how it may compare with it's antecedents.

On the whole, this is a compelling movie.

It's creators understood the value of embodying two polarizing forces within the same character or situation. By exploiting that tension, you create real drama. It's a simple formula, but easier said then done.

Fortunately both Mel Gibson and Anthony Hopkins are able to pull it off elegantly and seamlessly.

Gibson is simultaneously pulled by both the responsibility of loyalty and the passion that any vital man possesses.

Hopkins is divided by both the egoists desire to create a legacy and the LACK of male vitality that usually fuels such desires.

Of the two, Hopkins part is much tougher, yet he captures it in all it's poetic sadness.

In watching a conflict like this, everyone has to chose a side. I relate much more to Gibson, his disloyalty notwithstanding, as he allowed himself to be led more by power than form. (And I saw this before Mel became one of my all time great heroes for his phenomenal work in THE PASSION.)

Hopkins was an old man in the dark days of pre-Viagra civilization. He just didn't have any mojo left and his men sensed that.

Given that he was cooped up in a boat with ALL MEN for countless days, it boggles the mind that ANY man would not feel he had found absolute paradise when landing on Tahiti and all that it offered. And I mean ALL.

Mel of course understood exactly what they had swung into and, given his game, quickly began enjoying it to it's fullest.

That is essentially what this movie is about. The conflict between true, perhaps even raw passion and an old decaying passion limping along on it's last pathetic leg while attempting to provide some subtext for it's existence.

Two best scenes:

1) Mel and his Tahitian bride coming together for the first time.

2) The bitter tears shed by Mel's father-in-law as his daughter chose to go with Mel rather than remain with him.

BTW - I don't know why the last 3 reviewers of this film are all from the Ann Arbor/Plymouth Michigan area. Perhaps we just enjoy tropical climates more than others around the country!