ROGER DONALDSON
Bil’s rating (out of 5): BBBB.
United Kingdom/USA, 1984. Dino De Laurentiis Company, Bounty Productions Ltd.. Screenplay by Robert Bolt, based on the book Captain Bligh and Mr. Christian by Richard Hough. Cinematography by Arthur Ibbetson. Produced by Bernard Williams. Music by Vangelis. Production Design by John Graysmark. Costume Design by John Bloomfield. Film Editing by Tony Lawson. Cannes Film Festival 1984.
Third major version of the popular seafaring adventure story isn’t as good as Frank Lloyd’s 1935 Mutiny On The Bounty but is possibly better than the 1962 Marlon Brando version. This one has hard nosed Anthony Hopkins (who isn’t as frightening as Charles Laughton but does a good job trying) leading the crew of a man-of-war from England to the Pacific Ocean with brutal fury and a total lack of compassion. The men get so fed up with his tactics that they commit mutiny after reaching their destination, led by the gallant Fletcher Christian (Mel Gibson at his most blue-eyed) who is the most adamant about freeing the men from the tyranny of their captain. Roger Donaldson concentrates more on the breathtaking adventure than on the more academic issues the story deals with, but there’s no short shrifting going on in the area of entertainment value.
