The 1932 publication of Charles Nordhoff and James Norton Hall's -Mutiny on the Bounty sparked a revival of interest in the titular 1789 ship mutiny, and this 1935 MGM movie version won the Oscar for Best Picture. Clark Gable stars as Fletcher Christian, first mate of the infamous HMS Bounty, skippered by Captain William Bligh (Charles Laughton), the cruelest taskmaster on the Seven Seas. Bligh's villainy knows no bounds: he is even willing to flog a dead man if it will strengthen his hold over the crew. Christian despises Bligh and is sailing on the Bounty under protest. During the journey back to England, Bligh's cruelties become more than Christian can bear; and after the captain indirectly causes the death of the ship's doctor, the crew stages a mutiny, with Christian in charge. Bligh and a handful of officers loyal to him are set adrift in an open boat. Through sheer force of will, he guides the tiny vessel on a 49-day, 4000-mile journey to the Dutch East Indies without losing a man. Historians differ on whether Captain Bligh was truly such a monster or Christian such a paragon of virtue (some believe that the mutiny was largely inspired by Christian's lust for the Tahitian girls). The movie struck gold at the box office, and, in addition to the Best Picture Oscar, Gable, Laughton, and Franchot Tone as one of the Bounty's crew were all nominated for Best Actor (they all lost to Victor McLaglan in The Informer). The film was remade in 1962 and adapted into the "revisionist" 1984 feature The Bounty with Mel Gibson as Fletcher Christian and Anthony Hopkins as Captain Bligh. Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Genre: Action/Adventure
- Category Sea Adventure, Adventure Drama
- Theme: Ship Cruises
- Studio: Warner Home Video
- Run Time: 02 hr 12 min
- Edition: Restored / Remastered
- Language: Spanish, French, English
- Subtitle Language: Spanish, French
- Picture Format: widescreen
- Format: Blu-ray
- Release Date: November 16, 2010
- Lead Actor: Dudley Digges, Franchot Tone, Charles Laughton, Clark Gable, Herbert Mundin
- Supporting Actor: Robert Livingston, Pat Flaherty, Mary Gordon, Marion Clayton, Eric Wilton, Harold Entwistle, Byron Russell, Charles Irwin, Crauford Kent, Dick Winslow, Vernon P. Downing, Wallis Clark, Stanley Fields, DeWitt Jennings, Ivan Simpson, Ian Wolfe, Spring Byington, Francis Lister, Henry Stephenson, Eddie Quillan, Donald Crisp, Winter Hall, Will Stanton, Maria [Movita] Castaneda, Lionel Belmore, King Mojave, John Powers, James Cagney, Harry Cording, David Torrence, David Thursby, Alec Craig, Doris Lloyd, Douglas Walton, Mamo Clark, William Stack, David Niven, Hal LeSueur, John Harrington, Nadine Beresford, Percy Waram
- Director: Frank Lloyd
awards
- Nominations: Academy Awards (5)
- Nominee: Academy Awards, Best Director, 1935, Frank Lloyd
- Nominee: Academy Awards, Best Score, 1935, Nathaniel W. Finston, Herbert Stothart
- Nominee: Academy Awards, Best Editing, 1935, Margaret Booth
- Nominee: Academy Awards, Best Screenplay, 1935, Jules Furthman, Carey Wilson, Talbot Jennings
- Nominee: Academy Awards, Best Actor, 1935, Franchot Tone, Clark Gable, Charles Laughton