Mutiny on the Bounty poster & wallpaper
Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites

Clark Gable, Charles Laughton, Franchot Tone, Dudley Digges, Herbert Mundin ... see more see more... , Donald Crisp , Eddie Quillan , Movita , Francis Lister , Henry Stephenson , Spring Byington , Ian Wolfe , Ivan Simpson , DeWitt Jennings , Stanley Fields , Wallis Clark , Vernon P. Downing , Dick Winslow , Lionel Belmore , James Cagney , Maria [Movita] Castaneda , Mamo Clark , Marion Clayton , Harry Cording , Alec Craig , Pat Flaherty , Mary Gordon , Winter Hall , John Harrington , Charles Irwin , Crauford Kent , Robert Livingston , Doris Lloyd , David Niven , William Stack , Will Stanton , David Thursby , David Torrence , Douglas Walton , Percy Waram , Eric Wilton , Byron Russell , Harold Entwistle , King Mojave , Nadine Beresford , Hal LeSueur , John Powers

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 B... read more read more...est 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

Flixster Users

80% liked it

7,328 ratings

Critics

93% liked it

28 critics

Unrated, 2 hr. 12 min.

Directed by: Frank Lloyd

Release Date: January 1, 1935

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: February 3, 2004

Get It:

Stats: 328 reviews

report incorrect info

Photos

Franchot Tone and Clark Gable Clark Gable and Mamo Clark Charles Laughton (1935) Mutiny on the Bounty Clark Gable in Mutiny on the Bounty Clark Gable in Mutiny on the Bounty Clark Gable in Mutiny on the Bounty Clark Gable in Mutiny on the Bounty Charles Laughton in Mutiny on the Bounty Charles Laughton in Mutiny on the Bounty Franchot Tone in Mutiny on the Bounty Charles Laughton in Mutiny on the Bounty Clark Gable in Mutiny on the Bounty
Upload a Photo | View All Mutiny on the Bounty Photos

Your Rating


clear rating

Flixster Reviews (328)

  • dunmyer
    February 19, 2012
    dunmyer
    "Mutiny on the Bounty," winner of 1935's Best Picture Oscar, is an adventurous delight. Charles Laughton owns the role of Captain Bligh, playing him with resolute, forceful evil. But Clark Gable and Franchot Tone really own the movie, playing close friends who go up against Bligh... read more each in his own way.

    The at-sea photography is extraordinary, with expert direction from Frank Lloyd. Also beautiful is the photography on what was supposed to be Tahiti, but which was probably Hawaii.

    The pristine restored print that was pressed on DVD (and which is available from Netflix) gives you the chance to see this top-notch production in all its glory. It feels as if it could have been directed last year -- it isn't dated in the slightest. It's as crisp, taut and emotionally engaging as it was back in '35.
  • cosmo313
    May 17, 2011
    cosmo313
    Old Hollywood sure knew how to do epics, and this film is no exception. Despite a number of inaccuracies and liberties with the story (mostly for the purpose of dramatic effect), this is a very well done take on the classic story with the central issue of fun/freedom versus hardw... read moreork and accomplishment (that comes at the cost of suffering tyranny).

    The performances from Laughton and Gable are awesome. Gable looks weird clean shaven, but that's actually something the film gets historically accurate. The rest of the cast isn't too shabby either, even though the time period kept more "authentic" people getting cast as islanders.

    This must have really been something of a spectacle when it came out. It's impact isn't quite as grand as it once was, but it still packs a punch, reminding modern viewers of how to make a compelling epic the old fashioned way.

    Give this one a shot. It isn't perfect, but it has a reputation for being one of the better film versions of the story, and I can see why.
  • groaningbitch
    April 3, 2011
    groaningbitch
    actually the movie is a metaphor of american revolution against england centuries ago. clark gable represents the testicular american who stands up against the unjust tyranny of english authority, charles laughton. gable's character exiles himself in dahiti and marries a local be... read moreauty after revolting laughton's evil captain. to escape the captain's paranoiac man-hunt, he leads his crew man in search of a brand-new island which no man has found in the world as a land of freedom of his own where no man could enslave any other man, and man does his work driven by the holy sense of duty. sounds familiar, huh? no doubt, it's a man's picture (guy flick, for sure)..

    maybe the fun to watch this movie for me is the envy of men's world. their conflicts are grandly embodied on the stage with straight-arrow bomb-fire, direct physical collisions, passion exploded like dynamites in straight-forward ACTIONS!!! they conquer the spaces by the belief of themselves in the open sea. you want something, you reach out your hand to rob it and call it your own! in blood and sweat! even you just die for it, so what!

    okay, the reality behind it might just be a bunch of BS, a system of lies they invent to justify their own sins and vices. i had this dvd for quite some time without watching it, because i know what it will be about: one-sided self-indulgent myth on manhood and brotherhood. but sometimes in life, you're so overflown with abjections that you just escape somewhere in which you cannot find a trace of yourself, your gender and your social group! i haven't seen the sea for quite some time, and a poor subsitute is better than nothing!
  • ajv2688
    September 14, 2010
    ajv2688
    I was bored watching this movie, but I wasn't paying much attention, I should probably see it again.
  • bottcorecords1
    October 20, 2009
    bottcorecords1
    After writing over 200 movie reviews, I've gotten pretty good at taking mental notes. I don't use a notepad (anymore), I just make observations (such as "wow, Scott Bakula gave a pretty bad performance in The Informant") and recall them later as I write the review. However, whe... read moren I'm watching a great movie, the mental note-taking can go out the window as I'm drawn into the fantastic world of film. Mutiny on the Bounty was so good, I debated whether or not to even bother writing a review of it at all, there's nothing I can write that will contribute to its greatness.

    First of all, the performances by Clark Gable, Franchot Tone and Charles Laughton were so amazing, all three were nominated for the "Best Actor" award that year (the only time three leads from the same movie have been nominated). I became a big Charles Laughton fan after his moving performance as the Hunchback of Notre Dame, but Captain Bligh is as disparate from that character as he could possibly be. Laughton gives a performance that is somehow simultaneously broad and subtle. He's a petty, hate-filled little man whose biggest fear is losing control of his ship and the respect of his men, and yet his sadistic nature forces him to push his men to the breaking point. With his jutting lip and odd manner of speech, he seems the very air of pomposity (in fact, it was Laughton's Bligh that 'looney tunes' creators parodied the most when a ship's captain or some form of royalty). Clark Gable plays second-in-command, Fletcher Christian, an inscrutable and intensely just man who is torn between his love of his country and his sense of justice, as he watches the power-mad Bligh abuse his command.

    This film could easily work as a stage play, that is to say, it relies almost entirely on the actors' performances (What special effects there are, are blended into the film almost unnoticeably). This goes for the leads on down to the extras, there's an emotional tide that runs through the entire production. As I've said before, I've written just over 200 reviews, which isn't alot in the grand scheme of things, and it's always more difficult to say why I liked a movie than it is to say why I didn't. Sometimes, the best movies have a certain indefinable quality about them that touches something within the viewer. What I can say about Mutiny on The Bounty is that it's an excellent production featuring great performances. It's also a high seas tale of adventure that, as far as high seas tales go, hasn't been equalled.
  • rubystevens
    May 9, 2009
    rubystevens
    1935 was a good year for seafaring adventure stories. this may be the best of all time and has to be laughton's greatest performance. clark gable's good too. not considered historically accurate but makes a great film :)
  • smith44
    September 26, 2008
    smith44
    Captain Blight's terrible cruelty on the Bounty affirms his position as one of the greatest villians. However it is not the final result of the voyage that interests, but rather how an honorable officer of the British fleet could have turned on his Captain. The story focuses on t... read morehe journeys to and from the island because it is more important than the actual arrival at Haiti . More than anything a fascinating study of ship psychology based on a true story.
  • jjnxn
    August 19, 2007
    jjnxn
    good performances, avoid the Brando remake!!
  • staindslaved
    February 29, 2012
    staindslaved
    Mutiny on the Bounty is simply marvelous. I was skeptical of the seagoing affair with such an old release date, incredibly the film is both entertaining and harrowing. You can relate to the feelings of the poor crew and of Fletcher Christian whose conflicted sense of duty and c... read moreoncern for his men is understandable. The Ying and Yang effect of life on the ship and life in Tahiti sets the stage for the mutiny fabulously. The films best moments however are after the mutiny when the vilified Captain Bligh guides his loyal officers on a journey back to shore through basically sheer force of will and miraculously looks after every member of his little "crew".
  • fb208103125
    October 27, 2011
    fb208103125
    A Classic and inspiring tale of adventure and morality on the high seas. Both Charles Laughton and Clark Gable as well as all the other stars did an amazing job of portraying their characters with such vigor and care that you melt away into the film it's entire length. A great ... read moreescapist fantasy film and one that has timeless themes that are always relevant, even today. Any great film is one in which you forget you are watching a movie, this is certainly one of the best to do so. Highly Recommended!

View All Mutiny on the Bounty Reviews

Critic Reviews

February 17, 2009
TIME Magazine

Despite the efforts of Producer Irving Thalberg, Director Frank Lloyd, three scenarists and $2,000,000 to give it balance, polish and direction, the picture lacks all three. Full Review

Variety Staff
February 19, 2008
Variety Staff, Variety

There's nothing to stand in the way of Mutiny qualifying for box office dynamite rating. Full Review

Michael Wilmington
December 13, 2006
Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune

The story is spellbinding, the acting lusty and the spectacle everything you could expect from a Golden Age MGM production -- though sometimes it's a bit too much on the monumental side. Full Review

Dave Kehr
December 12, 2006
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

It's tainted by a fair amount of middlebrow stuffiness, but it's a fleet piece of storytelling and serves to enshrine one of the great ham performances of all time, Charles Laughton's Captain Bligh. Full Review

Andre Sennwald
May 20, 2003
Andre Sennwald, New York Times

It is superlatively thrilling. Full Review

James Berardinelli
January 1, 1935
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

A rousing adventure film set on the high seas. Full Review

Cole Smithey
November 20, 2007
Cole Smithey, ColeSmithey.com

Oh yeah--Laughton and Gable--pour me another one bartender.

Wesley Lovell
October 10, 2006
Wesley Lovell, Oscar Guy

Its theme of rebellion against that which binds us resonates today. Mutiny on the Bounty is well acted and well scripted. Full Review

Emanuel Levy
July 27, 2006
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

The first and best of the three versions of the famous mutiny is a big budget production, a stirring sea adventure praised at the time for its narrative pull, great acting of the three leads, and exot... Full Review

Steve Crum
June 8, 2006
Steve Crum, Dispatch-Tribune Newspapers

True MGM classic with memorable Gable and Laughton. Fine production overall.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Cast

More Like This

Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • Mutiny on the Bounty
    Mutiny on the Bounty (100%)
  • Kidnapped
    Kidnapped (100%)
  • The Bounty
    The Bounty (100%)
  • Billy Budd
    Billy Budd (0%)

More Movies like Mutiny on the Bounty

Facts

Submit a Fact | View All
    • Capt. William Bligh: Mr. Christian!
Submit a Fact | View All

Mutiny on the Bou... : Watch Free on TV

Mutiny on the Bounty Trivia

  • in the film" mutiny on the bounty" what was the name of the ship?  Answer »
  • What Best Picture winner failed to win any other Academy Awards?  Answer »
  • Marlon Brando star in the 1962 classic of the take-over on a sailing ship by its crew. Can you name the movie?  Answer »
  • Complete the title of this 1935 movie: "Mutiny on the ______"  Answer »
More Mutiny on the Bounty Trivia

Movie Quizzes

Create a Quiz |

All Quizzes

Video Clips

No video clips yet. Want to upload one?

Meet Other Fans

Add Mutiny on the Bounty to favorites

Recent News

No recent headlines. Got one?

Recent Lists

Make a List |

View All Lists

Most Popular Skin

No skins yet. Interested in creating one?