Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Mutiny on the Bounty Blu-ray Movie Review

The Bounty hits the wild Blu seas.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman November 3, 2011

Marlon Brando was one of the first superstars of the post-World War II era—arguably the superstar of that era —and he ushered in a whole new way of film acting which affected virtually every major actor who followed in his wake, and indeed even some who had preceded Brando into stardom. Audiences had never seen anything like the Brando of A Streetcar Named Desire or The Wild One, and that slightly (maybe even more than slightly) dangerous quality made Brando an instant sensation, a sensation that hardly showed signs of abating even when the actor essayed more relatively restrained roles. But Brando also ushered in a more flagrant era of “star temperament,” and the actor’s moodiness and demanding persona made headlines early on, something that was not the usual public relations fodder of that day (at least to this extent, anyway). Brando’s excesses became headline stories during the long and protracted production of the remake of Mutiny on the Bounty, mirroring in a way for Metro-Goldwyn- Mayer what Fox was experiencing with their equally gargantuan Cleopatra at more or less the same time (yes, a bit later, but you get the point). This was a time when stars frequently called the shots, despite the studio system still hanging on by the very nubs of its fingernails, and that dialectic meant that at times no one knew who was really in charge. It’s instructive to remember a quote that Robert Forster, in his recent interview with me here at Blu-ray.com, attributed to Brando: “You have to make them fear you.” Certainly Metro and probably director Lewis Milestone were at least wary of Brando, who allegedly gained so much weight during the shoot and ended up engaging in a torrid romance with Tarita, the gorgeous Tahitian who plays his love interest in the film (and would later marry Brando, giving birth to his children) that the film came close to shutting down on more than one occasion. Daily papers and magazine articles churned through copious newsprint chronicling these events, so that when Mutiny on the Bounty finally opened in 1962, it was already laboring under an enormous weight (no irony intended, considering Brando’s increased girth) of advance negative publicity, and so perhaps the film was never really given its proper due. The 1962 Mutiny managed to do rather formidable business, perhaps due to the public’s interest in seeing exactly what all the hubbub was about, and it raked in a nice collection of Academy Award nominations (winning none, more about which a bit later), but the film is often thought of as a bloated relic and no match for the 1935 original film with Clark Gable and Charles Laughton (both garnering Oscar nominations, along with co-star Franchot Tone, though Victor McLaglen won that year for The Informer).

Brando’s shenanigans no doubt contributed to the negative buzz surrounding Mutiny on the Bounty during its roll out, but there was another culprit that year that also led to this film’s rather lackluster critical response, another huge epic based on historical fact, David Lean’s Lawrence of Arabia. Lawrence of Arabia heralded a new kind of epic film, a more introspective, literate approach that was diametrically opposed to the deliberately old fashioned, rousing entertainment that Mutiny on the Bounty aspired to be. It’s interesting to wonder what the 1962 Mutiny on the Bounty might have been had Lean directed it (Lean was fascinated by the story and sought to make his own version of it, which ultimately became 1984’s The Bounty, directed by Roger Donaldson). Brando’s temperament spelled a quick end to Mutiny on the Bounty’s original director, Carol Reed, and unfortunately Reed’s replacement, MGM stalwart (back to the days of silent films) Lewis Milestone, found himself no better equipped to handle an actor of Brando’s “make them fear you” approach. The fact that the film is as well crafted and vigorous as it is is a testament to Milestone’s professionalism and tenacity.

As excellent as the 1935 version of Mutiny on the Bounty is, especially with regard to Laughton’s now legendary portrayal of Captain Bligh, it simply (and quite understandably) can’t hold a candle to the 1962 version’s visuals and soundtrack. Much of the 1962 version was actually filmed out on the open seas, and the film also makes use of copious location footage in Tahiti. Iconic cinematographer Robert L. Surtees does incredible work on this film, working in the then new Ultra Panavision 70 process, and his widescreen framings are jaw droppingly staggering at times. In terms of behind the screen contributions to this film, however, the most formidable may well belong to Bronislaw Kaper, who composed one of the most towering scores of that or frankly any era. From the heroic fanfare of the main theme to the gorgeously sinuous love theme (Oscar nominated as best song that year), Kaper’s score blends everything from western bombast to island drums in a seamless whole which remains the touchstone of his long and glorious career. 1962 saw a glut of fantastic films receive Best Score Oscar nominations, Kaper among them, with the prize going to fan and critics’ darling Maurice Jarre for Lawrence of Arabia, but for my money, Kaper should have walked away with the Oscar that year, despite formidable competition from a much smaller scale piece, Elmer Bernstein’s glorious work on To Kill a Mockinbird. Lovers of film music should attempt to seek out the sterling 3 CD Film Score Monthly release of Kaper’s Mutiny on the Bounty soundtrack, a release which contains three separate iterations of the score, along with copious liner notes which also document the production’s troubled history.

While Brando came in for some pretty vicious critical brickbats with regard to his foppish performance as Fletcher Christian, in hindsight his work here is quirky, yes, but believable. His slow burn as Christian becomes increasingly distraught at Bligh’s terrorizing of the crew is really quite admirable, and his final eruption, with his fantastic line about “whatever pig God you pray to,” is perfectly memorable. Trevor Howard had a more formidable task in front of him, working to erase long memories of Laughton’s portrayal of the Bligh role, and while Howard certainly evokes Bligh’s martinet tendencies, he also shades the character with traces of loneliness and isolation which are certainly not part of Laughton’s interpretation, and which may in fact slightly work against the film’s thesis of Bligh as an over the top and out of control Captain. Richard Harris does fine supporting work, and in fact the entire cast, including the phenomenally touching Tarita, offers an excellent array of performances.

The recreation of the H.M.S. Bounty which was built for this film visited my hometown of Portland several years ago and I took my sons to visit it and walk around the deck as well as peer below decks. The amazing thing about this reconstruction is that it was actually bigger than the real Bounty so that the film crew could fit on board, and yet the ship was incredibly (as in incredibly) tiny by modern standards. How that many men could actually work in those close quarters for what must have been a distressingly long and dangerous voyage is beyond belief. Adding Bligh’s sadistic behavior on top of all of that makes the story of the Bounty that much more understandable if no less exciting and visceral. The 1962 Mutiny on the Bounty has outlasted its critics to become at least relatively more well regarded than it was at the time of its initial release, and looking at the film now from almost 50 years on, it remains one of the most invigorating, exciting and scenic films of its period.

Mutiny on the Bounty Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Okay, I'll confess it: the main reason I bought an HD-DVD player back in the day was so that I could get Mutiny on the Bounty in what was then the only HD release available. As fans of the film know, it underwent a new transfer for its 2 disc DVD version and HD-DVD version. This new Blu-ray offers an AVC encode (not the VC-1 of the HD-DVD) in 1080p and 2.77:1, so at the very least, this is a new encode if not a new transfer. However in doing a side by side comparison with the DVD (I no longer have an HD-DVD player or the disc of this film), there is simply no comparison in terms of the Blu-ray's sharpness, clarity and, above all, color and saturation. Now could this film have been sharper? Undoubtedly, especially considering its ultra-wide format and the spectacular results that Warner has attained with other catalog titles. However, there is no denying the economic realities of the fact that the 1962 Mutiny on the Bounty is most likely not going to have the sales numbers of, say, Ben-Hur or The Ten Commandments, and so while Warner's press release insist the film was sourced from 65mm negative elements, they simply may not have been scanned at today's superior resolution. That said, there is so much about this transfer that is simply mind boggling. The gorgeous color, especially those luscious deep reds evident in several of the screencaps I've posted, are astonishing at times, and the Tahitian sequences look spectacular. Close-ups reveal a wealth of fine detail and while, yes, there is more softness in this presentation than in other wide format catalog releases over the past year, this is a solid offering that is at the very least the equal of the HD-DVD, which I personally found to be an outstanding transfer.

Mutiny on the Bounty Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Mutiny on the Bounty is presented with a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix which will be something of a revelation to those of you who like myself consider Bronislaw Kaper's score for this film to be one of the enduring masterpieces in the entire annals of film music. This lossless track fairly bristles with sonic energy, with incredible an incredible low end that fully brings to life Kaper's snarling brass motif which aurally indicates the Bounty crew's raging resentment against Bligh. Surround channels are used convincingly and consistently throughout the film, at least with regard to the copious sound effects and Kaper's score. Dialogue is almost always centered in the front channels, as was the practice in the early sixties. Fidelity is outstanding on this track, with brilliant highs and a really appealing, well bodied midrange. The storm sequence and some of the Tahitian drumming segments really provide ample LFE and this is certainly one of the best lossless upgrades in recent memory of a classic catalog title.

Mutiny on the Bounty Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

All of the supplements from the previous 2 DVD and HD-DVD releases have been ported over to this new Blu-ray:

• After the Cameras Stopped Rolling: The Journey of The Bounty (SD; 24:17) is a really interesting featurette documenting the construction of the replica of The Bounty for the film and then what happened to the ship after the film had wrapped.
• The Story of H.M.S. Bounty (SD; 28:38) is a vintage featurette which briefly recounts the actual story of the Bounty and then goes into quite a bit of detail about the construction of the replica for the film.
• The Bounty's Voyage to St. Petersburg (SD; 24:58) is another vintage featurette which documents the trek of the replica to the sunny climes of Florida.
• The Bounty: Star Attraction at the New York World's Fair (SD; 6:39). The film had come and gone by the time the 1964 World's Fair in New York City came along, but the replica of The Bounty was put on display there and became a major tourist attraction.
• H.M.S. Bounty Sails Again! Millions Cheer Famous Ship on Exciting Voyage (SD; 8:05) is a vintage newsreel documenting the replica's globe trotting.
• Prologue (SD; 4:11) and Epilogue (SD; 3:23). As most fans of the film know, and those who caught the 1967 ABC television broadcast premiere may recall, Mutiny on the Bounty was originally planned as a flashback and contained bookending segments several decades in the future when Pitcairn Island was finally "really" discovered. My personal opinion is that these elements actually give the film some added emotional depth and should not have been jettisoned. While it would have been great to have had these in HD and available via seamless branching, due to Kaper rescoring some of the segues, that may not have been possible without obvious edit points, at least with regard to the soundtrack. These are at least anamorphically enhanced and look pretty spry in SD.
• Theatrical Trailer (SD; 4:29)

Mutiny on the Bounty Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Coulda, woulda, shoulda. The online critics are already lamenting what Mutiny on the Bounty might have been had it been accorded the same tender loving care that some other catalog titles recently have. I've owned every home video release of this film going back to pan and scan VHS days and on through HD-DVD, and I also saw the film in 70mm, so I have at least an inkling of what it's looked like through the years. While this release is not the sharpest looking ultra-widescreen epic that's been released on Blu-ray this year, it is head and shoulders above the DVD release and to my eyes it's significantly better than even the HD-DVD release, which really was outstanding. Add to that the opportunity to hear Kaper's magnificent score in lossless audio, and this release comes Highly recommended.