Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)

Rating: 4.5/5

As I've mentioned in my previous reviews based on my self appointed challenge to watch every Academy Award Winning Best Picture film, I'm quite behind on my writing, but as of this time, I can certainly say that Mutiny on the Bounty has been one of the best surprises so far.

Sailors board the H.M.S. Bounty, expecting a typical journey. Being lead by First Lieutenant Fletcher Christian (Clark Gabled) and Captain Bligh (Charles Laughton), they set out to sea. It takes the crew aboard the Bounty no time to realize that their Captain is vile, ruthless, and viscous. His commands are outlandish and his punishments unjust. First Lieutenant Christian has no choice but to obey orders, but the morale of the crew is dropping fast and Christian knows there's only so long that he and his men can handle the tyranny of Captain Bligh.

When I set out to do this so called "Oscar Challenge", there were a select few movies that I just wasn't excited to get to. Some that made this list were put there either because of sheer length, topic, or both, and originally, Mutiny on the Bounty had made that list, but it took me mere minutes into the film to realize it certainly didn't belong there. Yes, I was prejudging the movie before seeing it, which is something I always try not to do, but I just couldn't find myself getting psyched up to watch it, but was very wrong in my initial prejudgment. Mutiny on the Bounty is filled with excitement and excellent performances. For the time in which this was made, the amount of shots of the ship on turbulent seas is incredibly impressive and without question one of the main reasons there's so much adrenaline fueled into the story. You see the waves appear as if they threaten to capsize the vessel, but know that even the most horrific of seas cannot hold a candle to the dangers of the captain dwelling inside the ship's walls.

Charles Laughton is known as one of the greatest performers of the classic Hollywood era. Prior to this, I had only seen two films he was involved in, one where he was virtually unrecognizable as Quasimodo, in the Hunchback of Notre Dame, and the other in which he was behind the camera directing for Night of the Hunter, so I had never seen him, looking like himself, performing in a role. Though Bligh's stature is much smaller than the many men who make up the crew, his temperament and immoral ways strike fear into the hearts of even the biggest of sailors. To sell this role, Laughton had to truly make the audience think he was capable of such abominable acts, and there isn't a moment where you don't believe him to be every ounce the character he plays. Clark Gable was no slouch in this film either. At first I had my doubts, because I'd mostly only seen him in roles where he played somewhat dapper society fellows, so I wasn't sure if I'd buy him as a commanding ship's Lieutenant, but I was pleasantly surprised. Though he did have a lot of his typical Gable tendencies in his performance, he did seem quite fitting for the role.

When I think of the 32 Best Picture winners I've watched so far (like I said, I'm way behind on my reviews for these), Mutiny on the Bounty is one that springs to my mind more often than some. I think about how much I really enjoyed watching this, and how much I look forward to seeing it again.

1936 Best Picture Winner- Mutiny on the Bounty