EveryBestPicture.com revisits this Oscar Best Picture winner
One luxury for filmmakers for most of last century was that your audience had patience. ‘Mutiny on the Bounty’ knew it had a story worth telling, and in Charles Laughton and Clark Gable it had actors who were each able to hold the screen for as long as they cared. And that is just what they did. As if to emphasise the point, the movie opens with a title sequence that explains the plot of the film we are about to see. We don’t need the suspense generated by not knowing what broad twists and turns might take place because from the outset we are fully informed. This is a story about a mutiny committed by a crew on the HMS bounty who could take no more of the ill-treatment meated out by their captain. Clark Gable plays Fletcher Christian- the most wronged of the officers by Captain Bligh and the man who spearheaded the mutiny itself. A more apt name for the hero of this version of events is not possible. He was a picture of Christian virtue, standing up to Captain Bligh for the men of every station when they were unjustly treated. Mutiny, when it finally came, was a relief to those on board and likely to the audiences of the 1930s. The relentless floggings and unfair treatment would have been tough to watch, although through modern eyes it is quite bearable. Black and white images soften the violence considerably, blood is no longer alarm-red while the special effects are yet to be developed to the point of believability. It is a surprise to see any ambiguity on whether the mutiny was the correct thing to do or not- while ensuring that the audience understands that the mutineers were given no choice the film also shows the many who sided with the captain. And as the film goes on you find the mutineers’ righteousness was probably all in your head. There is a surprising suggestion that not everyone who stands up to a tyrant is on the side of good. And so, there is the issue of the 'natives'. The Bounty arrives at its destination, Tahiti, where there appears to be an idyllic life- the indigenous population are delighted to have the English arrive and shower them with garlands and all the women are for the taking. The men are few and far between, but generally are quite happy to have English sailors take their pick of their wives, daughters, sisters and others women. There is even an odd moment where an ageing deckhand is about to disappear into a hut with an island lady, only to scarper when he sees her 6 children rush into the hut ahead of them. Again, the one dimensional reductive image of other races rears its ugly head, this time as a plaything. The reductive image is one of a peace loving, benign, happy people who seem to be one step ahead of civilisation in many ways, but, typically, it is of a foreign, simplistic 'other'. The violence is stylised, much of the techniques no doubt gleaned from stage fighting. Movements are bold, clean and clear cut. The theatrical nature of early film is not universal, but any film designed to appeal to a broad audience at the time would have done the same. It borrowed a little swashbuckle from earlier seafaring pictures of the Errol Flynn stable, but nonetheless, the message was clear- the bad guy got his comeuppance and the journey to this endpoint was entertaining. The message was less clear surrounding the fates of the others. In reality, aside from pardons for those who had connections to land, money or titles the mutineers were hung or remained in exile until their dying day. But lets not let a little history sneak into our historical drama, let’s focus on the change for the good that the mutiny brought. The navy was a much better place to be as a result. Officers and seamen were now brothers in arms. Well done everyone concerned. Bligh may have gone on to receive promotion after promotion, before dying at around 60 years old, but he never sailed as a captain again. And Britain ended up ruling the waves, all thanks to this Mutiny on the Bounty. Yes. The message is upbeat but doesn't entirely make sense. But with land of hope and glory and Rule Britannia playing over the top of stirring images of sailing ships just before the credits roll we are left with a feeling of satisfaction that it was all worthwhile. And actually, I quite enjoyed these escapades in a 9 year old boy-ish kind of way. A nice bit of fun for a Sunday afternoon. |
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AuthorPablo Griffiths is a man with a passion for many things. He has recently taken an interest in writing about film, and himself in the third person. |