Post by pimpinainteasy on Mar 9, 2017 12:01:25 GMT
Mutiny on the Bounty was the Pirates of the Caribbean or Kong Skull Island of the 1960s. This was the big budget spectacle of that era. The spectacle was not limited to the special effects, cheap thrills or long shots of grand vistas like in the mediocre films of today. Watching and listening to Trevor Howard’s glorious acting and Marlon Brando’s body language and the two thespians running circles around each other is a part of the package. Actors like them do not exist anymore.
A British expedition to gather breadfruit from Tahiti runs into trouble due to the extreme cruelty of Captain Bligh (played by Trevor Howard). But Christian Fletcher (Brando) keeps his own and the crew’s temper at bay until they reach Tahiti. But things fall apart on the way back and the crew led by Christian stages a mutiny against Captain Fletcher.
The scenes in the Tahitian island are worth their weight in gold. The mating dance that the Tahitian women put up for the new arrivals was sexy as hell. I loved the great overhead pan shots that move from the dancing Tahitian women to the new arrivals. The fishing scene where the Tahitian women are gathered in a circle and the ship’s crew runs at them was beautiful.
Parts of the film were directed by the great Carol Reed before he left due to differences with Brando. I think Brando got Kubrick fired from One Eyed Jacks.
Trevor Howard upstages Brando in some scenes. He certainly has some of the best dialogs. But Brando’s brooding presence and body language cannot be ignored. He looked like a petulant child in the scene where he finally takes on Captain Bligh. Tarita who later became Brando’s real life wife was very sexy. Hugh Griffith and Richard Harris played two of the hapless sailors who are constantly punished by Captain Bligh. They might have had too much make up on. Everyone seemed a little over made up at times. And I could tell that some of the scenes were shot in a studio with fake sets.
But I really enjoyed the film though reviews and trivia on IMDB suggest that the film wasn’t too well received when it first came out. People had issues with Brando’s British accent. It is really long at almost three hours. But the frequent and beautiful shots of the sea interwoven into the tense drama makes this one a real classic for me. The film looks really good on Blu-ray.
(8/10)
A British expedition to gather breadfruit from Tahiti runs into trouble due to the extreme cruelty of Captain Bligh (played by Trevor Howard). But Christian Fletcher (Brando) keeps his own and the crew’s temper at bay until they reach Tahiti. But things fall apart on the way back and the crew led by Christian stages a mutiny against Captain Fletcher.
The scenes in the Tahitian island are worth their weight in gold. The mating dance that the Tahitian women put up for the new arrivals was sexy as hell. I loved the great overhead pan shots that move from the dancing Tahitian women to the new arrivals. The fishing scene where the Tahitian women are gathered in a circle and the ship’s crew runs at them was beautiful.
Parts of the film were directed by the great Carol Reed before he left due to differences with Brando. I think Brando got Kubrick fired from One Eyed Jacks.
Trevor Howard upstages Brando in some scenes. He certainly has some of the best dialogs. But Brando’s brooding presence and body language cannot be ignored. He looked like a petulant child in the scene where he finally takes on Captain Bligh. Tarita who later became Brando’s real life wife was very sexy. Hugh Griffith and Richard Harris played two of the hapless sailors who are constantly punished by Captain Bligh. They might have had too much make up on. Everyone seemed a little over made up at times. And I could tell that some of the scenes were shot in a studio with fake sets.
But I really enjoyed the film though reviews and trivia on IMDB suggest that the film wasn’t too well received when it first came out. People had issues with Brando’s British accent. It is really long at almost three hours. But the frequent and beautiful shots of the sea interwoven into the tense drama makes this one a real classic for me. The film looks really good on Blu-ray.
(8/10)