Mutiny on the Bounty

An Oscar winner for Best Picture, Frank Lloyd's 1935 Mutiny on the Bounty stars Clark Gable as Fletcher Christian, who puts himself between the tyrannical Captain Bligh (a wonderfully sneering Charles Laughton) and the brutalized crew of HMS Bounty, ultimately endorsing a mutiny--setting Bligh and a handful of others adrift in a small boat, before heading back to the island paradise of Tahiti. Adapted from the novel by Charles Nordhoff and James Hall (in turn, based on the historical events most recently chronicled in Carolyn Alexander's acclaimed book The Bounty), the actual 18th century incident led to maritime reforms after focusing public attention on the treatment of British sailors. Adventure, romance, drama, and an exotic South Seas atmosphere were nicely integrated to shape a winning film (that also earned nominations for screenplay, director Lloyd, and actors Laughton, Gable, and Franchot Tone) that remains superior to both Lewis Milestone's 1962 remake and Roger Donaldson's 1984 update The Bounty. Sporting a variable (sometimes soft, with some digital artifacts, particularly during the storm-at-sea sequence) though serviceable transfer from a decent print, Mutiny on the Bounty debuts on DVD with a couple of extras: the 10-minute vintage featurette “Pitcairn Island Today,” and a brief Academy Awards newsreel. Even with the less than pristine image quality, this is still highly recommended. (R. Pitman)[Blu-ray Review—Nov. 23, 2010—Warner, 132 min., not rated, $34.99—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1935's Mutiny on the Bounty boasts a fine transfer with Dolby Digital sound. Packaged in a 32-page digi-book case, Blu-ray extras are identical to those on the standard DVD release, including the vintage location short “Pitcairn Island Today” (10 min.), and a brief Academy Awards newsreel. Bottom line: a powerful Oscar winner makes a welcome debut on Blu-ray.]