Python Hyena Mutiny on the Bounty (1962): Dir: Lewis Milestone / Cast: Marlon Brando, Trevor Howard, Richard Harris, Hugh Griffith, Richard Haydn: Arriving upon the dawn of the release of the extreme. There are scenes of brutality including whippings that serve the theme of discipline. A Navy crew is on a mission for His Majesty and highlighted with a battle of wits between a captain and first officer. Trevor Howard plays the Captain and the film isn't so much about the mission as it is his methods of completing it. He orders unbearable punishment upon any form of disobedience. Marlon Brando plays the first officer who retaliates when Howard refuses a prisoner the right to drink fresh water. Effective setup with a humorous pause at an island but the conclusion is too abrupt and loose. Directed by Lewis Milestone who does a great job at capturing realism as well as present a grand look at the era. He is also backed by a massive production that serves the film faithfully. First rate performance by Howard who steals the film with his up rise and eventual fall, while Brando holds strong as the counter in favor of fair practice. The downside is the supporting roles featuring actors such as Richard Harris and Hugh Griffith who are flat and contain about as much personality as a boat paddle. It regards force and discipline in this stunning visual achievement. Score: 8 / 10

matttaylor-65065 This is one of my all time favourite films, I love films that come from books and they have to be well made. Too many people compare this release to the 1930's version, but I find that the pace of the film is better in this version, further the production is just so much better. I will say the reason that I gave it a 7 is some of the cast's performance Brando's portrayal of Mr Christian is hard to believe, he played the part OK, just don't get it. I think Trevor Howard's performance as Bligh was much better, if only underrated. To play a role so well portrayed by others and make it your own is very hard to do. But he did it.Its not the original but enjoyable and entertaining worth watching.

murray_johnc In my view, the one good thing that came out of this mess was the revival of traditional shipbuilding skills in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia for the reconstruction of an enlarged version of the original 1787 Royal Navy sailing ship HMS Bounty. I seriously doubt if anyone could recruit shipbuilders with the requisite skills today. Tragically the ship sank off the coast of North Carolina during Hurricane Sandy on 29 October 2012. Since MGM went to such trouble and expense to reproduce the ship accurately I wonder if similar pains were taken over other aspects of historical accuracy. The (mis)casting of Marlon Brando as Fletcher Christian certainly enhanced Brando's reputation as box office poison. The casting of Trevor Howard as Captain William Bligh is interesting. Depicting a 50-year-old man receiving his first command of a ship would strongly suggest he did not have the right stuff. In point of fact, William Bligh was only 33 when appointed Commanding lieutenant of HMS Bounty in 1787. Bligh was later promoted to commodore and Governor of New South Wales, hardly the career path of an incompetent martinet.

JasparLamarCrabb Not so much directed as staged by the legendary Lewis Milestone, MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY boasts a great performance by Trevor Howard and a decidedly outré one by Marlon Brando. Based on the true-life mutiny aboard the British warship HMS Bounty, the film is beautifully assembled but ultimately very static. It's as if MGM wanted to get its money's worth in production values at the cost of a truly compelling script. Howard, as the draconian Captain Bligh, never waivers in his demented view of discipline and steals each scene he's in. It's unfortunate that he's not given more scenes allowing the audience to genuinely loathe him. Brando, as a fop faced with making a no-win decision to lead a shipboard rebellion, seems at first completely out-of-sync with the rest of the actors...but eventually his performance works as he's transformed into the only noble character left. Richard Harris adds a lot as Mills and Richard Haydn & Hugh Griffith are also on board. The middle part of the film spends far too much time in Tahiti, thus becoming something of a travelogue as opposed to adding to the storyline.