Posted on 04/16/2020 10:31:20 AM PDT by Hostage
Lots of film renditions have been made about the mutiny that occurred on the HMS Bounty or some would correct that to the HMAV Bounty or some such.
But only one got close to getting the history right. That version was the last of the films made in 1984 and headed up by Mel Gibson as Fletcher Christian, starring Anthony Hopkins as Lieutenant William Bligh.
I enjoyed watching as a kid the 1960s version of Mutiny on the Bounty with Marlon Brando. What an imposing figure on the screen Brando was. He really brought character to his role as Fletcher Christian. The problem was the character he played was a Hollywood fabrication, unlike the actual historical character. In other words, the real mutiny of 1789 was nothing like what Hollywood screenwriters depicted it to be.
The real mutiny of 1789 was more in line with Bligh and Christian as friends with Bligh promoting Christian. Later the showboat, opportunist, hedonistic, petulant polynesian sex orgy meister Fletcher Christian abandoned his post, his duty, deserted his friend and decided to do what he wanted by turning an undisciplined crew against Lieutenant Bligh (not Captain although any boat commander is traditionally called Captain of the vessel they command).
Hollywood decided to cast Trevor Howard as the mean, vicious, brutal, sadistic, psychopathic, insane Lieutenant 'Captain' William Bligh as depicted here:
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vs. the master whose courage, navigational skills, and intelligence could not be denied (according to historical commendations). Bligh was not brutal in punishing undisciplined crew members. Discipline was essential as it took only one undisciplined crew member to risk sinking an entire ship. Many British Sea Captains were known to be not only brutal but excessively brutal but Bligh was assessed to be the least brutal. However, what he lacked in brutality he made up for in profanity and blistering verbal battering of his crew members.
William Bligh, this is an officer that had sailed with and served under Captain Cook, who was commended by Lord Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson. Bligh was eventually promoted to Rear Admiral but he had a record of weakness at command. His skills and knowledge of the world's seas and land masses propelled him to reach higher ranks while his weak command of crews occasionally held him back. My take is he had a pastoral appearance that could not be made to be intimidating to his men, so he made up for it with a nasty tongue. So if you were to serve under him and put the ship at risk, you were more likely to get an ass-chewing than to get brutally flogged or keel-hauled whereas his peer commanders would hold their tongues and stare down those committing infractions while seeing they were brutally disciplined.
Juan Williams (try not to puke) of Fox something or the other said recently that Bligh was a villain.
Yeah, Williams is dumb as a rock.
Lots of boobies in that film!
Lots of boobies in that film!
I like Nollywood. It has a nice smirking ring to it. Maybe better today is Pervywood but Nollywood does it for me.
Hollyweird.
The 1935 Laughton - Gable pic cannot be matched.
By the way, you have probably both already read “Men Against the Sea,” but if anyone hasn’t, they should. Good book.
https://www.amazon.com/Men-Against-Sea-Charles-Nordhoff/dp/0316738883
Bligh was not the mean hearted tyrant depicted in Bounty films. His purpose for sailing on that expedition was to bring breadfruit to the natives and settlers. Compared to other captains of the day Bligh was certainly less cruel than many. He was also known to be an excellent navigator which served him in good stead when he and others were put off of the Bounty and made to strike out on their own.
Re: Some info on that navigational skills,
https://www.rmg.co.uk/discover/behind-the-scenes/blog/longitude-legends-captain-bligh
I still prefer this version.
A rough trip.
In the 1984 film, Captain Bligh came off as a hero and a man of character, especially during a time of crisis as he was sent off in a small boat to sea. He was scrappy. He survived and save those with him.
1984 was the best year for movies.
“Bligh was actually not as bad as Nollywood made him out to be)”
you mean Bligh from Band of Brothers?
Bligh was a competent mariner as he proved when navigating the ship’s boat to safety after the mutiny. Subsequent to the mutiny, he was advanced to Post Captain, the most difficult promotion in the Royal Navy. He was also promoted to Rear Admiral, but that promotion was by seniority, and not by ability or potential. He never hoisted his flag in a sea command, so by that time his reputation was tainted. That reputation probably came from his land based position as Governor of what became Australia. There was a mutiny there as well and perhaps two strikes was enough to do him in professionally.
A replica of the Bounty was built for the movie. It lasted until 2012, when some idiot sailed it out into the Atlantic as Hurricane Sandy was approaching, and it was, of course, lost.
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