Of the three major versions of the Mutiny on the Bounty story, this one is my favorite.  It isn’t as good as the 1935 classic, but I like it better all the same.  The Bounty (1984) is the same story as the 1935 and 1962 films, although it’s the only one not based on the famous histories by Charles Nordhoff and James C. Hall.  Thus, Captain Bligh isn’t quite as mad, while Fletcher Christian is a bit more suspect. These alterations make the story more human.

The H.M.S. Bounty sailed from England to the South Pacific to collect botanical speciments in 1787, and it never returned.  On the return trip the crew rebelled, taking over and sailing the ship to Tahiti, while Captain Bligh and sailors faithful to him were set adrift in an open boat.  They survived, and Bligh returned to England to press charges against the mutineers.

This film is considered to be more accurate to historical truth than the other versions of the story, mainly because Captain Bligh (Anthony Hopkins) is not portrayed as a madman.  Instead, he’s a tyrannical stickler for discipline who sees his crew fall prey to the charms of the Tahitian climate, women and culture.  Fletcher Christian (Mel Gibson) is not the leader of the mutiny, but he takes charge for the sake of the men he believes are being mistreated.  In smaller roles are such luminaries as Daniel Day-Lewis, Liam Neeson and Sir Laurence Olivier.

David Lean had this project under development for several years but could not persuade the studio to film it as he wished.  Roger Donaldson eventually made it using the same script (by Robert Bolt) and keeping costs — and the film’s length — to a mutually agreed minimum.  Donaldson follows Lean’s lead and mixes a powerful story of conflict between men who were once friends with the story’s epic elements. The result is a story with characters who demand our interest and cinematic elements that satisfy our senses.  The film’s cinematography is outstanding, as is the original music score by Vangelis.

But the center of the story remains the relationship between Captain Bligh and Fletcher Christian.  Both actors are superb in their roles: this is among Hopkins’ best work and it probably is Gibson’s best.  It’s a fascinating, haunting, luminous and tragic story — and movie.  It’s a winner.  My rating:  ✰ ✰ ✰ ½.  (7:4).