It's Portsmouth Harbor, England 1787. Botanist William Brown boards the Bounty. It is under the command of captain William Bligh (Trevor Howard) set for Tahiti. Its mission is to bring breadfruit to Jamaica. Fletcher Christian (Marlon Brando) is the new second in command with more humanist values. Seaman John Mills (Richard Harris) is accused of stealing cheese but he claims that the captain ordered him to take the cheese to his home. The captain overhears the accusation and orders a whipping.
The tale is a classic epic. The acting talent is top level from Trevor Howard to Richard Harris. The production is high quality. There are exotic locations. It seems set for Hollywood greatness but it's not at the top tier of the Bounty adaptations. Much of it boils down to Marlon Brando. He's playing a high class superior gentleman. He's keeping his stiff upper lip too high. He takes away from the contrast in style with Bligh. Trevor Howard is doing his best to be the dictatorial Bligh. Brando makes it more difficult than necessity to root for Christian. Take the very small scene of the silk night cap. He shows no sign of caring about the men's plight of their half-rations. These small choices add up to a significant detour. I don't like his performance. I don't like his character. The fishing scene is another example. I love the epic quality of the scene but Brando's pouting is annoying. It was a troubled production and much of it is blamed on Brando. It's not the first time that Brando has issues but it doesn't automatically make his work faulty. I only question his choices in the portrayal. It was nominated for seven Oscars but failed to win any. That's how I feel about this movie. It seems to have greatness with many great parts. However, it doesn't get over the top to be actually great.
The tale is a classic epic. The acting talent is top level from Trevor Howard to Richard Harris. The production is high quality. There are exotic locations. It seems set for Hollywood greatness but it's not at the top tier of the Bounty adaptations. Much of it boils down to Marlon Brando. He's playing a high class superior gentleman. He's keeping his stiff upper lip too high. He takes away from the contrast in style with Bligh. Trevor Howard is doing his best to be the dictatorial Bligh. Brando makes it more difficult than necessity to root for Christian. Take the very small scene of the silk night cap. He shows no sign of caring about the men's plight of their half-rations. These small choices add up to a significant detour. I don't like his performance. I don't like his character. The fishing scene is another example. I love the epic quality of the scene but Brando's pouting is annoying. It was a troubled production and much of it is blamed on Brando. It's not the first time that Brando has issues but it doesn't automatically make his work faulty. I only question his choices in the portrayal. It was nominated for seven Oscars but failed to win any. That's how I feel about this movie. It seems to have greatness with many great parts. However, it doesn't get over the top to be actually great.