1935 Mutiny on the Bounty

Stars: Clark Gable and Charles Laughton

Having back to back Gable movies was quite delightful for me. Say what you will, I just like seeing him on the screen, although in this telling of the story of Fletcher Christian, I was perhaps a little less moved than previous and subsequent roles of Gable.

Charles Laughton made the role of the vile Captain Bligh his own, and in fact, the modern image of Bligh owes much to his portrayal. He performs with such conviction, that he seems to be so loathsome that mutiny and his eviction from the ship seems almost lenient. But it is a movie, and unfortunately, is accused of being fairly historically inaccurate with the occurences of the time. What is understated is Bligh's superiour skill as a sailor, which is evidenced in his survival following the mutiny. This is not played up in the movie, but quite obviously, since the intent was to portray him as quite the villain. Interestingly, three of the lead roles were each honoured with nominations for Best Actor, but none won.

Overall, the movie didn't capture me, but seemed to smack of a vehicle to show Gable shirtless. Not completely a bad thing, but not necessarily award-worthy.