Mutiny on the Bounty

So, as you can probably tell, it took me a really, really, really long time to watch another Best Picture winner. My apologies for that. However, I'm back and ready to watch some more movies.

Today, I got "Mutiny on the Bounty," the 1935 Best Picture winner, from Netflix. Allow me to take a moment to sing Netflix's praises. I just have the one-movie-at-a-time deal with unlimited instant watches, and it is cheap and fantastic! I took a break from movies for a while to watch some "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," and I'm still watching t.v. instantly on the site. Amazing. Get an account now.

Anyway, back to the movie! Got it in the mail today, and I had over an hour and a half in between classes. Who needs to shower/do homework when there's a movie begging to be watched? When I popped the movie into my ancient DVD player, I was surprised that the title screen looked so familiar. As it turns out, I've rented this disk from Netflix before, but failed to get around to watching it. One really does need to be in the right mood in order to enjoy some classic movies.

Set in the 1880s, Clark Gable stars as the lead mutineer who can no longer tolerate the tyrannical rule of Captain Bligh, played well by Charles Laughton, on the HMS Bounty. The movie is directed by Frank Lloyd (also director of Cavalcade, one of the remaining movies on my list) in lovely black and white. The movie is based on a book which is based on the real events of the Bounty's mutiny. The screenplay, which took three people to write, was just one thing nominated from this movie for an Oscar that year. Clark Gable, Charles Laughton, and Franchot Tone (who plays the honorable, unjustly accused Byam) were all nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role, while Frank Lloyd was nominated for directing. The editing and score were also nominated. However, the movie only won for Best Picture. "The Informer" was a big movie that year, not "Mutiny on the Bounty." Sorry, I don't have any good info on "The Informer;" I haven't seen it yet! But no worries, it's on my list.

One interesting thing is that 1935 was the last year before categories in the Oscars opened up to supporting actors and actresses. I don't know this for sure, but it may be safe to bet that had there been a supporting actor category, at least Tone may have had a chance of taking Oscar home, instead of further splitting the best actor vote.

At any rate, the movie was pretty good - I give it a 3 out of 5. The acting and directing were magnificent. While one can tell the parts actually filmed on sea versus those on a set, the effects were also pretty damn good considering the time period. As for actual content, the story is fascinating, and it sets up the idea that ever since this unfair captain suffered a just mutiny, the British Navy became a place where the enlisted men and officers worked as equals, a lovely sentiment for 1935 America. I did find Laughton's character of Bligh very interesting, but I wish he would have been developed more - why was he so cruel and merciless? He was a self-made man, one might think that would make him more forgiving. One of the most entertaining parts of the movie, though, is Clark Gable in general. Though nearly every character in the damn movie is as British as bad teeth and double-deckers, Gable doesn't even attempt a British accent. Not even a try. However, he pulls it off magnificently, with charm only that man seems to possess.

Ah well, one more seafaring, Best Picture winner behind me. Next on my queue is "Cimarron," the 1931 winner. However, since Netflix does not have "Wings" (the first Oscar winner) available, I'm trying to inter-library loan it. Sorry, I'm just not going to commit to buying it from ebay when I have a chance of getting it for free. Well, 73 down. Only seven more to go! Happy movie-watching!