Editing Lewis Milestone (section)

===''Mutiny on the Bounty'' (1962)===

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's remake of [[Frank Lloyd]]'s 1935 film ''[[Mutiny on the Bounty (1935 film)|Mutiny on the Bounty]]'' starring [[Clark Gable]] and [[Charles Laughton]] was consistent with Hollywood's resort to blockbuster productions during the late Fifties. The studio risked over $20 million on the "ill-starred" 1962 ''[[Mutiny on the Bounty (1962 film)|Mutiny on the Bounty]]'' and recovered less than half of it.<ref>Millichap, 1981 p. 181: By the end of the Fifties Hollywood had decided it could only lure audiences away from television set with 'Big Name Stars' and 'Spectacular Productions.'" and "ill-starred" and p. 182; The film "proved a financial disaster, recouping less than half of its costs of $20 million plus"<br />Miller, 2010 TCM: "unable to film due to weather{{nbsp}}... as much as 17 inches [of rain] in one day{{nbsp}}... Carol Reed began to clash with Brando and MGM studio management early in the production [over] interpretation [of characters]."<br />Canham, 1974 p. 103: Canham calls the Milestone's Mutiny on the Bounty "this fiasco"</ref>

In February 1961, the 65-year-old Milestone took over directorial duties from [[Carol Reed]], who became disillusioned with the project due to inadequate scripting, inclement weather on location in [[Tahiti]] and disputes with leading man [[Marlon Brando]]. Milestone was tasked with bringing good order and discipline to the production, and with curbing Brando. Rather than inheriting a largely completed film, Milestone discovered only a few scenes had been filmed.<ref>Millichap, 1981 p. 182: "Reed quickly and sensibly abandoned ship". Milestone's reputation as a "film doctor", skilled at salvaging troublesome movies, may have earned him the job offer. And Milestone "careful craftsman and hard taskmaster to [control] the mercurial Brando." Brando "chafed" under the direction of Reed. And pp. 181&ndash;182: "Milestone expected to find the film near completion but instead discovered only a few usable scenes."</ref>

According to Miller (2010), the production history of the 1962 ''Mutiny on the Bounty'' is a record of personal and professional recriminations registered by Milestone and Brando rather than a coherent cinematic endeavor. To assert creative control over his character mutineer [[Fletcher Christian]], Brando collaborated with screenwriters and off the set, independently of Milestone, leading Milestone to withdraw from some scenes and sequences, and effectively relinquish control to Brando.<ref>Miller, 2010 TCM: See article for Milestone's disengagement from his directing duties.</ref> Millichap refers to the film as "the Brando-Milestone" ''Mutiny on the Bounty'', noting "the story of this Hollywood disaster is long and complex, but the central figure in every sense is Marlon Brando, not Lewis Milestone".<ref>Millichap, 1981 p. 183: "Milestone deserves his share of the blame for [the film's] ultimate failure. However, Brando is more culpable than the ageing director, as he became the actual auteur" and "the project never coheres into a film"<br />Canham, 1974 p. 103: "The last film which bears Milestone's name as the director is the re-make of [[Mutiny on the Bounty (1935 film)|Mutiny on the Bounty]] is hardly representative of his work since the final film is reputed to contain scenes shot by [[George Seaton]], [[Richard Thorpe]], [[Andrew Marton]], [[Billy Wilder]], [[Fred Zinnemann]] and [[Marlon Brando]] among others" and a "fiasco"<br />Whitely, 2020: The shoot was " not a happy experience as Milestone found himself more and more out of touch with the big egos he was directing. In 1962 Brando practically took over the directing duties from him."<br />Barson, 2020: "Milestone's last film was the epic Mutiny on the Bounty (1962), which he took over from Carol Reed. A lavish remake of the 1935 film version{{nbsp}}... Milestone's movie featured a polarizing performance by Marlon Brando as Fletcher Christian"</ref>

''Mutiny on the Bounty'' is the final completed film for which Milestone was credited but according to Canham (1974), it is not considered representative of Milestone's ''oeuvre''.<ref>Canham, 1974 p. 103</ref>