Editing The Bounty (1984 film)

{{Short description|1984 film by Roger Donaldson}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = The Bounty
| image          = The Bounty.jpg
| caption        = Theatrical release poster illustrated by Brian Bysouth
| director       = [[Roger Donaldson]]
| producer       = {{unbulleted list|[[Bernard Williams (producer)|Bernard Williams]]|[[Dino De Laurentiis]]}}
| screenplay     = [[Robert Bolt]]
| based_on       = {{Based on|''Captain Bligh and Mr. Christian''|[[Richard Hough]]}}
| starring       = {{Plainlist|
* [[Mel Gibson]]
* [[Anthony Hopkins]]
* [[Edward Fox (actor)|Edward Fox]]
* [[Laurence Olivier]]}}
| music          = [[Vangelis]]
| cinematography = [[Arthur Ibbetson]]
| editing        = Tony Lawson
| studio         = Dino De Laurentiis Corporation<br />Bounty Productions Ltd.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160310133600/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b695621bf The Bounty] (1984) | BFI.org.uk</ref>
| distributor    = [[Thorn EMI|Thorn EMI Screen Entertainment]]
| released       = {{Film date|1984|05|04|United States|1984|10|05|United Kingdom|df=y}}
| runtime        = 132 minutes
| country        = United Kingdom
| language       = English
| budget         = $20 million<ref name="dinod">{{cite news|title=De Laurentiis PRODUCER'S PICTURE DARKENS|author=KNOEDELSEDER, WILLIAM K Jr|work=Los Angeles Times|date=Aug 30, 1987|page=1}}</ref> or $25 million<ref name="los"/>
| gross          = $8.6 million (US/Canada)<ref name="Mojo title|bounty">{{Mojo title|bounty}}</ref><br /> $18.3 million (worldwide rentals)<ref name="dinod"/>
}}

'''''The Bounty''''' is a 1984 British [[Epic film|epic]] [[historical film|historical drama]] film directed by [[Roger Donaldson]]. It depicts the [[Mutiny on the Bounty|voyage and mutiny of HMS ''Bounty'']], with [[Robert Bolt]]'s screenplay adapting the 1972 book ''Captain Bligh and Mr. Christian'' by [[Richard Hough]]. It stars [[Mel Gibson]] as [[Fletcher Christian]] and [[Anthony Hopkins]] as [[William Bligh]], with supporting roles played by [[Laurence Olivier]], [[Daniel Day-Lewis]], [[Liam Neeson]], [[Bernard Hill]] and [[Edward Fox (actor)|Edward Fox]].

''The Bounty'' began production in late 1978 under director [[David Lean]] as a long-time passion project, but multiple complications, including a prohibitively high budget and screenwriter Robert Bolt suffering from a heart attack, led to a period of [[development hell]] that ended with the hiring of newcomer director Donaldson. Filming took place primarily on-location in Donaldson's home country of [[New Zealand]], [[French Polynesia]] and [[England]].

The film was made by [[Dino De Laurentiis Productions]] and Bounty Productions Ltd. and distributed by [[Thorn EMI|Thorn EMI Screen Entertainment]] in the UK, and [[Orion Pictures Corporation]] internationally. It premiered on 4 May 1984 and received generally positive reviews, with praise for Hopkins' portrayal of Bligh, and was noted by critics and historians as being a more historically accurate depiction of the mutiny than previous depictions, though reactions to Gibson's performance were more polarized. ''The Bounty'' was entered into the [[1984 Cannes Film Festival]], where it was nominated for the [[Palme d’Or]].

== Plot ==
<!-- WP:FILMPLOT recommends the plot summary to be between 400-700 words. -->
The court of inquiry<ref>Hough, Richard (1972). Captain Bligh and Mr. Christian: The Men and the Mutiny. London: Hutchinsons. {{ISBN|978-0-09-112860-9}}. p. 276.</ref> of Commanding Lieutenant [[William Bligh]] for the loss of {{HMS|Bounty}} to mutineers begins. Via flashbacks, ''Bounty'' sets out from Portsmouth, England on 23 December 1787, on an expedition to [[Tahiti]] to gather [[breadfruit]] pods for transplantation in the Caribbean, Bligh electing to sail the ship west round the tip of South America to use the expedition to fulfill an ambition to [[circumnavigate]] the globe. After thirty-one days, the attempt to round [[Cape Horn]] fails due to harsh weather, and the ship is obliged to take the longer eastern route. Bligh replaces Fryer with his friend [[Fletcher Christian]] as second-in-command. Seaman James Valentine dies.

Arriving in Tahiti in October 1788, Bligh finds that due to the delays, the wind is against them for a quick return journey and they must stay on the island for four months longer than planned. Many of the weary crew, relieved to land, eventually develop a taste for the pleasures that island life offers, especially the native women; Christian immerses himself in the native culture, learning the language, submitting to Tahiti tattooing, making his relationship with Bligh tense. Three crew members, one of them, [[Charles Churchill (mutineer)|Charles Churchill]], desert the ship, intent on staying on the island. Bligh hunts the men down and has them flogged. Huggan dies. When the ship leaves Tahiti, Fletcher is forced to leave his pregnant native lover, [[Mauatua]], behind. The resumption of naval discipline on the return voyage turns Bligh into not willing to tolerate any disobedience whatsoever. He insists that the ship is filthy and orders the crew to clean up several times a day. Bligh subjects the crew to pressure, creating an atmosphere of tension. Many of the men, including Christian, are singled out for tongue-lashings, especially when he suggests to go around Cape Horn again.

Christian considers constructing a raft to escape; playing on his resentment against Bligh's treatment of both him and the men, Ned Young persuades Christian to take the ship by force. After unsuccessfully warning the stubborn Bligh, Christian decides to take the ship and cast Bligh adrift without any killing. Bligh is roused from his bed and taken to the deck, and he is, along with those considered loyal to him, forced into a [[longboat]], minimally supplied, and cast adrift. As Bligh and his crew stop for supplies on the island of Tofua, natives kill quartermaster John Norton. Bligh and his crew agree to try to reach the [[Dutch East Indies]]. Bligh talks down a heated Purcell, even giving him his share of food and insists that they not eat each other to survive. Bligh's triumph pays off as he and his crew successfully reach Timor.

Christian and the mutineers sail back to Tahiti. [[Pōmare I|King Tynah]], however, is concerned that their mutiny could incite British punishment against his people. Realizing the folly of staying, the mutineers gather supplies, and are allowed to collect their girlfriends and native friends and sail away to try to find a safe refuge. Christian pleads with Tynah to allow Mauatua to decide her own destiny. Tynah concedes, and Mauatua chooses the uncertainty of a life with Christian over remaining with her father. Churchill, along with others, stay, while Christian tries to get beyond reach of British punishment; the search for a safe haven is long and seemingly impossible, as any pursuing Royal Navy vessels will search all known islands and coastlines to find them. Some of the ''Bounty'' crew are so frustrated that they are ready to rebel against Christian to turn the ship back towards Tahiti. After Christian forces the crew to continue on, they find [[Pitcairn Island]], a place not marked on British maps of the region. As the crew burn the ''Bounty'' making detection and escape virtually impossible, seaman [[John Adams (mutineer)|John Adams]] notes to Christian that they will never get off the island or see England again. The judgment of Bligh's [[court-martial]] is read by [[Alexander Hood, 1st Viscount Bridport|Admiral Hood]]: Bligh is exonerated of all blame of the loss of the ''Bounty'', and is commended for courage and exemplary seamanship for the open boat voyage. Bligh, moved, sheathes his sword with a slight tremor, thanks Hood and departs. A resigned Christian watches ''Bounty'' sink. 

== Cast ==
{{div col}}<!-- Cast is in credits order and named as credited; please do not change. -->
* [[Mel Gibson]] as Master's Mate [[Fletcher Christian]]
* [[Anthony Hopkins]] as Lieutenant [[William Bligh]]
* [[Laurence Olivier]] as [[Alexander Hood, 1st Viscount Bridport|Admiral Hood]]
* [[Edward Fox (actor)|Edward Fox]] as Captain Greetham
* [[Daniel Day-Lewis]] as Sailing Master [[John Fryer (Royal Navy officer)|John Fryer]]
* [[Bernard Hill]] as William Cole
* [[Philip Davis (actor)|Philip Davis]] as [[Ned Young|Edward Young]]
* [[Liam Neeson]] as Seaman [[Charles Churchill (mutineer)|Charles Churchill]]
* [[Wi Kuki Kaa]] as King Tynah
* Tevaite Vernette as [[Mauatua]]
* [[Philip Martin Brown]] as Seaman [[John Adams (mutineer)|John Adams]]
* [[Simon Chandler]] as [[David Nelson (botanical collector)|David Nelson]]
* [[Malcolm Terris]] as Dr. Thomas Huggan
* [[John Sessions]] as John Smith
* [[Andrew Wilde (actor)|Andrew Wilde]] as Seaman [[William McCoy (mutineer)|William McCoy]]
* [[Neil Morrissey]] as Seaman [[Matthew Quintal]]
* [[Richard Graham (actor)|Richard Graham]] as John Mills
* [[Dexter Fletcher]] as Seaman [[Thomas Ellison (mutineer)|Thomas Ellison]]
* [[Pete Lee-Wilson]] as William Purcell
* [[Jon Gadsby]] as John Norton
* [[Barry Dransfield]] as [[Michael Byrne (sailor)|Michael Byrne]]
* Steve Fletcher as Seaman James Valentine
* [[Jack May]] as Prosecuting Captain
* Sharon Bower as Betsy Bligh
* Mary Kauila as Queen Tynah
{{div col end}}

==Production==
===Development ===
====David Lean====
The film was originally a longstanding project of director [[David Lean]] and his frequent collaborator, [[Robert Bolt]]. They started working on a script in Bora Bora in October 1977. Lean and Bolt planned to make two films, one named ''The Lawbreakers'' that would deal with the voyage out to Tahiti and the subsequent mutiny, and the second named ''The Long Arm'', which would be a study of the journey and the mutineers after the mutiny, as well as the admiralty's response in sending out the frigate {{HMS|Pandora|1779|6}}.<ref name="mann"/>

In November 1977, producer [[Dino De Laurentiis]] announced he would finance the project and make it after his version of the ''[[Hurricane (1979 film)|Hurricane]]''.<ref name="clips">{{cite news|title=FILM CLIPS: The Man Behind the Kangaroo|author=Kilday, Gregg|work=Los Angeles Times|date=30 November 1977|page=G 12}}</ref> Phil Kellogg was to produce the films.<ref name="clips"/> In December of that year, Paramount announced they would finance and distribute.<ref>{{cite news|title=FILM CLIPS: Gere, Berenson: Up From Nasty|author=Kilday, Gregg|work=Los Angeles Times|date=12 December 1977|page=f16}}</ref> The intention was to shoot the film in Tahiti, where De Laurentiis had built a large facility for shooting ''Hurricane'', including a brand-new hotel.<ref>{{cite news|title='The Hurricane' Builds—in Cost|author=ALJEAN HARMETZ|work=The New York Times|date=1 June 1978|page=C 15}}</ref>

While working on the script, Lean directed a documentary, ''[[Lost and Found: The Story of Cook's Anchor]]'', about discovering an anchor that belonged to a ship of Captain Cook.

In August 1978, Lean said he expected each film to cost $25 million. "With the high brow critics you're as good as dead if you spend that sort of money on a film", he said. "For that kind of money, the argument runs, anyone should be able to make a good picture. Which is absolute rubbish."<ref>{{cite news|title=Confessions of a Blue-Eyed Arab|date=10 August 1978|work=Los Angeles Times|page=H 12}}</ref> A [[Bounty (1978 ship)|replica of ''The Bounty'']] was built in New Zealand. A script was finished by November 1978.

Bernard Williams became attached as producer. He says Lean and De Laurentiis assumed both films could be made for $40 million in total, but Williams budgeted ''The Lawbreakers'' alone at $40 million.<ref name="mann"/> De Laurentiis decided he could not afford to proceed. "Dino is no longer behind the project", said Kellogg in November, adding "The first script is finished and the second is underway. I expect the pictures to go in about a year by now and we'll make them back to back."<ref>{{cite news|title=Which Is the Fairest Farrah?|author=Mann, Roderick|work=Los Angeles Times|date=14 November 1978|page=F 11}}</ref>

On 12 April 1979, Bolt suffered a massive heart attack, followed by a stroke two days later, with the second script incomplete. In August 1979 Anthony Hopkins announced Lean had asked him to play Bligh.<ref name="play">{{cite news|title=Hopkins: His Play's the Thing: Hopkins: His Play's the Thing|author=Smith, Cecil|work=Los Angeles Times|date=13 August 1979|page=E 1}}</ref>

They looked at making the project as a seven-part TV series. Paramount were interested but decided to pull out after two months feeling the project was too "masculine" and lacked female interest.<ref name="mann"/><ref>{{cite news|title=It's Crystal-Ball Time in Hollywood|author=McCarthy, Todd|work=Film Comment|location=New York|volume=15|issue=1 (Jan/Feb 1979)|pages=77–79}}</ref> Lean tried to interest [[Sam Spiegel]] who persuaded the director to make just the one film. Lean had a go at the script himself.<ref>{{cite news|title=LEAN'S 14-YEAR PASSAGE TO LOVE|author=Mann, Roderick|work=Los Angeles Times|date=10 April 1983|page=W 21}}</ref>

Lean was ultimately forced to abandon the project after overseeing casting and the construction of the ''Bounty'' replica which cost $4 million. In June 1981 the producer was trying to sell the replica.<ref>{{cite news|title=Setting Sale: De Laurentiis' $4.5-Million Bounty Is Up for Grabs H.M.S. Bounty Replica Up For Grabs|author=Christian Williams|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=24 June 1981|page=B 1}}</ref>

"It was three years' work wasted", said Lean later. "And the sad part is, it was the best script I've ever had. It was really a cracker it would have made a marvellous film. But after all that work they pulled the rug from under me."<ref>{{cite news|title=MOVIES: AFtER 15 YEARS LEAN RETURNS TO ACTION|author=Mann, Roderick|work=Los Angeles Times|date=9 December 1984|page=S 37}}</ref>

De Laurentiis did not want to lose the millions he had already put into the project—$2 million in development costs plus the cost of the ship—and looked for another director.<ref>[http://lean.bfi.org.uk/material.php?theme=2&title=bounty] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080505070825/http://lean.bfi.org.uk/material.php?theme=2&title=bounty|date=5 May 2008}}</ref><ref name="los"/>

====Roger Donaldson====
Donaldson was an Australian who had forged a career as director in New Zealand with ''Sleeping Dogs'' and ''Smash Palace''. The latter was the first New Zealand film to obtain a distributor in the U.S. Donaldson said he met with de Laurentiis to discuss filming a sequel to ''Conan the Barbarian''. Donaldson worked on a new script for that film. "Some time during that period I mentioned that I thought The Bounty sounded like an interesting project", Donaldson said. "Well, when I finished with the Conan script, he didn't really like it so I figured, well, I'm finished with Dino."<ref name="phil"/>

The producer then offered him ''The Bounty'' despite not having seen any of the director's films and the fact that his biggest budget to date had been $1 million.<ref name="los">{{cite news|title=MOVIES: DIRECTOR ROGER DONALDSON: NEW MASTER OF 'THE BOUNTY'|author=Mann, Roderick|work=Los Angeles Times|date=6 May 1984|page=R 22}}</ref> (De Laurentiis later says he gave Donaldson the job on the basis of ''Smash Palace''.<ref>{{cite news|title=Mogul on the Bounty|author=de Laurentiis, Dino|work=The Guardian|date=12 May 1984|page=8}}</ref>)

"Making the movie was something that, initially, I wasn't sure I wanted to do", said Donaldson. "I thought it might be perceived as some sort of a remake. But I looked at it and decided I'd do it as long as I could do something completely on my own, not a remake at all, but based much more on fact—something to set the record straight."<ref name="phil"/>
 
"I saw it as an intense personal drama about two friends who have a tragic and violent falling out—a drama in which your sympathies change as events change", Donaldson said. "When you leave the movie, I hope that deep down you feel that you've understood a relationship between two men."<ref name="phil">{{cite news|title=HE BASED HIS 'BOUNTY' ON THE FACTS|author=Lyman, Rick|work=The Philadelphia Inquirer|date=13 May 1984|page=I 2}}</ref>

===Casting===
Anthony Hopkins was one of two actors considered for the role of Captain Bligh by David Lean. The other was [[Oliver Reed]]. Hopkins was approached as early as 1978.<ref name="mann">{{cite news|title=THE 'BOUNTY' CASTS OFF ON THIRD VOYAGE|author=Mann, Roderick|work=Los Angeles Times|date=12 June 1983|page=T 23}}</ref>

In April 1980, when David Lean was still attached, [[Christopher Reeve]] was the favorite to play Fletcher Christian. Lean had enjoyed ''Superman'' and [[Katharine Hepburn]] had recommended Reeve to Lean.<ref>{{cite news|title=MOVIES: THEY'RE STANDING IN LINE FOR CHRISTOPHER REEVE|author=Mann, Roderick|work=Los Angeles Times|date=13 April 1980|page=L 23}}</ref> "It's not a remake", said Reeve. "The other versions were just remakes of the first movie. This is the true story based on the diaries of those actually on the Bounty and from the trial of the mutineers. It's the best screenplay I've ever read and it would be an honor and a privilege to accept the part of Christian."<ref>{{cite news|title=HE'S NOT SUPERMAN!|edition=FIRST|author=Kevin Kelly|work=The Boston Globe|date=24 August 1980|page=1}}</ref>

Reeve stayed on the project through the change in director. However he dropped out at the last minute and was replaced by Mel Gibson.<ref name="los"/> Gibson was looking for a project after ''The Night of the Running Man'' at MGM was cancelled. "I liked the idea they were going to show Bligh and Christian as the young men they were", said Gibson. "I also liked the idea of playing a role that [[Errol Flynn]] first attempted."<ref name="mann"/>

The role of [[Peter Heywood]] (who inspired the character 'Roger Byam' in the [[Mutiny on the Bounty (novel)|novel]] and earlier film versions) was originally intended to be played by [[Hugh Grant]].

Tevaite Vernette was spotted at Papeete Airport and offered the female lead. She had to be persuaded and only agreed to play the lead once filming began.<ref name="los"/>

==Filming==
Filming started 25 April 1983.<ref>{{cite news|title=FILM CLIPS: COPPOLA JOINS 'THE COTTON CLUB'|author=Caulfield, Deborah|work=Los Angeles Times|date=4 April 1983|page=G 6}}</ref> The final script was completed only the day before filming began.<ref name="mann"/>
[[File:Greenwich - Grand Square - View SE on Queen Mary Court Dome & Chapel.jpg|thumb|210px|right|The exterior of the [[Old Royal Naval College]], London was used during Bligh's court martial.]]
[[File:Baie de Opunohu.jpg|thumb|210px|right|[[Opunohu Bay]], Mo'orea.]]

The film was shot on location over 20 weeks in [[Mo'orea]], [[French Polynesia]], Port of [[Gisborne, New Zealand]] and at the [[Old Royal Naval College]] and the [[Reform Club]], [[Pall Mall, London]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://i.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/celebrities/109057595/the-bounty-roger-donaldson-remembers-when-he-brought-neeson-gibson-and-daylewis-to-nz|title=Throwback Thursday: When blackmail nearly grounded The Bounty|first=James|last=Croot|date=7 December 2018|access-date=22 June 2021}}</ref> Many of the shots of the ship were filmed in [[Opunohu Bay]], Moorea, the bay where Captain [[James Cook]] anchored during 1777. Below-the-deck scenes were shot at Lee Studios outside London.

The replica of the ''[[Bounty (1978 ship)|Bounty]]'' used in the film was built in [[Whangārei]], New Zealand, before the script was even completed at a cost of $4 million; the entire film cost $25 million. Donaldson said the boat "has got to be the most expensive movie prop ever built. It's exact right down to the hand stitching on the sails."<ref name="los"/>
[[File:1978 replica of the Bounty at dock in Sydney.jpg|thumb|210px|right|The ''Bounty'' used in the film at Sydney Harbour in 1996.]]
The director says filming on the ship was hard. "It's only 90 feet long and its design is archaic. So it rolled all the time and people were constantly seasick. It wasn't a pleasant experience."<ref name="los"/>

However, unlike many other films filmed on water, ''The Bounty'' was finished under budget.<ref name="Stephen Farber">{{cite news|title=Buoyed by Fresh Insight, "The Bounty" Sails Again|author=Stephen Farber|work=The New York Times|date=29 April 1984}}</ref>

As well as the New Zealand-built ''Bounty'', Lean had also looked at refitting the [[frigate]] ''[[HMS Surprise (replica ship)|Rose]]'' to play the role of ''Pandora''. The latter has since gone on to become [[HMS Surprise (novel)|HMS ''Surprise'']] in [[Peter Weir]]'s ''[[Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World|Master and Commander]]''. For the storm sequences a detailed 25-foot model of the ''Bounty'' was built.

Gibson described the making of the film as difficult because of the long production time and bad weather: "I went mad. They would hold their breath at night when I went off. One night I had a fight in a bar and the next day they had to shoot only one side of my face because the other was so messed up. If you see the film, you can see the swelling in certain scenes." Anthony Hopkins, who had battled with [[alcoholism]] until becoming [[abstinent]] in 1975, was worried about Gibson's heavy drinking, saying, "Mel is a wonderful, wonderful fellow with a marvellous future. He's already something of a superstar, but he's in danger of blowing it unless he takes hold of himself." Gibson, who likewise self-identified as an alcoholic, agreed with this concern, and added his admiration for the Welsh actor: "He was terrific. He was good to work with because he was open and he was willing to give. He's a moral man, and you could see this. I think we had the same attitudes."<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Mel Gibson: Living Dangerously|author=Joan Goodman|magazine=Playgirl|date=December 1984}}</ref>

Donaldson said Hopkins "became Bligh" during filming. "So much so that you didn't want to sit with him at breakfast."<ref name="los"/>

Donaldson admits he and Hopkins clashed during filming. "I'm a bit of a hard task-master", admitted Donaldson later. "I won't give up until I really think we've wrung everything we can out of every scene... It was 90 degrees in Tahiti and the humidity was 100%, and Tony was wearing this wool-serge uniform, done up to the neck. That was demanding, just physically."<ref>{{cite news|title=Tony and I would happily have killed each other|edition=FIRST|author=ROB DRISCOLL|work=Western Mail|date=9 March 2006|page=30}}</ref>

===Music===
The [[Full score|score]] was composed by [[Vangelis]]. The soundtrack has never been officially released, but a two-CD limited edition bootleg was released by One World Music (OWM-95034) in 1995.<ref name="STN-Bounty">{{cite web|title=Soundtrack Information|url=https://www.soundtrack.net/album/the-bounty-1984/|publisher=Soundtrack.Net|access-date=16 January 2021}}</ref><ref name="AllMus-Bounty">{{cite web|title=Vangelis The Bounty [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/release/the-bounty-original-motion-picture-soundtrack-mr0002702920|publisher=AllMusic|access-date=16 January 2021}}</ref> The score for the tracks "Opening Titles" and "Closing Titles" were remade for the compilation album ''[[Themes (Vangelis album)|Themes]]'' released in 1989 by [[Polydor Records]].<ref>[http://vangelishistory.com/Nemo%20Era%20II/index.html Nemo Era II] (1982–1987) | Vangelishistory</ref>

==Release==
''The Bounty'' was screened out of competition as the closing film at the [[1984 Cannes Film Festival]] on 23 May.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://m.festival-cannes.com/es/peliculas/the-bounty|title=The Bounty|website=Festival de Cannes|date=May 1984|access-date=21 April 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.vodkaster.com/Listes-de-films/Les-films-de-cloture-du-Festival-de-Cannes|title=The closing films at Cannes|work=vodkaster.com|access-date=25 May 2017}}</ref> It was released in the United States by [[Orion Pictures]] on 4 May 1984 and in the United Kingdom on 5 October 1984 by [[Thorn EMI|Thorn EMI Screen Entertainment]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://mubi.com/awards-and-festivals/cannes?|title=1984 Cannes Film Festival|website=MUBI|access-date=21 April 2020}}</ref>
Upon theatrical release in the U.K., the film received a 15 certificate rating.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/the-bounty-film-qxnzzxq6vlgtnzq1nzg3|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220920173001/https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/the-bounty-film-qxnzzxq6vlgtnzq1nzg3|url-status=dead|archive-date=20 September 2022|title=THE BOUNTY|publisher=[[British Board of Film Classification]]|access-date=20 September 2022}}</ref>

===Home media===
''The Bounty'' was released in the U.S. in 1984 and again in 1994 on the [[LaserDisc]] format.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.lddb.com/laserdisc/40140/VL5044/Bounty-The|title=The Bounty (1984) USA|website=lddb.com|access-date=21 April 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.lddb.com/laserdisc/05933/ID2593OR/Bounty-The|title=The Bounty (1984) USA 31/10/1994 Orion Home Video|website=lddb.com|access-date=21 April 2020}}</ref>
The film was released as a special-edition [[DVD-Video|DVD]] in the United Kingdom in March 2002 by Sanctuary with five extra features, including separate [[audio commentary|audio commentaries]], first by the director Roger Donaldson, producer Bernie Williams and production designer John Graysmark and solo commentary by maritime historian Stephen Walters, a fifty-two-minute 'making of' documentary narrated by [[Edward Fox (actor)|Edward Fox]], The Bounty on Film discussing the various Bounty films, original theatrical trailer and booklet.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2002/02/25/the_bounty_special_edition_1984_dvd_review.shtml|title=The Bounty Special Edition DVD (1984)|first=Almar|last=Haflidason|publisher=BBC|date=2002|access-date=21 April 2020}}</ref> In the United States [[Twilight Time (home video label)|Twilight Time]] released a limited-edition [[Blu-ray]] on 10 March 2015 with little in terms of bonus material; however, it features an isolated score track by Vangelis.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-Bounty-Blu-ray/103024/|title=The Bounty Blu-ray United States Screen Archives Entertainment Exclusive Limited Edition to 3000 – Twilight Time|date=10 March 2015|publisher=Blu-ray.com|access-date=21 April 2020}}</ref> A special-edition DVD and Blu-ray with the same special features as the 2002 issue was released in Australia by Via Vision Entertainment on 5 December 2018.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-Bounty-Blu-ray/216638/|title=The Bounty Blu-ray Australia Via Vision Entertainment|date=5 December 2018|publisher=Blu-ray.com|access-date=21 April 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://viavision.com.au/shop/the-bounty-special-edition-blu-ray/|title=The Bounty – Special Edition Blu-ray Via Vision Entertainment|website=viavision.com|access-date=21 April 2020}}</ref>
On 2 January 2019 a Blu-ray was issued in the U.S. and Canada by [[Kino Lorber]] Studio Classic with the commentary tracks, Original theatrical trailer and image gallery.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-Bounty-Blu-ray/219850/|title=The Bounty Blu-ray United States Kino Lorber|date=2 January 2019|access-date=21 April 2020}}</ref> Australian label Imprint released a 2-disc Blu-ray box set on 28 June 2023, with a new 4K scan of the negative. Some of the special features included are a new 90-minute [[featurette]] of cast and crew interviews, new interview with director Roger Donaldson, new featurette of the score by Vangelis and two archive documentaries titled 'A Fated Ship' surrounding the construction of "The Bounty" replica and 'In Bligh's Wake' charting the voyage of the replica from New Zealand.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://viavision.com.au/shop/the-bounty-1984-imprint-collection-225/|title=The Bounty (1984) – Imprint Collection|website=via vision|access-date=8 May 2023}}</ref>

== Historical accuracy ==
The film is generally regarded as more revisionist as well as a more historically accurate depiction of the mutiny than earlier film versions.<ref name="MoonHandbooks">{{cite book|author=David Stanley|title=Moon Handbooks Tahiti: Including the Cook Islands|publisher=David Stanley|year=2003|page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_zQ_RGjMGmB8C/page/n109/mode/2up 92]|isbn=1-56691-412-4|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_zQ_RGjMGmB8C}}</ref> According to director Donaldson, <blockquote>"The major difference between our film and the other versions is that none of the others pointed out that Bligh and Christian were friends. They'd made voyages together before they sailed on the ''Bounty''. And while they were on the ''Bounty'', Bligh demoted another officer and promoted Christian, who was at that stage nothing but a midshipman, and made him second in command. What interested me was to explore how their relationship deteriorated from that point to where Christian leads a mutiny against Bligh."<ref name="Stephen Farber"/></blockquote> Unlike earlier versions, the film did not portray Bligh as a villain. According to Gibson, "It was a kind of fresh look at Captain Bligh, and I think of all the renditions of who Bligh was, his was probably the closest. His Bligh was stubborn and didn't suffer fools, but he was brilliant and just had a lot of bad luck."<ref name="Michael Fleming 2000">Michael Fleming (July 2000). "Mel's Movies", Movieline.</ref> Bligh is portrayed as a man who is hot-tempered and foul-mouthed, but only scolds when necessary and is relatively sparing in his punishments, even clearly disliking the order to have his men flogged. On the one hand, he takes his sense of discipline and command too far when scolding Christian about the ship being filthy, exceeding the limits of the ship's company, but after the mutiny, through a return of his good character and leadership qualities, successfully guides his loyalists and their open launch to safety. ''The Bounty'' also paints a far less heroic portrait of Christian. In Gibson's description, "Fletcher was just a lad of twenty-two and he behaved like one. The first time he decided to test his horns and fight for the herd, it was a mistake. He shouldn't have done it." Gibson later expressed the opinion that the film did not go far enough in correcting the historical record.<blockquote>"I think the main problem with that film was that it tried to be a fresh look at the dynamic of the mutiny situation, but didn't go far enough. In the old version, Captain Bligh was the bad guy and Fletcher Christian was the good guy. But really Fletcher Christian was a social climber and an opportunist. They should have made him the bad guy, which indeed he was. He ended up setting all these people adrift to die, without any real justification. Maybe he'd gone island crazy. They should have painted it that way. But they wanted to exonerate Captain Bligh while still having the dynamic where the guy was mutinying for the good of the crew. It didn't quite work."<ref name="Michael Fleming 2000"/></blockquote> The film also portrays the sailors exploiting the islanders. Unlike earlier film versions, the native women are shown (accurately) totally bare-breasted. Gibson said, "It was a complete culture shock and it was unbelievable to them. It was paradise in terms of personal freedoms—freedoms that shouldn't have been taken advantage of. They exploited the people, fooled them and didn't tell them the whole truth".<ref>{{cite news|title=Mel Gibson|author=Terry Poulton|publisher=Close Up|date=Summer 1984}}</ref> Gibson chose to suddenly erupt in violent emotion during the mutiny scene because eyewitness accounts had described Christian as 'extremely agitated' and 'sweating and crying'.<ref>{{cite news|title=Is Mel Gibson Australian or American?|author=Bob Thomas|author-link=Bob Thomas (reporter)|agency=[[Associated Press]]|date=4 May 1984}}</ref>

==Reception==
===Box office===
''The Bounty'' grossed $8.6 million in the United States and Canada. In the U.S. and Canada the film grossed $2,622,306 in its opening weekend in 986 theatres.<ref name="Mojo title|bounty">{{Mojo title|bounty}}</ref><ref name="dinod"/>
It earned [[theatrical rental]]s worldwide of $18.3 million, against a production budget of $20 million.

=== Critical response ===
The film was generally well received by critics, with general praise for the film's realism and historical accuracy as well as Hopkins' performance. On the [[Review aggregator|aggregate]] site [[Rotten Tomatoes]] it has received a 74% rating from 19 critical reviews with an average rating of 6.28/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Thanks in large part to its cast, and Anthony Hopkins in particular, ''The Bounty's'' retelling of the mutiny on HMS Bounty is an intelligent, engaging adventure saga."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1002947-bounty/|title=Rotten Tomatoes, ''The Bounty''|publisher=Rotten Tomatoes|access-date=2013-04-11}}</ref> [[Roger Ebert]] gave the film four stars out of four, stating, "this ''Bounty'' is not only a wonderful movie, high-spirited and intelligent, but something of a production triumph as well."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19840101/REVIEWS/401010315/1023|work=Chicago Sun-Times|title=The Bounty}}</ref>

However, others were disappointed with the film, especially given its distinguished cast. Many critics singled out Gibson's performance as bland, particularly when compared to the performances given by [[Clark Gable]] and [[Marlon Brando]] in two earlier adaptations. [[Vincent Canby]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' stated, "Both Bligh and Christian are unfinished characters in a screenplay that may or may not have been tampered with... The movie seems to have been planned, written, acted, shot and edited by people who were constantly being over-ruled by other people. It's totally lifeless.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?_r=1&res=9C05E6D9143AF937A35756C0A962948260&oref=slogin|work=The New York Times|first=Vincent|last=Canby|title='The Bounty,' Capt. Bligh Story By Dino De Laurentiis|date=4 May 1984|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120902115419/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?_r=1&res=9C05E6D9143AF937A35756C0A962948260&oref=slogin|archive-date=2 September 2012}}</ref> The film was entered into the [[1984 Cannes Film Festival]].<ref name="festival-cannes.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/1172/year/1984.html|title=Festival de Cannes: The Bounty|access-date=22 June 2009|work=festival-cannes.com}}</ref>

[[Colin Greenland]] reviewed ''The Bounty'' for ''[[Imagine (game magazine)|Imagine]]'' magazine, and stated that "By concentrating on the deadlock of the characters and the inevitable explosion, director Roger Donaldson has left many things unexamined: the Tahitians are not allowed to be much more than stereotype happy savages, for example. But his film is a powerful vision of the hell – and the wild beauty – of the high seas."<ref name="Imagine22">{{cite journal|last=Greenland|first=Colin|author-link=Colin Greenland|title=Fantasy Media|type=review|journal=[[Imagine (AD&D magazine)|Imagine]]|issue=22|pages=45|publisher=TSR Hobbies (UK), Ltd.|date=January 1985}}</ref>

Anthony Hopkins later said "It was such a sad mess of a film, such a botched job. Yet I'd put so much time and effort into the role. So right then and there I decided: Never again. I will no longer invest so much effort in something over which I have no control. It's too frustrating. That film was a sort of turning point for me. For years I'd been trying to cultivate a don't-give-a-damn attitude. After watching 'The Bounty' I knew I had it."<ref>{{cite news|title=HOPKINS: POWER PLAY ON THE LONDON STAGE|edition=Home]|author=Mann, Roderick|work=Los Angeles Times|date=7 July 1985|page=20}}</ref> He and Donaldson later worked together on ''[[The World's Fastest Indian]]''.

Alex von Tunzelmann of ''[[The Guardian]]'' gave the film a grade of C, saying: "''The Bounty'' has an incredible cast and a fabulously well-put-together production, and pays impressive attention to historical accuracy – more than any of the previous cinematic recreations. With all this going for it, it's a pity that the drama falls flat."<ref>{{cite news|title=The Bounty: a waste of paradise|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=2011-03-24|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/mar/24/bounty-mel-gibson-anthony-hopkins|access-date=2024-03-04}}</ref>

== See also ==
*[[Mutiny on the Bounty (novel)]]
*[[The Mutiny of the Bounty|The Mutiny of the Bounty (1916 film)]]
*[[In the Wake of the Bounty|In the Wake of the Bounty (1933 film)]] 
*[[Mutiny on the Bounty (1935 film)]] 
*[[Mutiny on the Bounty (1962 film)]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{IMDb title|0086993|The Bounty}}
* {{TCMDb title|id=21807}}
* {{Rotten Tomatoes|id=1002947-bounty|title=The Bounty}}
* [http://www.solarnavigator.net/mutiny_on_the_bounty.htm Mutiny on the Bounty] – review of 1935, 1962 and 1984 films
* [http://film.virtual-history.com/film.php?filmid=480 Movie stills]
* [http://www.thebounty.com.hk Official website of the Replica HMS Bounty in Hong Kong]
* [http://www.onboardonline.com/industry-article-index/films-books-and-music/film-review-the-bounty/ Film Review: The Bounty]

{{Mutiny on the Bounty}}
{{Roger Donaldson}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bounty}}
[[Category:1984 films]]
[[Category:1984 drama films]]
[[Category:1980s historical films]]
[[Category:1980s adventure drama films]]
[[Category:British drama films]]
[[Category:British historical films]]
[[Category:British independent films]]
[[Category:Drama films based on actual events]]
[[Category:1980s English-language films]]
[[Category:Films set in 1787]]
[[Category:Films set in 1788]]
[[Category:Films about HMS Bounty]]
[[Category:Films directed by Roger Donaldson]]
[[Category:Films scored by Vangelis]]
[[Category:Films set on islands]]
[[Category:Films shot in French Polynesia]]
[[Category:Films shot in New Zealand]]
[[Category:Films produced by Dino De Laurentiis]]
[[Category:Military courtroom films]]
[[Category:Orion Pictures films]]
[[Category:Seafaring films]]
[[Category:Seafaring films based on actual events]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Robert Bolt]]
[[Category:Films set on ships]]
[[Category:1980s British films]]
[[Category:English-language historical films]]
[[Category:English-language adventure drama films]]