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In Reply to: "The Bounty" posted by rico on May 5, 2005 at 09:24:09:
I am guess I am so jaded by Hollywood's attitude that it is more important to tell a good yarn than be historically accurate that I tend to look at historical films with a jaundiced eye. Based upon the little internet research I have done on this topic, and the one book I have read, I get the impression that the latest film was a little soft on Fletcher Christian, and too hard on Bligh. Most of what I have read have called Bligh something of a strict disciplinarian, but the film, I think, portrayed him as insane, particularly in the third act. Also, Christian was more of a planner in the mutiny, having wanted to shack up with the island women, whereas the film portrayed Christian as a reluctant mutineer, doing so at the cajoling of the other crew members, and largely because of Bligh's tyranical ways. And therein lies the difference: The film suggests that the reason for the mutiny was largely because of Bligh, and the women were a diversion. The historical records indicate the reason for the mutiny was the women, and Bligh only figured into the equation because he refused to allow the men their indulgences.The post-script of the film states that after they land on Pitcairn Island, what happened with Christian is unknown. According to what I have read, it is relatively well known that he was murdered on the island by the Tahitian men because the Tahitian men were generally viewed as second class citizens on Pitcairn, having to do most of the physical labor, and not allowed to "interact" with the women, and Christian was the leader. As an aside, the film potrayed the men, including Christian, as having one female. Apparently, there was much women exchanging among the English men on Pitcairn.
Follow Ups:
I think not Now I may be reacting because of the Bligh portrayals in the two earlier films (particularly Charles Laughton) but I thought that in "The Bounty" he was portrayed by Hopkins as a very rounded and sometimes sympathetic human being.
It has been some time in which I have seen the film straight through. But there was the incident with Christian eating the Captain's breadfruit(?), or someother food, and Bligh going ballistic. The other time when Bligh wanted the deck cleaned, the men cleaned it spotless (at least as seen through the camera) and Bligh insisted the decks were filthy. His response, combined with the music that was almost lifted from Psycho, led me to believe that the film was taking a position that Bligh was possessed into "working" the debauchery from the men's bodies. Simply because there was a reason behind his madness does not mean that there was no madness. I believe that scene immediately precedes Christian's eating of the breadfruit or other food.Reading between the lines, I suspect that the makers were suggesting that Bligh was very normal, sane, and a competent captain when the trip began. Historians seem to suggest that he was a competent captain, but nothing more than average, and Cook's accomplishments were a source of him feeling like his career was not what it should be. But for some reason, after leaving Tahiti, as a result of a trip in his wiring, or his being insanely angry about his crew's behavior, or his being possessed at working his crew back into shape, at the risk of their morale, he lost his mental faculties. Certainly, his behavior in the beginning of the film was markedly different that his behavior after the ship left Tahiti.
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