Mutiny on the Bounty

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Mutiny on the Bounty

1935

2h 12m

Adventure

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

96%

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74 Reviews

84%

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5,000+ Ratings

As the cruel captain of the HMS Bounty, a ship bound for Tahiti, William Bligh (Charles Laughton) wins few friends. When the crew members finally tire of his abuse, Fletcher Christian (Clark Gable) leads a mutiny, resulting in Bligh's unceremonious removal from the ship. While Christian and the remaining crew sail on to Tahiti, Bligh becomes intent on exacting revenge, and he targets Roger Byam (Franchot Tone), a sailor who had actually tried to stop the mutiny.

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Critics Consensus

The historical inaccuracies in this high-seas adventure are more than offset by its timeless themes, larger-than-life performances from Clark Gable and Charles Laughton, and Frank Lloyd's superb direction.

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Pauline Kael

The New Yorker

07/28/2022

The director, Frank Lloyd, goes after "human interest" details in a broad, conventional manner... But for the kind of big-budget, studio controlled romantic adventure that it is, it's very well done.

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Mildred Martin

Philadelphia Inquirer

07/28/2022

This stirring, beautifully made and splendidly acted picture must stand as the maritime masterpiece of the motion picture art. Every hour and every dollar lavished upon the production is repaid two-fold in the result.

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Edwin Schallert

Los Angeles Times

07/28/2022

It is a great production, recalling the best days of the silent films in its photographic excellence.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Nov 11

4/4

An exciting, perfectly executed production that features Gable at his most magnetic and Laughton at his most commanding.

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Mark Johnson

Awards Daily

06/27/2023

The film was a huge hit at the box office, and was heavy on action, mysterious settings, clashing drama, and high-seas adventure.

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Ada Hanifin

San Francisco Examiner

07/28/2022

Never has Laughton recreated such a composite character as the strange, unhealthy creature that manned the Bounty... It is a magnificent performance, and, indisputably, Laughton's greatest.

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Joaquin U

@Joaquin1 Jul 4

Very entertaining. The first Mutiny on the Bounty is a strong film, based on a true story. Solid cast, with the two leads delivering standout performances. The direction is notable, the script is fine — not too faithful to the real events, but it works. A true classic, a bit long, yet worth the time spent watching.

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ChrisCSH H

@RT12343453 Jun 22

Mutiny on the bounty is a beautifully directed picture filled with ups and downs with laughter and excitement along with the utterly magnetic acting from the great Charles Laughton as the captain, along with Clark Gables suave, and Debbonaire acting and the way each other plays off of one another is truly remarkable. Charles Laughton was able to create a character that is so easy to despise. It truly shows how great he was in this film. The film might be well over two hours, but it certainly doesn’t seem that way because it moves along at a very good pace, and the overall story is so engaging that you lose yourself in the entire plot of what is going on with the entire crew. Overall mutiny on the bounty is an excellent film.

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Christian K

@ckacar Jan 28

Laughton is an unrivaled curmudgeon. Clark Gable can handle unjust floggings, starvation, and murder by the Captain, but he draws the line at the confiscation of the pearls he received from his new lady friend in Tahiti. That's what really started the mutiny.

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Stephen C

@bob25009 07/12/2025

Success in 2 hour and 12 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Alec B

@Alec97 04/30/2025

Its very Hollywood in a lot of ways (Bligh bad and Christian good) but there's also suprising nuance. Laughton's Bligh isn't some sniveling coward, he's the strongest one of the bunch and Gable's Christian is often conflicted until those final scenes.

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Connor S

@RT33873007 03/02/2024

The rare true story that is almost perfectly executed. Yet, is it the best version of this I've seen? No. #Brando

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Frank Lloyd

Director

Charles Laughton

Bligh

Clark Gable

Christian

Franchot Tone

Byam

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Synopsis

As the cruel captain of the HMS Bounty, a ship bound for Tahiti, William Bligh (Charles Laughton) wins few friends. When the crew members finally tire of his abuse, Fletcher Christian (Clark Gable) leads a mutiny, resulting in Bligh's unceremonious removal from the ship. While Christian and the remaining crew sail on to Tahiti, Bligh becomes intent on exacting revenge, and he targets Roger Byam (Franchot Tone), a sailor who had actually tried to stop the mutiny.

Director: Frank Lloyd
Producer: Frank Lloyd, Irving Thalberg
Screenwriter: Talbot Jennings, Jules Furthman, Carey Wilson
Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Production Co: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Genre: Adventure
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 8, 1935, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 21, 2016
Runtime: 2h 12m