DIRECTED BY: Roger Donaldson

WRITTEN BY: Richard Hough (novel), Robert Bolt (screenplay)

MEL GIBSON AS: Fletcher Christian

GENRE: Adventure, Drama, History

TAGLINES:

- They were friends through hell. They became enemies in Paradise.

- After 200 years, the truth behind the legend.

PLOT SUMMARY:

Oscar winners Anthony Hopkins and Mel Gibson lead a stellar cast that includes Sir Laurence Olivier, Daniel Day-Lewis, and Liam Neeson in this action-packed adventure bursting with sensational battles raging storms and an intensity as powerful as the mighty sea itself! Bristling with commanding performances blazing dialogue and “superb action scenes” (Los Angeles Times) this “spectacular movie” (New York Magazine) is “everything a high-adventure fan could want” (Variety)! Hopkins delivers “a brilliant portrayal” (Boxoffice) as William Bligh a real-life sea captain who in 1787 steered The Bounty on a 27000-mile voyage into danger chaos and madness. After 31 days of battling severe sea squalls and Bligh’s ever-increasing cruelty the weary crew is relieved to finally land on a remote island. But soon their tyrannical captain wants to sail again and the desperate men turn to first mate Fletcher Christian (Gibson) to help them take the ship by force…or die trying. –Amazon

RELEASE DATES:

1984 May 4 (United States)
1984 June 27 (France)
1984 June 29 (Sweden)
1984 September 20 (Norway)
1984 October 19 (Finland)
1985 May 10 (West Germany)
1985 November 23 (Japan)
1987 November 20 (East Germany)
1992 December 31 (Argentina)

TRIVIA:

- Filmed for nine weeks on the Moorea island near Tahiti.

- Costume designer Hare Salmon and Mel became drinking buddies during filming. One night at the Tattoo nightclub, Mel got involved in a brawl. Hare describes, “I was with him. I told him to keep out of it. The Tahitians were fighting over a girl. He said to me, ‘I am Mel Gibson, I will go over there and stop them. They will respect my work, you watch.’ They hit him in the head with a Coke Cola bottle. Mel just loves to brawl.” Mel was brought to the hospital. The whole side of his face was bruised and cut. The following day, they filmed scenes that didn’t involve him while he recovered.

- David Lean spent several years developing this film in the late 1970s, working with his longtime collaborator, screenwriter Robert Bolt.

- Warner Bros., then hugely over budget with Superman (1978), withdrew from the project when Lean and Bolt decided to film Bolt’s sprawling screenplay as two films, or rather one massive epic released in two parts, one year apart, though filmed simultaneously.

- Anthony Hopkins, who plays Captain Bligh in this film, was also one of two actors (with Oliver Reed) whom David Lean considered for the role when he and Robert Bolt originally developed the project.

- This film is generally regarded as the most accurate depiction of the actual mutiny.

- The recreation of the “Bounty” specially built for the movie, has for a number of years been used as a tourist cruise ship on Sydney Harbour, Australia.

- ‘Michael Cimino’ was offered the chance to direct this project but he turned it down.

- Christopher Reeve turned down the role of Fletcher Christian.

- Sting and David Essex were also considered for the role of Fletcher Christian.

- The hull of the reproduction of HMS Bounty built for this film is built of steel, and only clad in wood. The reproduction of HMS Bounty built for Mutiny on the Bounty (1962) was built of wood, in the traditional manner.

- Jimmy Buffett’s music video of his song “One Particular Harbour” was filmed on this same set, at the same time, and also with some of the film’s extras

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