Category: Classics

“Mutiny on the Bounty” (1935) & “The Bounty” (1984)

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Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)

Y’all probably know this (classic) story: while sailing from England to Jamaica (West Indies), 1st mate Fletcher Christian (Clark Gable) leads a revolt against his sadistic commander, Captain Bligh (Charles Laughton); this is based on a real-life 1789 mutiny. This is the only film to receive 3 Oscar noms for Best Actor: Gable, Laughton, and Franchot Tone (who plays midshipman/linguist Lt. Roger Byam). After this occurred, the MPA introduced a Best Supporting Actor Oscar to ensure this situation wouldn’t be repeated. These actors all lost to Victor McLaglen for The Informer (1935). Check this movie out (free on streaming) IF you’re a fan of B&W films &/or Gable. No, he doesn’t use an English accent here (as he’s playing a version of himself– a dashing Hollywood star). For the more natural performance, see Tone’s portrayal as a newbie sailor.

[1] “Mutiny On the Bounty” is a well-made movie, with one of the best musical scores I have heard. […] Strong performances, great camera work, a well-written script, and an astounding musical score. All in all, this is a movie worth seeing!

[2] Gable always carried with him a touch of the theatre where he cut his teeth, and proves himself a powerful counterpoint to the blustering Charles Laughton. With his barrel chest, wavy hair and easygoing swagger he does have the makings of a swashbuckling hero, and this is the role Fletcher Christian takes in this adventuresome adaptation. […]

Charles Laughton’s performance as Captain Bligh is integral to the movie. You realise here that Laughton was rather a short man, and he plays on this, making Bligh a jumped-up, Napoleon-complexed bully: all sharp, jabbing motions, an arrogant stance and a face like a dead fish.

-Excerpts from IMDb reviews

The Bounty (1984)

The cast here is headed by Anthony Hopkins (as the experienced naval officer- Bligh) and rising star Mel Gibson (as his young friend turned adversary- Christian); it also incl. future stars Daniel Day-Lewis (a cautious officer- Fryer) and Liam Neeson (as , hot-headed sailor- Churchill). Gibson brought on fellow Aussie, Roger Donaldson, as the director. A replica of the H.M.S. Bounty was built for the movie (w/ steel hull). It was originally set to be filmed in 1975 w/ David Lean as director. The production values are high and the settings are gorgeous. Hey, who wouldn’t be impressed w/ sunsets, Gibson (w/ shirt open), and DDL’s steely glare? So what went wrong w/ this movie!? The two leads shared their thoughts below.

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. -Mel Gibson

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. -Anthony Hopkins

Though the film was made on time and w/in budget, the production was troubled. Hopkins and Donaldson clashed over how Bligh should be characterized. Gibson was getting drunk after the shooting day ended; one night, he was injured in a bar fight- yikes! I think his acting is fine; his English accent is believable. Hopkins (who had quit alcohol many yrs ago) is giving it 100%, as we’d expect, so that Bligh becomes less of a “bad guy.” Neeson gets a few good scenes; he made the best of his experience, I’m sure. DDL doesn’t have much to do until the last act; he has a strong screen presence. I expected there to be more of a build-up to the mutiny. The Tahiti scenes go on too long, as many critics/viewers have noted. A LOT of folks seem to have complaints re: the soundtrack, BUT it didn’t bother me.

“Johnny Eager” (1941) starring Robert Taylor, Lana Turner, Edward Arnold, & Van Heflin

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Robert Taylor ‘N Lana Turner – TNT – They’re Dynamite in JOHNNY EAGER -Tagline

Johnny Eager (Robert Taylor, 30 y.o.) is a recent parolee pretending he has quit the rackets (gambling) and working as a taxi driver in NYC. However, he’s still deep into crime; he’s desperate to get a permit to open a dog track. One day, Johnny happens to meet Lisbeth Bard (Lana Turner at just age 20), a college student/step-daughter of the DA, John Benson Farrell (Edward Arnold).

Director Mervyn LeRoy originated the “TNT” idea to promote this movie; it was a box office hit for MGM. I’d never seen Taylor act before, BUT I knew that he was married to Barbara Stanwyck. Life imitated art here, as Taylor fell in love w/ Turner on set and asked his wife for a divorce. Stanwyck is said to have injured her wrists after learning of the illicit romance. Turner quickly broke up w/ Taylor; she was maybe NOT in love w/ him. They do have good chemistry onscreen; those heated looks and kisses aren’t all make believe.

I was curious to see this film noir after learning that it was Van Heflin’s 1st role. He’d been encouraged by Katharine Hepburn (his co-star on Broadway) to try Hollywood. Heflin (looking V slim/youthful) plays Jeff, Johnny’s alcoholic/intellectual best pal. Jeff has some great lines in the movie; Heflin ended up winning the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor!

[1] The glamorous Ms. Turner is at first a little hard to believe as a student studying social work, but she does acquit herself well in some powerfully dramatic scenes with Taylor. Paul Stewart, Glenda Farrell and Edward Arnold chip in fine supporting performances while Van Heflin delivers a magnificent one. Heflin as Eager’s alcoholic sidekick and pickled conscience is not only effectively moving, but also lends a droll sense of wit to the film with his sardonic observations.

[2] The film would never have stood out but for the script (Grant and Mahin) and the direction (LeRoy). The opening sequence and the ending sequence are well crafted and can stand alongside the best of film noir.

-Excerpts from IMDb reviews

“The Bigamist” (1953) starring Edmond O’Brien, Joan Fontaine, Ida Lupino, & Edmund Gwenn

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Wanted by two women! -A tagline for the film

Harry Graham (Edmond O’Brien) and his wife of 8 yrs, Eve (Joan Fontaine), are trying to adopt a baby; they have a successful/small business. The head of the adoption agency, Mr. Jordan (Edmund Gwenn), senses that Harry is hiding something, so does some investigating. There are several in-jokes about Santa Claus here; Gwenn played Kris Kringle in the holiday classic Miracle on 34th Street (1947). The agent soon discovers that Harry has done a LOT of traveling from his (luxury/condo) home in San Fran to L.A. Mr. Jordan goes to a lovely house in LA, where Harry has a 2nd wife- Phyllis Martin (Ida Lupino, also the director)- and (shocker) a baby! Desperate to explain himself, Harry reveals to Mr. Jordan (via flashbacks) how he ended up w/ 2 lives.

Writer/producer Collier Young was then the husband of Fontaine; he’d previously been married to Lupino. Wow, Hollywood is a small world! This is the ONLY time Lupino directed herself; she’s one of the 1st female stars to direct herself. Her best known film is the “The Hitchhiker”(1953) which also co-starred O’Brien. All of Lupino’s (small-budget/indie) films are marked by a concern for the lives of ordinary folks.

Harry Graham [re: meeting Phyllis]: For the first time, I felt needed; I loved Eve, but I never felt she needed me.

This is a small gem of a film that MAY surprise you; the issues delved into are modern. The acting from the 3 main actors is V good. Some reviewers commented that their sympathies were mostly w/ Eve; after she became “career-focused,” Harry felt like he was NOT needed. It turns out that Eve is a great assistant to her husband, so they BOTH benefit from the resulting success. Phyllis is a waitress who lives in a rented room; she’s NOT the type of woman who’d be “threatening” to most men. As this is in the public domain, so you can watch it for free.

[1] I found this to be an interesting film; it certainly wasn’t the sort of topic I expected to be explored in a film of this era… especially given its sympathetic portrayal of Harry. […] Edmond O’Brien does an impressive job as Harry and gets fine support from Joan Fontaine and Ida Lupino as Eve and Phyllis. Ida Lupino also does an impressive directing…

[2] The movie is shown through flashbacks. And, despite the sensational plot, the movie is actually done very sedately and avoids sensationalism. Instead, it tries to portray O’Brien in a pretty sympathetic light–while not excusing his actions. And, by doing so, the movie really gets you thinking. An excellent job of acting by all, but the star of this picture is Ida Lupino…

[3] Lupino and the script manage to provide an honest look at the situation with few hindrances from the strict production code of the era. Only at a couple of odd moments can you tell that they had to shift gears slightly, so as to placate the censors. Although the movie is low-key and straightforward, it’s a commendable effort, and it makes for good drama.

-Excerpts from IMDb reviews

“Unfaithfully Yours” (1948) starring Rex Harrison, Linda Darnell, Rudy Vallee, & Barbara Lawrence

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A Funloaded story against a Backdrop of Magnificent Music! -A tagline for the film

Barbara [to her husband, after seeing Sir Alfred being romantic]: You see, some men just naturally make you think of Brut champagne. With others you think of prune juice.
August, her husband: Oh, ho!
Barbara: You have nothing to laugh at!

While conducting a symphony orchestra, Sir Alfred De Carter (Rex Harrison), imagines 3 different ways of dealing w/ his wife Daphne’s (Linda Darnell) suspected infidelity. When he tries acting out his fantasies, things don’t go how he saw in his imagination! I rented this movie from Amazon Prime; it was also recently part of the Noir City DC Film Fest. Unfaithfully Yours was written/produced/directed by one of the early auteurs in Hollywood- Preston Sturges. As y’all cinephiles may know, Sturges also worked on w/ Remember the Night (1939), The Lady Eve (1941), and Sullivan’s Travels (1941) among other films. The music primarily used is from 3 composers: Rossini, Tchaikovsky, and Wagner.

Sir Alfred [to his wife, Daphne]: A thousand poets dreamed a thousand years, and you were born, my love.

The release of Unfaithfully Yours was delayed for several mos. b/c studio officials feared a backlash from the negative publicity surrounding the drug overdose/suicide of actress Carole Landis in July 1948. She was involved in an affair w/ Harrison; her body was found by him at her house. Although considered a classic today, the movie was a box office failure. The fantasy flashbacks were thought to be too experimental for its time and in poor taste. Fans of the (usually suave) Harrison objected to how he was portrayed here (doing pratfalls; behaving frenzied). The actor later called Sturges one of the V few men of genius he’d met in Hollywood.

Det. Sweeney [being a fanboy of Sir Alfred]: You handle Handel like nobody handles Handel. And your Delius – delirious!

[1] Preston Sturges, the creative mind behind this enjoyable film, was at the top of his profession. With this film, he solidified his position as one of the most innovative directors of that era in Hollywood. He wrote and directed with impeccable style that characterized most of the work he did for the cinema.

Rex Harrison gave an amazing performance as Alfred, the conductor whose jealousy gets the best of him. The last sequence at his apartment, after the concert is one of the best comic turns by this actor who goes through all the emotions, and furniture, in a frenzied manner.

[2] This movie is, at times, very black. It starts out pretty funny with Harrison spitting out his lines rapidly and his sense of comic timing was just perfect. When he has the fantasies though it turns dark and is pretty gruesome–especially for 1948. However, when he tries to carry them out and things go wrong, the film is uproarious.

[3] Rex Harrison comedy in films was mostly of the tongue and mind. He is known in most of his comedic roles for the witty quips, humorous repartee and funny dialogue. While there’s a smattering of that here, “Unfaithfully Yours” is mostly a departure from the normal Harrison persona. Here, he is very funny for his antics and the fumbling, bumbling and pratfalls. He reminds one instantly of the Three Stooges and the Marx Brothers.

-Excerpts from IMDb reviews

#Noirvember: “Abandoned” (1949) starring Dennis O’Keefe, Gale Storm, Jeff Chandler, & Raymond Burr

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NO NAME FOR HER BABY…only a PRICE! -A tagline for the movie

This B-movie delves into an unusual/sensitive topic for its day: black market baby adoptions. A young woman, Paula Considine (Gale Storm), from a small-town comes to a police station in L.A. She is looking for info on her missing younger sister; a local newspaper reporter, Mark Sitko (Dennis O’Keefe), offers to help. There is a burly/tall man, Kerric (Raymond Burr), lurking in the shadows and following Paula. Her sister’s dead body is in the morgue; there is evidence that she recently gave birth! Though it looks like suicide to the coroner, Paula insists there must’ve been foul play. Also, what happened to the baby?

Mark [to Kerric]: You couldn’t sleep, so you decided to take your gun out for a walk.

I saw this film (free on YouTube) last week; it moves along quickly, w/ snappy dialogue, and a variety of characters. Several of these actors went on to long/successful careers in TV. Burr (best known as Perry Mason) is working for the main baddie, a matronly “society lady” w/ a cane, Mrs. Donner (Marjorie Rambeau). In one tense scene, Burr fights one of her henchmen, played by Mike Mazurki (another “heavy” often in noirs). As for the good guys, Major Ross of The Salvation Army (Jeanette Nolan- looking FAB after 40), is an ally to pregnant women w/ no place to turn. Mark’s handsome/cop friend is Chief McCrae (Jeff Chandler); I hadn’t seen this actor before, BUT learned that he became a TV star.

[1] This excellent thriller deals with the sale of stolen babies by baby broker racketeers. It is thus more relevant to today, when this problem is much more widespread, than it was in 1949. The plot is sound, the script first rate, and the acting is extremely good. […]

A sinister sub-plot about the father of the two sisters making his daughter get rid of her illegitimate baby seems to have been cut because it was too shocking, but enough of it survives to show that it was clearly once there.

[2] I loved the camerawork… particularly in the early portions of the film. The angles and shadows are great… and very moody. I also loved the incredibly violent and gritty ending, where evil clearly is punished big time! Overall, a well written and acted film that never is dull and is well worth your time.

[3] Despite an obviously low budget, “Abandoned” benefits from location filming, which adds a documentary touch, enhanced by narration that implies some truth to the story. A fine cast of “B” players, memorable photography, and steady direction by Joe Newman, a veteran of modestly budgeted second features, together produced an entertaining, engaging film noir that is well worth catching.

-Excerpts from IMDb reviews