Movie of the Week: Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)

This week, Clark Gable is legendary mutineer Fletcher Christian in Mutiny on the Bounty.

In this adaption of the famous tale of mutiny on the high seas in 1787, Clark is first mate to the tyrannical Captain Bligh (Charles Laughton) on a two year voyage from England to Tahiti to obtain breadfruit plants. Bligh beats and starves the sailors, all while Christian and fellow officer Bynum (Franchot Tone) stand and watch. Christian finally can’t stand it anymore and rallies the men to overthrow Bligh and take over the ship. They send Bligh and his supporters adrift at sea in a small boat and take the Bounty back to Tahiti. They live there peacefully, marrying native women and enjoying the island until Bligh and a new crew come searching for them.

Clark did not want anything to do with this role at first. He fought producer Irving Thalberg tooth and nail to get out of it. He told everyone that he “stunk” in it. Fortunately, Clark was wrong. Mutiny on the Bounty is the best example of what Clark could actually do if he was let go of the typical wisecreackin’ rogue leash MGM him on. Fletcher Christian is a rogue, too of course, but this is one of the few period pieces Clark did. I am glad that he didn’t attempt a British accent however.

Clark received his second Academy Award nomination for his role as Fletcher Christian. Franchot Tone and Charles Laughton were also nominated. The awkwardness of having three actors nominated for the same award led the Academy to adopt the Supporting Actor & Actress awards the following year.

Charles Laughton and Clark famously didn’t get along. Perhaps that helped their onscreen hatred of each other?

Mutiny on the Bounty was one of those prestige projects that made Louis B. Mayer lick his lips. It cost nearly $2 million to make, the most the studio had spent on a picture since 1925’s Ben Hur. Director Frank Lloyd actually sailed the full-size replicas of “The Bounty” and “Pandora” to Tahiti and back to get shots of the island and surrounding sea. The majority of the film was shot off the coast of Catalina Island. It took over twelve weeks to complete.

Clark’s love interest here is the gorgeous Mamo Clark. Shacked up on a tropical island with Clark Gable is definitely not a tough job.

Despite Clark’s initial reluctance, the film was a smash hit, earned the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1936, and later would be one of his films he would claim as his favorite.

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