1984, 2 hours, 10 minutes, soundtrack by Vangelis

Shot on location in Tahiti using real Tahitian actors and extras and a functional replica of the Bounty, that I once had the pleasure of touring, this film featured two excellent actors whose professional fate since has somewhat shadowed the tragic course of Lieutenant and acting captain William Bligh [Anthony Hopkins] who became the proverbial touchstone of terror among sailors ever since, and Mister Fletcher Christian [Mel Gibson] who was a man of some social standing and a good friend to Bligh, until he rejected the values of the dominant society and became forever after an exile in body and mind.

If you have any interest in the age of sail, the British Navy, slavery, or the history of corporal punishment, you owe it to yourself to view this very good movie, which was faithfully adapted from the book by Richard Hough [who also authored Captain James Cook, a biography].

Pay particular attention to the depth and scale of psychological trauma that dominated the life of the British sailor, who was often a victim of abduction. Life in the British Navy in the age of sail was so nasty that only 8% of sailor deaths resulted from enemy action! Then, keep in mind, that the savagery inflicted by British and American slave masters on their English, Scottish, Irish and African property, derived directly from the discipline enforced upon seaman by their captains.

This is an excellent movie, a character study of a diverse cast of alternately exploited and free humanity. I particularly like Liam Neeson as the thug sailor.