THE BOUNTY (1984)
Imprint Collection #225
Label: Imprint Films
Region Code: Region-Free
Duration: 132 Minutes 55 Seconds
Audio: English DTS-HD 5.1 Surround, LPCM 2.0 Stereo with Optional English Subtitles, Isolated Score (Dolby Digital 2.0)
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (2.35:1)
Director: Robert Donaldson
Cast: Mel Gibson, Anthony Hopkins, Daniel Day-Lewis, Liam Neeson, Laurence Olivier, Edward Fox
The Bounty (1984) is the fifth adaptation of the historical mutiny on the Royal Navy vessel HMS Bounty which occurred in the South Pacific Ocean in April of 1789, and the fourth film based on author Richard Hough's "Captain Bligh and Mr. Christian", also based on the legendary mutiny. The film project was originally started by director David Lean (Lawrence of Arabia) and financed by producer Dino De Laurentis, but Lean ultimately left the project in 1981 when de Laurentis pulled funding, only to pull out his wallet again and start over with Australian Director Roger Donaldson (Species). The historical drama centers on Capt. William Bligh (Anthony Hopkins, Magic) who in 1787 is tasked with taking the HMS Bounty on a 27,000 mile voyage from England to the South Pacific, to specifically travel to the island nation of Tahiti and transports bread fruit seedlings to the Caribbean, where they will serve as a cheaper food alternative to feed slave laborers - it seems bananas are to expensive. He brings on experienced seaman John Fryer (Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood) as Sailing Master, an alcoholic ship medic Dr. John Huggan (Malcolm Terris, Slayground), and recruits his friend Fletcher Christian (Mel Gibson, Mad Max) as Master's Mate, alongside a motley crew of rabble-rousing seamen, including the towering brawler Churchill (Liam Neeson, The Haunting). The route Bligh chooses will circumnavigate the globe, fulfilling his lifelong dream of doing so, but it also takes them around the southern tip of Africa, Cape Horn, treacherous waters that put the ship and crew in imminent danger, battling severe squalls. During the tumultuous journey the seamen become weary of Bligh's leadership and his willingness to put hem in danger, as indeed does loyal Fry who requests to go on record saying they should turn back. As a result Bligh relieves him of his station, replacing him with his trusted friend Mr. Christian. Having survived the 31-day ordeal rounding Cape Horn the crew find relief when they arrive at Tahiti, disembarking Bligh meets with King Tynah (Wi Kuki Kaa, Inn of the Damned) and offers gifts from King George in exchange for the seedling bread fruit trees. The weary crew takes well to the tropical life, relaxing and eating fresh fruit, and surrounded by beautiful topless islanders who are quite friendly and very frisky, Fletcher himself falls in love with the King's beautiful daughter Mauatua (Tevaite Vernette), impregnating her, and soon after wedded by the King. Fletcher and the other men find themselves at home on the tropical island paradise, not wanting to leave, morale is high but naval regulation has fallen to wayside, exacerbated by the fact that inclement weather forces the The Bounty to waylay on the island for months longer than planned. Realizing that his crew are "going native" he attempts to rally order and confines the men to the ship, but shortly before they are scheduled to leave the island several men including Churchill jump ship and are recaptured, and severely lashed for their insubordination. On the return route the crew, as well as Fletcher himself, yearns to return to his islander wife and unborn child, they grow weary of Bligh's seemingly tyrannical leadership and take the ship by force in a quick and dirty mutiny. Fletcher orders Bligh and a handful of his loyalist into a small boat and they are stranded at sea, left to more than likely die while the mutineers return to Tahiti.
That's not the end of the story though, there's still plenty of of post-mutiny intrigue to be had, the fates of the Bligh and Fetcher and the men who aligned with each of them is rather fascinating in it's own right, and it's no wonder this historical mutiny has long fascinated history buffs and cinephiles alike, it's a rich tapestry of human nature and the fickle nature of fate.
This production is absolutely epic, the replica of the HMS Bounty that was constructed is a thing of beauty, the period garb and Tahiti locations with the bare-breasted islanders is enthralling, it doesn't feel like dress-up, it takes you back several hundred years and you feel like you are there, it's quite an achievement - and all without the aid of digital effects work. Anthony Hopkins is wonderful in the role, he's a harsh taskmaster but not a cruel man, he is determined and perhaps a bit of an egoist, but the film at least does not paint his as a tyrant, though his men certainly think otherwise. Gibson is a bit enigma, he's soft-spoken and a man of few words as Fletcher, but he can feel his anguish as he reluctantly leads the mutiny, eventually boiling over with a scenery chewing "I am in Hell, sir!" speech as he turns on his former friend whom he feels will lead them to ruin. It's really a terrific watch, the adventure elements are at time breathtaking, the scenes of the crew up against the sea squalls with constant threat of being swept overboard by rollicking waves while climbing the rigging is pretty thrilling stuff, and those many (many) scenes of topless islanders never gets dull, I loved it as a kid and it's still pretty titillating. What can I say, I'm just still just a horny kid at heart. The melodrama and tension is also ripe throughout, Hopkin's Bligh is a a complex character, the historical image of the man as told through previous filmic iterations painted the man as an unreasonable authoritarian tyrant, this version not so much, there's a lot of layers here, and his feats as a navigator, particularly in the post-mutiny part of the film are quite extraordinary. I also like the structure of the film, opening with Bligh's court-martial after - spoiler - returning to England, among the counsel Admiral Hood played by Laurence Olivier (The Boys from Brazil). The cinematography by Arthur Ibbetson (Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory) is absolutely stunning and epic, while the synth-electronic score from Vangelis (Blade Runner) adds emotional and psychological heft to the gripping story, truly one of his best and maybe most underappreciated - and still without an official soundtrack release.
Audio/Video: The Bounty (1984) arrives on 2-disc region-free Blu-ray from Imprint Films, advertised as a 4K scan of the original negative, framed in the original 2.35:1 widescreen aspect ratio. The source is in solid shape, any source related issues are quite minor, only a few stray scratches, debris and speckles. The colors is solid throughout, though early on it's fairly drab color scheme, lots of muted browns and wood paneling, however, once The Bounty arrives in Tahiti and the story moves to the lush, tropical location it gets a chance to shine with vibrant greens of trees, and colorful islander attire. The image is fairly crisp with plenty of good looking textures in the close-ups, and grain management is solid as well. Audio comes by way of English DTS-HD 5.1 Surround or LPCM 2.0 Stereo with optional English subtitles found both the stereo and surround mixes to be solid, and the 5.1 does give moments at sea and particularly during the stomach churning storms some serious oomph, as it does the phenomenal synth-electronic score by Vangelis.
Audio/Video: The Bounty (1984) arrives on 2-disc region-free Blu-ray from Imprint Films, advertised as a 4K scan of the original negative, framed in the original 2.35:1 widescreen aspect ratio. The source is in solid shape, any source related issues are quite minor, only a few stray scratches, debris and speckles. The colors is solid throughout, though early on it's fairly drab color scheme, lots of muted browns and wood paneling, however, once The Bounty arrives in Tahiti and the story moves to the lush, tropical location it gets a chance to shine with vibrant greens of trees, and colorful islander attire. The image is fairly crisp with plenty of good looking textures in the close-ups, and grain management is solid as well. Audio comes by way of English DTS-HD 5.1 Surround or LPCM 2.0 Stereo with optional English subtitles found both the stereo and surround mixes to be solid, and the 5.1 does give moments at sea and particularly during the stomach churning storms some serious oomph, as it does the phenomenal synth-electronic score by Vangelis.
The first disc features the 1080p presentation of the film and a selection of archival extras, we get a pair of commentaries, the first is an Audio Commentary by director Roger Donaldson, producer Bernard Williams, and production designer John Graysmark, the second an Audio Commentary by historical consultant Stephen Walters. Also on disc one is the 52-min Making of The Bounty (1984) documentary narrated by Edward Fox, plus a 12-min The Bounty of Film (2004) Visual Essay narrated by Stephen Walters, plus the 2-min Theatrical Trailer, and an the option to view the film with an Isolated Score in Dolby Digital 2.0 highlighting the terrific Vangelis score.
Special Features:
Disc One: Features & Extras
- 1080p High-definition presentation on Blu-ray from a 4K scan of the original negative
- Audio Commentary by director Roger Donaldson, producer Bernard Williams, and production designer John Graysmark
- Audio Commentary by historical consultant Stephen Walters
- Making of The Bounty – 1984 documentary narrated by Edward Fox (52:36)
- The Bounty of Film - 2004 Visual Essay narrated by Stephen Walters (12:26)
The second disc is a dedicated to bonus features, starting off with a the 48-min A Fated Ship (1981) an archival documentary surrounding the painstaking and highly detailed construction of “The Bounty” replica ship and the early development of the film when David Lean was still set to direct and overseeing the construction of the ship. Interesting it also documents the end of Lean's involvement when differences arose between Dino De Laurentis and the director, and includes the sea testing of the ship. Next up, the 48-min In Bligh’s Wake (1984) a documentary seems like a sequel of sorts to the A Fated Ship doc, charting the voyage from New Zealand to Tahiti to deliver “The Bounty” replica for shooting the film. Newly produced Ballyhoo Motion Pictures extras start off with the 22-min A Desperate Enterprise - Directing The Bounty: Interview with director Roger Donaldson; who speaks about how he came onboard to direct, discussing his interactions with producer Dino De Laurentis, creative decisions, and how fast it happened for him, as well as troubles shooting on the sea, plenty of interesting stories from the production, including some difficulties he had with Hopkins but ultimately overcame.
The 36-min A Long Hard Voyage: Adapting Mutiny on the Bounty features film historian C. Courtney Joyner dissecting the various filmic adaptations of the maritime story, as well as a film based on the true life event that pre-dated the novel, the storied and life and career of the author, and the differences between the various adaptations, deciphering which were revisionist and which was more factually based. Having not seen any of the previous iteration of the story
The 27-min Limits of Endurance: Scoring The Bounty with film music historian Daniel Schweiger gets into composer Vangelis' early life and career, starting in Greece in the 60's with band The Forminx, his first score for My Brother the Policeman, before moving to Paris, and how the student protest revolt in France at the time informed his career. He gets into other films Vangelis scored, his use of anachronistic electronic music in period films, highlighting his work on Chariots of Fire, Blade Runner and the Japanese film Antarctica (later remade as Eight Below), his solo career, his team-up with a member of prog-rock superstars Yes, and theorizing that his fear of flying might have stopped him from joining the prof-rock giants. Schweiger's breakdown of Vangelis' themes throughout the film are quite interesting, I love how deep he is into it, his enthusiasm it absolutely catching. We also get a 2-hour Making Waves is a feature-length documentary with The Bounty crew that really digs deep into the production and their experiences making the film. The 31-min Mixing Waves - Interview with dubbing mixers John Hayward and Robin O'Donoghue with the gentlemen discussing their process of working and what it is they do exactly, which is quite interesting, this is not a facet of movie making that usually gets it's own extra. The 28-min Voyage of Out Own- Interview with second unit cameraman Douglas Milsome who gets into setting of filming rigs on the boat for the scenes shot at sea, how poorly the ship handled in rough seas. Extra are buttoned-up with a massive 38-min The Bounty: Production Slideshow featuring historical images, extensive documentation of the building of the full-scale and small-scale ships and it rigging, the sea trials, costume designs and images of the actors in costume, storyboards, building of sets, locations, on location in Tahiti.
The deluxe limited edition 2-disc release arrives in a handsome and quite sturdy hardbox that loads from the top, adorned with the gorgeous illustrated theatrical poster on the front and an image from the film on the back with a glossy finish, the title of the film featured on the top and side edges of the hardbox. Lifting the top off the hardbox reveals a pair of 14mm clear keepcase housing the feature-film presentation and extras on one disc and a second disc dedicated to a slew of deep-diving extras. The wraps on the keepcase are 2-sided but non reversible, both featuring different theatrical artworks with images from the film on the reverse side, the disc inside some of the same art as the wraps. Also tucked away inside is a 56-Page Illustrated Booklet containing the "A Turbulent Journey" essay about the film's storied production history by Stephan Walters. It's a very handsome squarebound presentation that contains behind-the-scenes images, notes about the production and the story,
Special Features:
Disc One: Features & Extras
- 1080p High-definition presentation on Blu-ray from a 4K scan of the original negative
- Audio Commentary by director Roger Donaldson, producer Bernard Williams, and production designer John Graysmark
- Audio Commentary by historical consultant Stephen Walters
- Making of The Bounty – 1984 documentary narrated by Edward Fox (52:36)
- The Bounty of Film - 2004 Visual Essay narrated by Stephen Walters (12:26)
- Theatrical Trailer (2:07)
- Isolated Score (DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo)
Disc Two: Special Features Bonus Disc
- A Fated Ship – 1981 documentary surrounding the construction of “The Bounty” replica ship and the early development of the film (48:28)
- In Bligh’s Wake – 1984 documentary charting the voyage from New Zealand to Tahiti to deliver “The Bounty” replica for shooting the film (48:05)
- Isolated Score (DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo)
Disc Two: Special Features Bonus Disc
- A Fated Ship – 1981 documentary surrounding the construction of “The Bounty” replica ship and the early development of the film (48:28)
- In Bligh’s Wake – 1984 documentary charting the voyage from New Zealand to Tahiti to deliver “The Bounty” replica for shooting the film (48:05)
- NEW! A Desperate Enterprise - Directing The Bounty: Interview with director Roger Donaldson (22:32)
- NEW! Interview with Maritime historian & film producer Stephen Walters
- NEW! Interview with Maritime historian & film producer Stephen Walters
- NEW! A Long Hard Voyage: Adapting Mutiny on the Bounty - Featurette with Film Historian C. Courtney Joyner (36:22) HD
- NEW! Limits of Endurance: Scoring The Bounty with Film Music Historian Daniel Schweiger (27:37) HD
- NEW! Making Waves - Feature-Length Documentary with The Bounty Crew" (2:00:12) HD
- NEW! Mixing Waves - Interview with dubbing mixers John Hayward and Robin O'Donoghue (31:23)
- NEW! Voyage of Out Own- Interview with second unit cameraman Douglas Milsome (28:06) HD
- NEW! The Bounty - Production Slideshow (37:33) HD
Screenshots from the Imprint Films Blu-ray:
