Mutiny on the Bounty bears one of the more recognizable titles in film, and a descriptive one, but I had never seen it. (Actually, I had never seen either of them -- there is an earlier version. Maybe that's why it's so recognizable.)It's an old school film, with a long instrumental overture, an intermission (where you have to change DVDs), and simple characters. Everyone is exactly who they seem; no one is complicated; personalities are fairly static.
A ship sets out from Portsmouth, England, bound for Tahiti. The ship's tyrannical Captain Bligh makes no friends along the way, nor during their time on the island. The local ladies, though, make lots of friends. On the way home, the titular mutiny takes shape.
I know I should have been paying more attention to the film, but I couldn't get the Beach Boys' song Island Girl out of my head. And that's too bad, not because it isn't a fun song, but because I'm foregoing a discussion about the British Empire's patronizing behavior vis a vis just about every other culture.
Bottom line: a classic film, to be sure, but not one I'm going to watch again. Maybe I'll try the other version.
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