[6]

Marlon Brando plays Fletcher Christian and Trevor Howard takes on the mantle of the sadistic Captain Bligh in this remake from director Lewis Milestone (All Quiet on the Western Front). The bloated run time (three hours) doesn’t help the movie, and neither does a scarcity of closeups in the super-70mm framing. You never get into the minds of the leading characters and Brando is oddly uncharismatic as our hero. The ending is more protracted than the Gable/Laughton original film, milking the story for all the tragedy it is worth. I’m not sure which ending I prefer. Overall, a less-satisfying version of the story, but still good escapist fun boosted by exotic location photography and a brash romantic score by Bronislau Kaper.

Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Special Effects, Best Score, Best Song (‘Follow Me’)