In the Wake of the Bounty
Encyclopedia
In the Wake of the Bounty (1933
) was an Australia
n film exploring the story of the Bounty. It preceded MGM's more famous Mutiny on the Bounty
by two years and featured the screen debut of Errol Flynn
, playing Fletcher Christian
. Mayne Lynton portrayed Captain Bligh and Charles Chauvel directed the film. When Flynn became famous for playing pirates at Warner Bros.
a couple of years later, and told people about this film, few people believed him. Flynn, a Tasmanian, had made the film in a Sydney studio although he often claimed he made it in the South Pacific
as an isolated brush with acting before trying his luck in America. He would also later claim to be descended from Bounty mutineers. There was at least one other film of the Bounty story prior to Chauvel's film, by Australians Raymond Longford and Lottie Lyall, filmed in New Zealand. In 1935, some of the documentary scenes from Chauvel's film were bought by MGM and re-edited into trailers for the Hollywood film.
Chauvel's film uses introductory enacted scenes showing the mutiny, followed by much more interesting documentary footage, anthropological style, of the mutineers' descendants on Pitcairn Island (this footage now has great historic value). Chauvel also used footage of Polynesian women dancers; and film of an underwater shipwreck, filmed with a glass bottomed boat, which he believed was the Bounty but was probably not. This was Chauvel's first 'talkie' and he had clearly not at this stage learned to direct actors: the dialogue is very stiff and amateurish The use of long sections of documentary footage with a voice over, combined with acted scenes, is similar to the hybrid silent and talking pictures that were produced during the transition to sound. It also represents the combination of interests of the director, and he returned to documentary towards the end of his career with the BBC television series Walkabout. While the enacted scenes have been described as cringe-making to today's viewers, not only on account of the wooden acting but also the ludicrously unconvincing sets and poorly written dialogue, the documentary sections retain their excellence. A return to enactments at the end of the film, with one scripted modern scene in which a child suffers because of the lack of regular ship visits which could have taken the child to hospital, probably sought to make the film a useful voice for the Pitcairn Island community, who had been generous with their participation.
1933 in film
-Events:* March 2 - King Kong premieres in New York City.* June 6 - The first drive-in theater opens, in Camden, New Jersey.* British Film Institute founded....
) was an Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n film exploring the story of the Bounty. It preceded MGM's more famous Mutiny on the Bounty
Mutiny on the Bounty (1935 film)
Mutiny on the Bounty is a 1935 film starring Charles Laughton and Clark Gable, and directed by Frank Lloyd based on the Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall novel Mutiny on the Bounty.The film was one of the biggest hits of its time...
by two years and featured the screen debut of Errol Flynn
Errol Flynn
Errol Leslie Flynn was an Australian-born actor. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles in Hollywood films, being a legend and his flamboyant lifestyle.-Early life:...
, playing Fletcher Christian
Fletcher Christian
Fletcher Christian was a master's mate on board the Bounty during William Bligh's fateful voyage to Tahiti for breadfruit plants...
. Mayne Lynton portrayed Captain Bligh and Charles Chauvel directed the film. When Flynn became famous for playing pirates at Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
a couple of years later, and told people about this film, few people believed him. Flynn, a Tasmanian, had made the film in a Sydney studio although he often claimed he made it in the South Pacific
Oceania
Oceania is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Conceptions of what constitutes Oceania range from the coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific to the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago...
as an isolated brush with acting before trying his luck in America. He would also later claim to be descended from Bounty mutineers. There was at least one other film of the Bounty story prior to Chauvel's film, by Australians Raymond Longford and Lottie Lyall, filmed in New Zealand. In 1935, some of the documentary scenes from Chauvel's film were bought by MGM and re-edited into trailers for the Hollywood film.
Chauvel's film uses introductory enacted scenes showing the mutiny, followed by much more interesting documentary footage, anthropological style, of the mutineers' descendants on Pitcairn Island (this footage now has great historic value). Chauvel also used footage of Polynesian women dancers; and film of an underwater shipwreck, filmed with a glass bottomed boat, which he believed was the Bounty but was probably not. This was Chauvel's first 'talkie' and he had clearly not at this stage learned to direct actors: the dialogue is very stiff and amateurish The use of long sections of documentary footage with a voice over, combined with acted scenes, is similar to the hybrid silent and talking pictures that were produced during the transition to sound. It also represents the combination of interests of the director, and he returned to documentary towards the end of his career with the BBC television series Walkabout. While the enacted scenes have been described as cringe-making to today's viewers, not only on account of the wooden acting but also the ludicrously unconvincing sets and poorly written dialogue, the documentary sections retain their excellence. A return to enactments at the end of the film, with one scripted modern scene in which a child suffers because of the lack of regular ship visits which could have taken the child to hospital, probably sought to make the film a useful voice for the Pitcairn Island community, who had been generous with their participation.
Cast
- Arthur Greenaway ... Narrator
- Mayne Lynton ... Lieut. BlighWilliam BlighVice Admiral William Bligh FRS RN was an officer of the British Royal Navy and a colonial administrator. A notorious mutiny occurred during his command of HMAV Bounty in 1789; Bligh and his loyal men made a remarkable voyage to Timor, after being set adrift in the Bounty's launch by the mutineers...
- Errol FlynnErrol FlynnErrol Leslie Flynn was an Australian-born actor. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles in Hollywood films, being a legend and his flamboyant lifestyle.-Early life:...
... Fletcher ChristianFletcher ChristianFletcher Christian was a master's mate on board the Bounty during William Bligh's fateful voyage to Tahiti for breadfruit plants... - Victor Gouriet ... Michael Byrne - The 'Bounty's' Blind Fiddler
- John Warwick ... Midshipman Young
External links
- In the Wake of the Bounty at the National Film and Sound Archive
- In the Wake of the Bounty at Australian Screen OnlineAustralian Screen OnlineAustralian Screen Online is an on-line database operated by the Australian National Film and Sound Archive. It provides information about and excerpts from a wide selection of Australian feature films, documentaries, television programs, newsreels, short films, animations, and home-movies. It also...