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  Directed by
  Starring
  Specs
  • Widescreen 2.35:1
  • 16:9 Enhanced
  Languages
  • English: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
  • French: Dolby Digital Stereo
  • Spanish: Dolby Digital Stereo
  • Italian: Dolby Digital Stereo
  Subtitles
    French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch
  Extras
  • Theatrical trailer

The Bounty

20th Century Fox/20th Century Fox . R4 . COLOR . 126 mins . PG . PAL

  Feature
Contract

There have been a number of feature films devoted to the mutiny on the Bounty, but this 1984 version is definitely one of the better ones. The cast is tremendous. Sir Anthony Hopkins, Mel Gibson, Liam Neeson, Laurence Olivier and Daniel Day-Lewis. Wow, you can’t really ask for more than that.

I’ll recount the story in brief in case you don’t know of it. The year is 1787. Anthony Hopkins plays Lieutenant William Bligh, the captain of a ship called The Bounty. His next assignment is to sail from England to Tahiti to collect some plants to be used as cheap food for slaves in the British colony at Jamaica.

"Goddamn you, man! Don't you bloody contradict me!"

Bligh recruits an old friend, Fletcher Christian (Mel Gibson), to be the Master’s Mate on the voyage. As the trip wears on, it becomes apparent that Bligh is a very hard task master and his crew soon becomes tired of his harassment. When they reach Tahiti, Fletcher falls in love with a local girl, and tempers boil over when Bligh tries to force the crew to leave the island.

The film is presented as a series of long flashbacks as Bligh is back in England after the events of the mutiny have taken place. Hopkins is perfect for the role, showing the two sides of Bligh’s personality very well. Mel Gibson is also fantastic in his role as Bligh’s eventual nemesis, Fletcher Christian. Of course Laurence Olivier is fantastic as Admiral Hood, it seems impossible for him to deliver a bad performance.

Technically, the cinematography work done by Arthur Ibbetson is superb. The script by Robert Bolt is probably the best out of all the retellings of the mutiny on The Bounty tale, perhaps with the exception of the 1962 version.

  Video
Contract

The video transfer is presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1 and is 16x9 enhanced. The original theatrical aspect ratio was 2.39:1, so the difference between that and the one offered on this DVD is negligible.

The sharpness is quite good throughout the film. Details are easy to see in the light. The shadow detail, however, is not as good as it could have been; sometimes it is hard to pick out details in the darkness that you should be able to see.

The colours seem to be a little weak and washed out at times. Flesh and skin tones for the most part are accurate. There are a number of film artefacts spread throughout the movie, but the majority are small and insignificant.

Aliasing is a problem at different times throughout the film. Pixelisation also rears its ugly head from time to time.

The disc is single sided and dual layered with the layer change occurring at 69:11. It is a little disruptive in its placement. There are four subtitle options available, but surprisingly none of them are in English.

  Audio
Contract

The main audio offering is an English Dolby Digital 5.1 affair. The source material is actually in stereo, and this 5.1 channel soundtrack is quite similar to its 2.0 source. There are also three additional soundtracks available: French, Italian and Spanish all in Dolby Digital 2.0.

The dialogue mixing is good, there are no problems understanding what is being said. There are also no problems with audio synch. The surround speakers' main purpose in this transfer is to support the score. The subwoofer, though not employed terribly often, is used well when required.

  Extras
Contract

There is only one extra on this disc, and that is the original Theatrical Trailer. It runs for about two minutes, is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and has Dolby Digital 2.0 sound.

  Overall  
Contract

Without a doubt this is the finest cast ever assembled for the retelling of the mutiny on The Bounty saga. They all perform very well, and there is no weak link in the performances. The DVD transfer is not brilliant, but is not bad either. The quality of the audio is slightly higher than the video. The extras are very disappointing. The Bounty is definitely worth viewing, even if it is only for the cast.


  • LINK: http://www.dvd.net.au/review.cgi?review_id=1964
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      And I quote...
    "A thorough retelling of the famous tale of the mutiny on The Bounty, this is possibly the best version ever told through film..."
    - Robert Mack
      Review Equipment
    • DVD Player:
          Sony DVP-NS300
    • TV:
          Sony 68cm
    • Receiver:
          Sony STR-DE475
    • Speakers:
          Sony
    • Centre Speaker:
          Sony
    • Surrounds:
          Sony
    • Subwoofer:
          Sony Active Superwoofer
    • Audio Cables:
          Standard RCA
    • Video Cables:
          standard s-video
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