Written by Talbot Jennings, Jules Furthman and Carey Wilson, rather ambitiously based on the Bounty trilogy by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall, 'Mutiny on the Bounty', 'Men Against the Sea' and 'Pitcairn's Island'. Sets the tone from the off with the Press Gang and the flogging of a dead man by sadistic Charles Laughton. To me, the fate of Fletcher Christian (Clark Gable) on Pitcairn seems rather bleak, slightly ameliorated by Franchot Tone's pardon (though I presume the other non-mutineers were executed).
Looks good. Filmed in Tahiti and Catalina Island; two ships and Portsmouth were recreated. Shot by Arthur Edeson and edited by Margaret Booth, one of her last, as she became the feared Supervising Editor at MGM from 1937 (not 1939 as claimed in IMDB), until 1968.
With Herbert Mundin (as the comedy relief), Eddie Quillan, Dudley Digges, Donald Crisp, Henry Stephenson, Francis Lister (Nelson), Spring Byington, Movita, Mamo Clark, Byron Russell, Ian Wolfe and - some way down the cast list - David Niven.
Exciting and enjoyable.
The accompanying short Pitcairn Island Today, i.e. in the thirties, is absolutely fascinating.
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