The Bounty

The Bounty is a 1984 British epic historical drama film directed by Roger Donaldson. It is the fifth film version of the story of the mutiny on the HMS Bounty, with Robert Bolt's screenplay adapting the 1972 book Captain Bligh and Mr Christian by Richard Hough. It stars Mel Gibson as Fletcher Christian and Anthony Hopkins as William Bligh, with supporting roles played by Laurence Olivier, Daniel Day-Lewis, Liam Neeson and Edward Fox. The Bounty began production in late 1978 under director David Lean as a long-time passion project, but multiple complications, including a prohibitively high budget and screenwriter Robert Bolt suffering from a heart attack, led to a period of development hell that ended with the hiring of newcomer director Donaldson. Filming took primarily on-location in Donaldson’s home country of New Zealand, French Polynesia and England. The film was made by Dino De Laurentiis Productions and Bounty Productions Ltd. and distributed by Thorn EMI Screen Entertainment in the UK, and Orion Pictures Corporation internationally. It premiered on May 4, 1984, to generally positive reviews. It was entered into the 1984 Cannes Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Palme d’Or. The film was noted by critics and historians as being a more historically-accurate depiction of the mutiny than previous depictions. Plot