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Volume 31, No. 4 (October 2000) Reprinted from "Admiralty Law in Popular Culture", a special issue published in 2000 by the Journal of Maritime Law and Commerce, a quarterly devoted to maritime law, with the permission of the Journal and the Jefferson Law Book Company. Mutiny on the Bounty (ex-Bethia) CURTIS E. PEW* I INTRODUCTION Many of these celluloid masterpieces center on historically fascinating epochs and put under a looking glass the continuing struggle of man against nature, and man against man. Any movie is all that more entertaining when noble truths are reinforced, man succeeds in his enterprise (or nearly so), and the audience's pulse runs a little faster. Another distinguishing characteristic of movies-at-sea is that the entire concept is basically foreign to most viewers. Thus, a partial role of such movies is to teach the audience about the effort it takes, and the dangers that exist, in getting any vessel from one point to another. Moreover, the sea is an overwhelming presence, a main character in most of these films, much like the heath in Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights. The sea can cooperate and be a willing servant, or it can balk and be the unforgiving master of events. HOLLYWOOD'S BOUNTY Whichever version of the movie one watches, no doubt the actual voyage of the Bounty, previously known as the Bethia,3 was to be at worst long and tedious, at best adventuresome and beguiling. The mission came about as a result of the efforts of Sir Joseph Banks, a well-known amateur horticulturist of considerable social standing (future President of the Royal Society and member of the Privy Council as of 1797), who successfully petitioned King George III to instruct the Admiralty to provide a vessel to sail to Tahiti, gather-up 600 breadfruit, and transport them to the British West Indies to supply food for the slaves on the sugar plantations. The Admiralty, it can be assumed, was parsimonious in its expenditures for this "green grocer's" mission. Sir Joseph also strongly lobbied for Bligh to be put in charge of the voyage. Although the Admiralty eventually relented, it refused to give Bligh the rank of captain, a contingent of marines, or fellow officers. In other words, this was a naval vessel in name and captaincy only. The nature of the Bounty's voyage is laid out in the very first scene of the 1935 version, in which Christian, commanding an impressment gang, seizes six landlubbers in a tavern for service in His Majesty's Navy on the Bounty. The initial fears of the new sailors for the South Seas are easily dispelled by Christian, who paints the virtues and pleasures of the expected two year cruise. The audience, meanwhile, has just been informed by the movie's fanciful foreword that the "mutiny against the abuse of harsh 18th century life at sea" was an ultimate success, in that, as a result of the uprising, British naval life was restructured to "bring about new discipline based upon respect between officers and men by which Britain's sea power is maintained as security for all who pass upon the seas." The future conflict is also reinforced by the fearful facial expressions of the tavern patrons when they learn that "Captain Bligh" will command the Bounty. In the 1935 movie version, the story's "villain" -- at least from the audience's viewpoint -- appears in the initial countenance of Bligh. He immediately makes his displeasure of the crew known by clearing the main deck of the Bounty of "the rabble" -- chiefly the crew's families on board to bid farewell. The next scene shows Bligh ordering two dozen lashes to be administered to a sailor receiving fleet punishment for striking his captain. The sailor, however, is dead. Bligh orders the lashes anyway. As the Bounty sails from Portsmouth on a remarkably sunny and warm December 23, 1787, the background music swells into "Rule Britannia" -- one of the most stirring and jingoistic songs ever written. (In the 1962 version, "Rule Britannia" is saved for a scene in which Fletcher Christian, having been confined to the Bounty in Tahiti for the duration, is ordered ashore by Bligh, at the request of King Hiti-Hiti, to gratify the desires of the princess.) The vessel thus commences its doomed voyage. In the 1935 version, the plot emphasizes Bligh's well-documented temper and his alleged liberal use of the cat-o-nine-tails to flog discipline into the crew in juxtaposition to Christian's repeated intercessions to "get justice" for the men. Also as a portend of events to come, the 1935 version includes a Sunday religious service (as was British naval tradition) which consists of prayer and readings from the Articles of War. The punishment for any violation of an Article was usually hanging or flogging. In this scene, Bligh reads Article XIX -- hanging for mutiny. Bligh's contempt for all -- the crew, his officers, even the natives of Tahiti -- permeates most scenes. Christian's attempts to right the wrongs lead to his ever-growing frustration and anger, and to ever greater direct conflict with the captain, which is emphasized by Charles Laughton's famously growled orders in an oft-repeated line: "Mr. Christian -- come here." In the 1962 movie version, the personal antagonism between Bligh and Christian is set in their first private meeting (during which their mutual dislike is manifested). Thereafter, Bligh's alleged love of mindless and sadistic punishment, and disregard for the crew's safety, is galvanized around the failed attempt to round Cape Horn during the winter months of the southern latitudes on the vessel's voyage to Tahiti. In the 1984 movie version, Bligh is painted as almost "laid back" (except for periodic temper tantrums). He is also portrayed as being racked with unexplained anguish. The contradictory presentations as to the overall effects of the voyage to Tahiti in the three versions are resolved in the universally-accepted assumption that the Bounty's crew in general, and Fletcher Christian in particular, “went native" once the vessel arrived in Tahiti. After a five month stay in Tahiti, during which much of the crew remained ashore and developed a strong attachment to the native females, all of the movie versions "agree" that Bligh, upon departing for Jamaica, sought to re-instill Royal Navy discipline by flogging, rationing of food and water, and attention to work. The three movies then diverge substantially in establishing the causative factor for the mutiny which took place a mere 23 days after setting sail from Tahiti. In the 1935 version, Clark Gable is driven over the edge by a combination of Bligh's stated policy to "break the men of the island," the death of the ship's surgeon (who was forced on deck from his sick bed by Bligh to witness a flogging), Bligh's accusation of theft of coconuts, and Bligh's punishment of deserters. Gable joins forces with the crew's malcontents and initiates the mutiny. In the 1962 version, Marlon Brando is driven over the edge by Bligh's treatment of the crew after Tahiti, Bligh's cutting of water rations to the crew, and Bligh's kicking of him as he gives water to a close-to-delirious seaman. With the physical assault, Brando draws a sword, wounds the captain, and the mutiny is underway. In the 1984 version, which virtually parallels the historically-reported versions, Mel Gibson is in his own personal "hell" for having left his Tahitian love, does not reacclimate to shipboard life, objects to Bligh's decision to turn the vessel eastward for a Cape Horn voyage, admits to having taken one of the captain's coconuts the day before the mutiny (for which he is restricted to quarters except for duty), attempts surreptitiously to cobble together a raft in order to jump ship, and then, with the encouragement of certain crew members, forgoes jumping ship and initiates the mutiny in the early morning hours when most of the crew is asleep. All three movies then accurately reflect that no one was killed in the mutiny and that Bligh and 18 sailors were forced to depart the Bounty in the vessel's longboat in what became his famous trans-Pacific voyage. Of the three versions, the 1935 account wraps up the story in the most dramatic (but hardly the most historically accurate) fashion. In this telling, Bligh returns to Tahiti two years later and gathers up those mutinous crewmembers who had returned there. The seamen are transported to England and are court-martialed. The fate of the defendants is not made clear except for that of Midshipman Hayward (named Byam in the movie), who, though found guilty of mutiny and sentenced to be hanged under Article XIX of the Articles of War, receives a royal pardon, re-joins the naval service, and in the last scene is back aboard a naval vessel "to sweep the seas for England," once more to the stirring chords of "Rule Britannia." Interestingly, in this version Bligh is at the midshipmen's court-martial and is commended for his seamanship in navigating the Bounty's longboat over 3,618 miles to Coupong, Timor. He is snubbed, however, by the president of the court-martial board when he extends his hand at the close of the proceedings. In point of fact, Bligh was not present at the court-martial. Upon returning to England after his Pacific Ocean crossing, he stood court-martial for the loss of the Bounty but was exonerated. (The 1984 movie version is presented as a series of flashbacks as Bligh explains to the court the events of the voyage, the mutiny, and the open boat passage to Timor.) Bligh then commanded a second expedition to Tahiti, this time in a much larger vessel, and successfully transported breadfruit to Jamaica. Thereafter, he held the rank of captain on board a number of Royal Navy ships-of-the-line and eventually retired as a vice admiral.4 CONCLUSION In writing this article, I benefitted greatly from three books: W. Hayes, The Captain From Nantucket and the Mutiny on the Bounty (1996); G. Kennedy, Captain Bligh -- The Man and His Mutinies (1989); Fresh Light on Bligh (G. MacKaness ed. 1953). I also am indebted to the following seven web sites: http://www.lareau.org; http://javerang.com.au/history/bligh.htm; http://library.puc.edu/pitcairn/; http://www.tales.ndirect.co.uk/PHEYWOOD2.HTML; http://store.yahoo.com/seagifts/hmsbounty.html; http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~gsnell; http://www.slnsw.gov.au. 1. It should be noted that there are two Australian versions that pre-date Hollywood's efforts: The Mutiny of the Bounty (1916), a silent picture (of which no prints remain) with George Cross (as Lieutenant Bligh) and Wilton Power (as Fletcher Christian), and In the Wake of the Bounty (1933), with Mayne Linton (as Bligh) and Errol Flynn (as Christian). This latter movie was Flynn's first major role and led to his being invited to Hollywood. Fittingly, Flynn claimed to be a distant relative of John Adams, the last surviving mutineer on Pitcairn Island. 2. Strangely enough, Marlon Brando's first wife was Morita Castenada, who played the Tahitian princess in the 1935 version opposite Clark Gable, while his third wife was Tarita Teripin, who played a member of the Tahitian royal family in the 1962 version. 3. The Bounty was purchased by the British Admiralty and re-christened from its original Bethia (as we are reminded by the 1935 movie, sailors consider the re-naming of any vessel to be bad luck). A converted coastal coal carrier, the Bounty was 91 feet long, had a crew of 44, and is variously referred to as "such a little ship" (1935 version), a "garbage scow" (1962 version), and a "chamberpot" (1984 version). The vessel is usually described as "H.M.S." -- His Majesty's Ship -- though in fact it was not of sufficient size and armament to denote the term "Ship" but rather was an "H.M.A.V." -- His Majesty's Armed Vessel. As with the names of the principal characters, a fiction writer of even mediocre quality could hardly have imagined a more compelling name for the ship. "Bounty" denotes goodness and quantity; it also denotes the "Bounty Main," a nickname for pirates at sea; and, of course, it denotes the price on the head of a fugitive from justice. "Christian" is the man of "justice" and "compassion," as Gable's role in the 1935 version self-proclaims and reflects. "Bligh," on the other hand, is close to "bile" or "lye" -- whichever it is, it's caustic and reprehensible. It is also close to "blight" -- a curse to all. In short, Messrs. "Christian" and "Bligh" on the Bethia lacks panache. Messrs. "Christian" and "Bligh" on the Bounty has verve. 4. By modern standards, Bligh's record is remarkably spotty. Although he had good connections throughout his career, was the protege of Captain Cook, was considered to have unique knowledge of the South Seas, and was strongly supported by Sir Joseph Banks and others, Bligh actually suffered two further mutinies and courts-martial. Following the mutiny aboard the Bounty, Bligh was mutinied against in 1797 while serving as the captain of the H.M.S. Director, a 64-gun ship-of-the-line, during the briefly successful fleet uprising known as the "Mutiny at the Nore." He voluntarily relinquished command but was reinstated with the crew's approval when the fleet mutiny subsided. After the Director mutiny, Bligh continued in his naval career. He was awarded the Gold Medal for bravery for his part in the Battle of Camperdown (1797) against the Dutch and received Lord Nelson's commendation for bravery for his role during the Battle of Copenhagen (1801). In 1804, while in command of the H.M.S. Warrior, Bligh was found guilty by a court-martial for grossly insulting a junior officer. Bligh was reprimanded and ordered to curb his tongue but escaped further punishment when Sir Joseph interceded and convinced the Admiralty to dispatch Bligh to Australia to become the Governor-General of New South Wales. As Governor-General, Bligh was commander of the New South Wales Corps, a British army detachment. His harsh discipline, along with an apparent failure to grasp the politics of land distribution (among other difficulties), led to a revolt by the Corps. Bligh was arrested, removed from his post, and sent back to England, where he was once again exonerated by a court-martial. Despite these incidents, Bligh, apparently a favorite of the British Admiralty, was promoted to Rear and later Vice Admiral. He died in 1817 and was buried in London. His headstone inscription reads as follows: TO THE MEMORY OF WILLIAM BLIGH ESQUIRE FRS VICE ADMIRAL OF THE BLUE THE CELEBRATED NAVIGATOR WHO FIRST TRANSPLANTED THE BREAD FRUIT TREE FROM OTAHETTE TO THE WEST INDIES BRAVELY FOUGHT THE BATTLES OF HIS COUNTRY AND DIED BELOVED RESPECTED AND LAMENTED ON THE 7TH DAY OF DECEMBER 1817 AGED 64 Edward Christian was a Professor of Law at the University of Cambridge, where he was revered as the editor of Blackstone's Commentaries. He led a spirited defense of his brother in the court of public opinion after the courts-martial of the Bounty's crew, going so far as to publish pamphlets and sustain vociferous attacks on Captain Bligh in the media. It should be noted that Fletcher also had a younger brother, Charles, who was a surgeon on a West Indies Company commercial vessel. Several months before the Bounty sailed from Portsmouth, Charles was involved in a mutiny on his ship, as a result of which he was banned from sailing for two years. It is generally thought that Fletcher was aware of his brother's actions. |
