After a hiatus of many years, "Billy Budd" has been re-released. When I saw it for the first time, when it first came out, I was stunned by the brilliance of the film. Arguably, "Billy Budd" is Herman Melville's greatest work, even better than "Moby Dick." Peter Ustinov wrote the screenplay for "Billy Budd" as well as produced, directed and starred in the film. "Starred" is, perhaps, the wrong word. The cast is like a wonderfully put-together ensemble cast. There is not a weak link in the cast. Robert Ryan, who in real life was a softie and a political liberal-radical, was wonderful as John Claggart, Master-at-Arms (the villain). Terrence Stamp, as Billy, was remarkable in his film debut. The direction was flawless, as was each and every acting job. Peter Ustinov's screenplay captures perfectly the text, the sense and the intent of Melville's writing. As is the book, the screenplay is sparse, direct, with everything necessary and nothing unnecessary. This has been, since I first saw it, on my list of 100 greatest films.
Review of Billy Budd
