Alec Guiness is the kindly, but unimaginative, captain of a Royal Navy frigate (HMS Defiant)during the Napoleonic wars engaged in a battle of wills for command of the ship with his brilliant, but sadistic, 1st Lieutenant, wonderfully played by Dirk Bogarde. Their conflict is set amongst a crew endeavouring to get a petition going with a view to righting their grievances and joining in a peaceful mutiny with the rest of the fleet. The leader of the mutineers is played most sympathetically by Anthony Quayle.
The acting talent ensures that the film is always entertaining to watch and the scenes of ships do not suffer from that disease that permeated films of this era where the waves/water-drops are far too big relative to the size of the ships.
The film suffers from many errors and unlikely scenes, e.g. the flagship would have cut her cables and ran on seeing the fire ship heading towards her and no matter how much influence (or 'interest' as it was termed then) the 1st Lieutenant had there is absolutely no way that he could have influenced an examining board to pass the elderly midshipman for lieutenant. In those days when a midshipman faced the examining board he had to produce his sea journals and log book for scrutiny and answer a large number of lengthy and difficult questions on seamanship and navigation. The board was made up of at least three senior captains who were unknown to the midshipman under examination and all three had to agree. This was the only point in an officer's career where 'interest' did not count.
Most officers were not rich and 'posh' as some posts seem to imply; most officers were the sons of sea officers or parsons etc, and were usually very poor. Most would never have received a commission in the army!! The mutinies at the Nore and Spithead were to right grievances the common sailors had (though the leadership at the Nore mutiny seemed to have a different agenda) and largely succeeded. Some of the grievances included regular and increased pay (the sailors pay had not increased in 160 years!!), shore leave and the removal of certain bad officers. However, their grievances did not include the abolition of the cat O' nine-tails or the press gang as most sailors approved of the 'cat'.
The conditions of sailors and the press gang have been much exaggerated over the years, as their conditions compared very favourably with starving landsmen in England and the press could take up only certain kinds of men, and if an officer leading a press gang made a mistake then he could be taken to court and imprisoned, which did happen; consequently officers were very careful who they had pressed. It is estimated that up to 40% were pressed. Contrary to one comment, sailors always received their share of prize money (eventually sometimes!); their share was stated in regulations and if an admiral, captain or admiralty official had refused to hand it over then they would have been tried for theft.
The acting talent ensures that the film is always entertaining to watch and the scenes of ships do not suffer from that disease that permeated films of this era where the waves/water-drops are far too big relative to the size of the ships.
The film suffers from many errors and unlikely scenes, e.g. the flagship would have cut her cables and ran on seeing the fire ship heading towards her and no matter how much influence (or 'interest' as it was termed then) the 1st Lieutenant had there is absolutely no way that he could have influenced an examining board to pass the elderly midshipman for lieutenant. In those days when a midshipman faced the examining board he had to produce his sea journals and log book for scrutiny and answer a large number of lengthy and difficult questions on seamanship and navigation. The board was made up of at least three senior captains who were unknown to the midshipman under examination and all three had to agree. This was the only point in an officer's career where 'interest' did not count.
Most officers were not rich and 'posh' as some posts seem to imply; most officers were the sons of sea officers or parsons etc, and were usually very poor. Most would never have received a commission in the army!! The mutinies at the Nore and Spithead were to right grievances the common sailors had (though the leadership at the Nore mutiny seemed to have a different agenda) and largely succeeded. Some of the grievances included regular and increased pay (the sailors pay had not increased in 160 years!!), shore leave and the removal of certain bad officers. However, their grievances did not include the abolition of the cat O' nine-tails or the press gang as most sailors approved of the 'cat'.
The conditions of sailors and the press gang have been much exaggerated over the years, as their conditions compared very favourably with starving landsmen in England and the press could take up only certain kinds of men, and if an officer leading a press gang made a mistake then he could be taken to court and imprisoned, which did happen; consequently officers were very careful who they had pressed. It is estimated that up to 40% were pressed. Contrary to one comment, sailors always received their share of prize money (eventually sometimes!); their share was stated in regulations and if an admiral, captain or admiralty official had refused to hand it over then they would have been tried for theft.