Having previously done such an excellent job on 'Sink the Bismarck' for producer John Brabourne it is only fitting that Lewis Gilbert direct this adaptation of Frank Tilsley's 'Mutiny'. Brabourne again produces and the same crew is aboard notably Edmund H. North as adaptor and Christpher Challis as cinematographer with editing by Peter Hunt and art design by Arthur Lawson. Special mention must be made of Howard Lydaker whose marvellous miniatures once again make the naval battles so convincing and of special effects cameraman Skeets Kelly who was killed whilst working on 'Zeppelin' in 1971.
The film is set in 1797 during the French Revolutionary Wars and coincides with the Spithead mutiny which ushered in long overdue naval reforms. It cannot be coincidental that one of the ships that made up the 'floating republic' at Spithead was named HMS Defiance.
The three leading players are Sir Alec Guinness as Captain Crawford and two future Knights, Dirk Bogarde and Anthony Quayle as Lieutenant Scott-Padget and First Mate Vizard respectively. Guinness and Quayle squeezed this in during a break in filming 'Lawrence of Arabia' and by all accounts Sir Alec requested the casting of Bogarde. The linchpin of the film is of course the dynamic between fair-minded Crawford and the efficient but frankly sadistic Scott-Padget. This is essentially Bligh and Fletcher Christian with roles reversed and both artistes give faultless performances.
As over ninety per cent of the world's waters are oceanic it is little wonder that nautical fiction has proved so popular. Film adaptations are a mixed bag indeed but for this viewer at any rate, this one ranks as one of the most watchable.
The film is set in 1797 during the French Revolutionary Wars and coincides with the Spithead mutiny which ushered in long overdue naval reforms. It cannot be coincidental that one of the ships that made up the 'floating republic' at Spithead was named HMS Defiance.
The three leading players are Sir Alec Guinness as Captain Crawford and two future Knights, Dirk Bogarde and Anthony Quayle as Lieutenant Scott-Padget and First Mate Vizard respectively. Guinness and Quayle squeezed this in during a break in filming 'Lawrence of Arabia' and by all accounts Sir Alec requested the casting of Bogarde. The linchpin of the film is of course the dynamic between fair-minded Crawford and the efficient but frankly sadistic Scott-Padget. This is essentially Bligh and Fletcher Christian with roles reversed and both artistes give faultless performances.
As over ninety per cent of the world's waters are oceanic it is little wonder that nautical fiction has proved so popular. Film adaptations are a mixed bag indeed but for this viewer at any rate, this one ranks as one of the most watchable.