--- title: "Mutiny on the Bounty: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/mutiny-on-the-bounty/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/mutiny-on-the-bounty" critics_score: 85 critics_reviews: 7 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Mutiny on the Bounty (1935): what the critics said Critics' score 85 from 7 reviews: 7 positive, 0 mixed, 0 negative. The reviews are unanimous in their approval, and most of them are warm. Charles Laughton’s Captain Bligh is the performance nearly every critic returns to, described as savage, weighty and precise, and at least one thinks it the best work he has done. The scale of the MGM production draws almost as much praise, with reviewers from 1935 onward treating it as Hollywood spectacle done properly. Frank Lloyd’s direction and the screenplay are commended for keeping the story taut and the clash between Bligh and Clark Gable’s Christian at its centre. The spread is narrow. The New Yorker is the coolest voice, finding the film a solid, fine job with inspired moments rather than a triumph, though it still places Laughton’s performance far above everything around it. The later critics read the film differently from the original ones, less as a sea adventure and more as a study of rank, cruelty and empire, but they do not like it any less for that. ## Los Angeles Times — Edwin Schallert Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 28 November 1935. The critic calls it a great production with high pictorial effect, mood, and quality. He singles out Charles Laughton's relentless portrait of the inflexible Capt. Bligh as his best work. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/story/2022-09-20/from-the-archives-mutiny-on-the-bounty-excellent-drama-of-sea) ## Slant Magazine — Chris Cabin Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 30 November 2010. The 1935 Frank Lloyd film is an unequivocal success and a Swiss clock-type example of screenplay structure, offering high-seas entertainment built on the power of insinuation and the abuses of archaic hierarchy rather than overt adventure or romance. Laughton's precise, humanized Bligh and the battle of wills with Gable's Christian are singled out for praise, along with the lean direction that keeps thematic arguments fresh. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/mutiny-on-the-bounty/) ## The New York Times — Andre Sennwald Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 17 November 1935. The critic praises the lavish, expensive production values and the gripping storytelling of the Bounty saga. He singles out Charles Laughton's monumental, savage performance as Captain Bligh for particular acclaim. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1935/11/17/archives/mutiny-on-the-bounty-secondday-notes-on-captain-bligh-and-his.html) ## Variety — Variety Staff Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 12 November 1935. The review declares it Hollywood at its very best as a spectacle with superb screen authorship and compelling histrionics. It especially commends the performances of Laughton, Gable, and Tone along with the production values. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1935/film/reviews/mutiny-on-the-bounty-2-1200411109/) ## Time Out — ATu Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2012. This is an exotic and gripping piece of Hollywood mythology, made with technical skill and gloss. Frank Lloyd's direction and the screenplay juxtapose naval adventure with the misery of press-ganged seamen, while highlighting the clash between Bligh and Christian and examining British imperialism. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/mutiny-on-the-bounty) ## The New Yorker — John C. Mosher Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 9 November 1935. The review finds the film a solid, fine job overall with some inspired moments. It especially praises Charles Laughton's vicious, weighty performance as Captain Bligh as a standout masterpiece. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1935/11/16/1935-11-16-099-tny-cards-000013202) ## Collider — Liam Gaughan Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 5 March 2024. The critic calls MGM’s 1935 epic the best screen depiction of the story, praising its incredible scope, intimate direction, thought-provoking ethical dilemmas, strong characterizations, and excellent ensemble performances. [Read the review](https://collider.com/mutiny-on-the-bounty-oscars/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/mutiny-on-the-bounty.md