View Spread
The Bounty Mutiny
The Bounty was a British ship visiting Tahiti in 1789 when some of the crew overthrew the captain, William Bligh, and set him adrift in a tiny boat with sailors loyal to him. The mutiny resulted in a number of trials, both of men who mutinied and of Bligh for losing command of the ship. These fascinating events have been the source for numerous Hollywood movies, most recently The Bounty starring Mel Gibson. Author Edward Willett looks at the famous case and the movies it inspired. Illustrated with paintings from the period and movie stills.
* Reviews *
As part of the series Famous Court Cases that Became Movies, this book recounts the historical details of the mutiny aboard the British ship, the Bounty. William Bligh was given command of the Bounty with the intention of traveling to the South Pacific Islands to obtain plants bearing the much desired breadfruit. Initially, Bligh had very few problems with his crew, but gradually he was forced to punish several men for disobedience. Once the breadfruit plants were brought aboard the ship in Tahiti, resentments of several crewmembers toward their leader reached a pinnacle. Under the leadership of Fletcher Christian, a midshipman, they ordered Bligh and nineteen crewmen off the Bounty. Remarkably, all but one of Blighs crewmen remained alive when they reached the shore of the island Timor. The fallout of the mutiny, as well as the court trials of Bligh and all the surviving crewmen, are recounted. Throughout the book the author offers comparisons of the real life events with the dramatizations of the movie. Several movies of this famous mutiny have been made, beginning as early as 1933. In the early movies, William Bligh is portrayed as a cruel villain giving his crewmen every reason to despise him. Fletcher Christian, on the other hand, is portrayed as a tortured hero. The most recent movie, The Bounty, made in 1984, is perhaps the most historically accurate. The inclusion of all the names of crewmembers, islands, and naval vocabulary may make this historical text difficult to follow for some readers. Addendums include chapter notes, glossary, Internet addresses, and an index., Children's Literature
RL
Grades
6-7 IL
Grades
6-12+ GRL
Z
