In 1787, British ship Bounty leaves Portsmouth to bring a cargo of bread-fruit from Tahiti, but the savage on-board conditions imposed by Captain Bligh trigger a mutiny led by first officer Fletcher Christian.
The Bounty departs Portsmouth, England in 1787 on a mission to sail to Tahiti and load breadfruit for transport to the West Indies. Captain Bligh will do anything to get there as fast as possible, using any means to maintain strict discipline. When they arrive at Tahiti, it's like a paradise for the crew, quite a relief from the living hell aboard ship. On the way back to England, first officer Fletcher Christian leads a mutiny seizing command from the cruel Captain Bligh.—Mattias Thuresson / edited by Hans Delbruck
1787. HMS Bounty, commanded by William Bligh, sets sail from Portsmouth. She is heading for Tahiti, on a mission to introduce breadfruit plants to Jamaica. It is Bligh's first command and it is soon apparent that he is happy to hand out severe punishments for the most minor infraction. The welfare of his men is also not of primary concern to him. All this not only puts him in conflict with the seamen but with his First Lieutenant, Fletcher Christian.—grantss
In 1787, in Portsmouth, the rude Captain William Bligh of the British ship Bounty is assigned to travel to Tahiti to transplant breadfruit to bring to England. Bligh is jealous of the aristocratic 1st Lt. Fletcher Christian and along the journey, his tyrannic and cruel behavior leads to a showdown with the rebel Seaman John Mills and other seamen. But on the voyage of returning to England, his savage attitudes kill crewmembers, forcing Fletcher to lead a mutiny to overthrow Bligh. What will be the consequences of this action?—Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Based on a true story: The Bounty, a British sailing ship commanded by Captain Bligh sails for Tahiti to pick up breadfruit plants and take them to Jamaica where they are to be planted and help supply the British with a compact, easy to grow, nutritious plant. Lt. Christian is the executive officer - that is, second in command of the vessel. The ship proceeds south with the intention of rounding Cape of Good Hope, Africa and proceed via the Indian and Pacific Ocean to the Tahitian islands. Captain Bligh is pressed for time since he must get to Tahiti while the plants are transportable. He decides to cut 5 months off the journey by going around Cape Horn (South America) instead. However, he encounters typical horrible weather and is unable to make the transit. He then reverses course (to the east) and goes to Tahiti via the originally intended route. This diversion costs more time and pretty much guarantees he will be late in arriving in Tahiti which will require staying there until the plants are transportable (perhaps 6 months).
During all this time, Bligh is abusing his men and officers in various ignoble and demeaning ways. He explains his foul behavior to his exec (Mr. Christian) that fear is the only thing seamen understand and this justifies general cruelty and abuse. The sadistic details are numerous and do not advance the plot except to set the stage for the eventual mutiny. After an idyllic stay in Tahiti (the exec, Mr. Christian, is ordered by Bligh to 'sleep with' the Tahitian chief's daughter to avoid insulting the chief) the ship laden with a thousand plants sets sail for Jamaica. More abuse and cruelty ensues on this leg of the trip - mostly as a result of Bligh restricting water to the crew in order to feed the plants (many would otherwise die, says the onboard gardner).
Finally Mr. Christian snaps and takes command of the ship and sets Bligh and a few seamen adrift midocean in a boat with enough provisions to last a while (they do make it back to England where Bligh is acquitted of wrongdoing in a naval trial but is scolded). Christian, now in command of returns to Tahiti, picks up a few of the native guys and gals and wanders the ocean looking for a good hiding place and discovers Pitcairn Island which is uninhabited and in the middle of nowhere and mislocated on the naval charts (Google it).
The ship is intentionally destroyed by fire at Pitcairn by three of the crew to prevent Christian from making good on an expressed idea to return to England and vindicate the mutiny. Christian is severely burned in the fire when he rushes on board the ship to try to put the fire out. He dies of his burns while saying goodbye to everyone in his death scene.
