AFI 100 Years, 100 Movies: No. 84


Back in 1998, the American Film Institute unveiled its list of the 100 greatest films as voted on by members of the cinematic community. The year, I'm looking at the films on that list, re-ranked according to my preference. Check back Fridays and Saturdays throughout the year as we walk through this list of classic films.

Byam: Captain Bligh, you've told your story of mutiny on the Bounty, how men plotted against you, seized your ship, cast you adrift in an open boat, a great venture in science brought to nothing, two British ships lost. But there's another story, Captain Bligh, of ten cocoanuts and two cheeses. A story of a man who robbed his seamen, cursed them, flogged them, not to punish but to break their spirit. A story of greed and tyranny, and of anger against it, of what it cost.

Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)
Original List Ranking: 86
Starring: Charles Laughton and Clark Gable
Director: Frank Lloyd
About: The film won the Academy Award for Best Picture. It was the film's lone win, though it was nominated in a number of other categories. It landed on the original list, but was one of the many films that didn't make it to the update in 2007. It's something of a product of its times, an epic based on a popular story with a strong cast. Gable, best known for Gone With the Wind four years later, is one of the leads, and earned an Oscar nomination for his performance. This is a story that's been adapted many times, but this is one of the more notable versions. It's worth checking out.

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