Fletcher Christian, first officer of HMS Bounty, leads a mutiny against the harsh Captain Bligh — and must face the consequences of his rebellion.
In Mutiny on the Bounty (1935), Clark Gable plays Fletcher Christian, the first officer aboard HMS Bounty, which sails from England to Tahiti to collect breadfruit plants. The ship’s captain, William Bligh, played by Charles Laughton, is a strict disciplinarian, and his treatment of the crew drives Christian and others to mutiny, setting Bligh and his loyal men adrift in a small boat.
Gable plays Christian as a man of conscience and courage, not a simple rebel. He shows the officer’s loyalty to his men, his love for the people of Tahiti, and his growing realisation that his act, however justified, cannot be undone. His performance, in a film that was a major success for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, confirmed him as a leading man of the first rank.
Mutiny on the Bounty remains a classic of the sea adventure, and Gable’s Christian is one of his most memorable early roles: strong, principled and human.