Today’s movie of the day is the 1935 film “Mutiny on the Bounty.”  Telling the story of the infamous Captain Bligh and the mutiny against his harsh rule on board the HMS Bounty, the movie is today considered to be one of the great classics of film history.

The plot begins in 1787, with a bunch of Englishmen being press-ganged at a local tavern. (Press-gangs were legally sanctioned kidnappers who forcibly took citizens into service on ships in the Royal Navy.) Upon finding out that the ship they are being taken to is captained by the notoriously harsh disciplinarian Captain Bligh, one of them tries desperately to escape. Onboard the ship, Bligh’s reputation is seen to be well deserved, and he soon finds himself at odds with his lieutenant, Mr. Christian, who thinks the men should be treated more leniently and fairly.

After Bligh kills the beloved ship’s surgeon, the crew finally decides it can’t take anymore. With the approval and leadership of Mr. Christian, most of the crew launches a mutiny against the tyrannical captain. The mutineers succeed and set Bligh and his loyalists adrift in a small boat with supplies and a map. They settle on Tahiti, though Mr. Christian loses his best friend (who was on neither side during the mutiny) over the mutiny. Eventually, another English ship comes to Tahiti. Mr. Christian’s friend and some others go to it to return to England, where they are put on trial for mutiny. Mr. Christian and the others sail for Pitcairn Island, where they hope to be safe from the British Navy.