Production
This version was originally a longstanding project of director
David Lean and his frequent collaborator,
Robert Bolt, who worked on it from 1977 until 1980. It was originally to have been released as a two-part film, one named
The Lawbreakers that dealt with the voyage out to Tahiti and the subsequent mutiny, and the second which was to have been named
The Long Arm, a study of the journey and the mutineers after the mutiny, as well as the admiralty's response in sending out the frigate
HMS Pandora. Lean could not find financial backing for both films after
Warner Bros. withdrew from the project; he decided to combine it into one, and even looked at a seven-part TV series, before finally getting backing from Italian magnate
Dino De Laurentiis. Unfortunately for Lean, the project suffered a further setback when Bolt suffered a massive stroke and was unable to continue writing; the director felt that Bolt's involvement would be crucial to the film's success.
Melvyn Bragg ended up writing a considerable portion of the script.
Lean was ultimately forced to abandon the project after overseeing casting and the construction of the
Bounty replica; at the last possible moment, Mel Gibson brought in his friend Roger Donaldson to direct the film, as producer De Laurentiis did not want to lose the millions he had already put into the project over what he thought was as insignificant a person as the director dropping out.
[1]
Anthony Hopkins was one of two actors considered for the role of Captain Bligh by David Lean. The other was
Oliver Reed.
Christopher Reeve,
Sting and
David Essex were considered for the role of Fletcher Christian. The role of
Peter Heywood (who inspired the character 'Roger Byam' in the
novel and earlier film versions) was originally intended to be played by
Hugh Grant.
The replica of the
Bounty used in the film was built in
New Zealand before the script was even completed at a cost of $4 million; the entire film cost $25 million. However, unlike many other films filmed on water,
The Bounty was finished under budget.
[2] As well as the New Zealand–built
Bounty, Lean had also looked at refitting the
frigate Rose to play the role of
Pandora. The latter has since gone on to become
HMS Surprise in
Peter Weir's
Master and Commander. For the storm sequences a detailed 25-foot model of the
Bounty was built.
The film was shot on location in
Moorea,
French Polynesia, New Zealand and at Greenwich Palace and the
Reform Club,
Pall Mall, London. Many of the shots of the ship were filmed in
Opunohu Bay, Moorea, which is the same bay Captain
James Cook anchored in, in 1777.
Gibson described the making of the film as difficult because of the long production time and bad weather: "I went mad. They would hold their breath at night when I went off. One night I had a fight in a bar and the next day they had to shoot only one side of my face because the other was so messed up. If you see the film, you can see the swelling in certain scenes." Anthony Hopkins, who had battled with
alcoholism until becoming
abstinent in 1975, was worried about Gibson's heavy drinking, saying, "Mel is a wonderful, wonderful fellow with a marvelous future. He's already something of a superstar, but he's in danger of blowing it unless he takes hold of himself." Gibson, who likewise self-identified as an alcoholic, agreed with this concern, and added his admiration for the Welsh actor: "He was terrific. He was good to work with because he was open and he was willing to give. He's a moral man, and you could see this. I think we had the same attitudes."
