MovieChat Forums > Mutiny on the Bounty (1962) Discussion > What it was like in 1962

What it was like in 1962

posted 17 years ago by bdeckcabin84
9 replies | jump to latest

I'm not going to get into acting merits or storyline authenticity, but I will tell you that for sheer spectacle this version of the familiar story has never been presented to audiences on so grand a scale before or since.
I had the privilege of attending it's initial release; amid the publicity of over costs in the millions, a full scale working replica of the H.M.S. Bounty, shooting in authentic locations, feuds and tirades among the principal players, off set love affairs, and literally a cast of thousands to costume; this three hour epic (including entré acte) was presented to audiences in brilliant Technicolor®, 70mm Panavision® and eight track stereophonic sound (the equivalent of today's surround sound) that placed its audience "in" the storm sequence. All this, plus Bronislau Kaper's magnificent score combined to make its premiere run a motion picture "event". If you love good movies, the kind that draw you in and carry you away, then this ones for you.

...Motion Picture History

[–] 17 years ago

[deleted]

[–] bdeckcabin84 16 years ago

I am sorry you couldn't be there to enjoy it.

[red]....Motion Picture History[red/]

[–] markslezak 16 years ago

Bored by this movie? The most historically accurate is the Gibson-Hopkins version. I enjoyed the original but this one has always been my favorite. As the author stated it is done on a grand scale. I personally have stood on some of the very spots it was filmed on. I love this movie.

[–] winterview 14 years ago

I saw MOTB at the Cooper 70 in Omaha Nebraska in 1962. I was 5 years old, and I am still amazed my parents took me. I remember mostly the sailing scenes, the whipping, and the arrival at Tahiti.

I also recall how steeply the seats were arranged in the theater. The Cooper 70 has been gone for a very long time. If I recall correctly, it would have been not too far from where they built the Northwestern Bell building on Dodge Street. Maybe a block west, but not as far as Metro drug.

The description of the prologue sounds familiar, but curiously, I don't really remember the end of the movie. I was 5 and it is a long picture, maybe I fell asleep?

[–] Nilgiris 14 years ago

Eldorado66 say: "I love good movies".

No you don't!!!

[–] bgoleary-1 16 years ago

...was presented to audiences in brilliant Technicolor®, 70mm Panavision® and eight track stereophonic sound

Actually the 70 mm prints used in the Roadshow presentations were Ultra Panavision 70 (identical to the MGM Camera 65 process used for "Ben-Hur") and it was 6-track stereo (5 front channels and 1 rear channel) which was the standard used on all of the 70 mm processes of the time. General Release 35 mm prints were CinemaScope-compatible prints with 4-track stereo (3 front channels and 1 rear) which was the CinemaScope standard.

[–] bradford-1 14 years ago

My parents and I (age 6) saw it at a theater in downtown Pittsburgh either at the end of '62 or early '63. It was a big deal for us to go "downtown" and me and my old man actually dressed in ties and sport jackets. I was blown away by the soundtrack, it seemed like we were right there on the ship. I think there was a souvenier program, but it's hard to remember. My parents did a lot of giggling whenever Brando was onscreen, which I didn't understand until I saw the movie as an adult.
"We're fighting for this woman's honor, which is more than she ever did."

[–] PoppyTransfusion 12 years ago

That's a great anecdote OP. I enjoyed seeing the film on a dvd on my TV. I can but imagine what it must have been like to see it at a premiere screening on the big screen. Wow! I'm jealous! :D

Away with the manners of withered virgins

[–] King_Of_Fuh 11 years ago

1962 was a goodyear.