Mutiny (1952)

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

All that we are seeing on the screen is happening with real people, real action sequences in the background, forcing the eye to watch as if we were there.

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.

. . . perennial bad girl Angela Lansbury, as Captain Ben's fatal siren Leslie, whines near the end of MUTINY. Ben would rather tool around in a wooden Minisub, sinking enemy ships during the War of 1812, than spend his time palavering with his fickle greed-head gal. MUTINY also proves that not every hook-handed sailor was a captain in Pirate Days. It further reinforces the idea that pirates could out-sing the bass sections of most church choirs. Just as modern submarines are No Smoking Zones, MUTINY illustrates why Pirate Ships can have a better business model when crewed by tea-totalers (rather than tars full of grog). MUTINY is not much for sword fights, and even its gun battles run shorter than the shootout at O.K. Corral. There's an okay coral duel staged off the French coast between an American and a British warship, but the premise that Lord Nelson's fleet could be so totally inept as portrayed here strains credulity now and then.

All you 3 out of 10s are not looking at the 'big picture' here - the historical background added interest; the presence of a woman on board and a strong one at that; 'mateship' overriding one of the mens' love for that woman, and causing one to go to the assistance of the other and the good acting made this worthwhile for me. I did enjoy Angela Lansbury as the scheming grasping female lead! I could overlook the absence of full sized ships, however I was disappointed it was not in colour. We are so spoilt nowadays. There was a time when all movies were black and white only and when colourised movies were released everyone said people wouldn't like them, audiences would get ill watching them - how wrong they were. I'm surprised a film made in 1952 was B & W - there must have been a tight budget.

Watch this for Angela Lansbury burning up the screen. Mark Stevens and Patric Knowles are fine but once she appears the film takes off. Dymytryk's direction whips along and the narrative is sufficiently novel to hold the attention. Lansbury is really a noir villainess on the high seas - using her man to get to the cash. One warning - the print shown on Matinée movies is grim - scratched, out of focus and the technicolor down to almost two strip. The film is an independent production - King Brothers - which means that it is a bit of a rarity and may account for the quality of the print. Is there a decent neg or print anywhere or is this it?

I admit that I liked MUTINY, but I also admit that, had it run on longer than its 77 minute length, it would have quickly worn on me.I've always been a sucker for seafaring films as well as historical ones, so the fact that MUTINY takes place at sea coupled with being set during the War of 1812 definitely worked to its advantage.And then there was Angela Lansbury, sharpening her teeth for her role as Raymond Shaw's mother in 1962's THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE. Lansbury's Leslie is a real tramp; a money-hungry social climber who returns with Patric Knowles to the ship only because she believes he's the Captain. When she finds out that he's only first-mate, her lovey-dovey ways fly right out the hatch. Lansbury is good here, the best performance in the film, and its worth watching for her alone.I'll give it 6 out of 10 and say that its worth a watch if you find it on one rainy afternoon.