Review of Bounty, The

Introduction

The Mutiny on the Bounty has been filmed many times and this version is my favourite. The cast is great - Anthony Hopkins, Mel Gibson, Laurence Olivier, Edward Fox...... They are all in it!

This version also has the added benefit of a musical score by Vangelis.

The to the disc itself. This is a Sanctuary Special Edition - this means a few things, starting with no region coding, this disc will play anywhere and on any PAL player :) Second, we get lots of extras. Yummy.

Yes, Mel Gibson does look rather dishy in this (so says my other half anyway!)

Video

The feature is presented in anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1) and has been quite nicely restored and cleaned. There are still odd traces of dust and scratches on the print, giving an air of a cinema reel that`s been played a few times but it is nothing too distracting.

The transfer and encoding has been carried out perfectly well, there are no obvious digital artefacts and colour saturation is good, with nicely defined shadows and no washed out colours.

Audio

Audio is excellent considering the age of the film. The sound has been mixed into 5.1 Dolby Digital and the results are rather good. The Vangelis score shines through, blending effortlessly with the action on the screen.

Vocals come across well and are never muddy or overwhelmed by the background sounds.

Features

There are some nice features here, we get two interesting audio commentaries, one by the film makers and another by the film`s historical consultant - with the latter being the most interesting as it give4s some good insights into the actual mutiny and the people involved therein.

There is also a piece intitled `The Bounty on Film` which reveals all the older versions of this famous story, with narration and a series of stills and trailers.

The menus are nicely animated and well presented.

There is also an extensive 28 page booklet detailing the making of (By Stephen Walters - who also narrates the hostory of the film section) as well as the story board for a sequel.....

I also noticed (for the first time) that this DVD has to be stored under cool dry conditions.......

Conclusion

Overall this is an excellent collectors edition of a good film. The highlight for me is the musical score which has come across very well.

The visuals aren`t perfect by any means, but they are good and more than simply acceptable. The extras are actually interesting and add to the package, making this one that every fan should have....