1935 – Clark Gable
Mutiny on the Bounty
I liked Clark Gable’s performance in this film. Unlike his co-stars Charles Laughton and Franchot Tone, his character was well-written, and well-played. Gable actually did some pretty amazing things with the character that made him authentic and interesting to watch. His character had an arch, going from an honest and forthright career navy man to a mutineer. Then, Gable made Fletcher Christian a noble and tragic character who only made the transition reluctantly. For me, it was Gable who made this movie really work.
First off, he was an incredibly attractive man. He had that smile that, when he turned it on, lit up the screen and instantly brought you on board with whatever he was going through. But he also had the talent to back it up. He could play smiling and eager in one scene, calm and introverted in the next, then powerful and commanding. He seemed very much at ease in front of the camera. And he knew how to develop that character arch slowly over the course of the narrative. You could see the change gradually happening, and feel for him every step of the way.
There were two scenes that stood out to me. First was where the Bounty’s surgeon died on the deck because Captain Blight demanded his presence on the deck, even though he was too sick to stand. The raw emotions of barely suppressed anger and grief Gable displayed in that moment was so real, so expertly portrayed. The second scene was the moment when the mutiny began. His righteous anger was so intense and insistent that I would have joined his band of mutineers, myself.
Clark Gable is widely considered one of the greatest movie stars of his day. He knew how to get into the skin of the characters he played. Most people today only know him, if they know him at all, because of Gone With the Wind, and to be sure, he did a great job in that film. But here, he did a fantastic job, giving us a great portrayal of a conflicted man who felt no way out of his unfathomable situation than to become a mutineer. I think that Gable really deserved his Oscar nomination, but that being said, I agree with the Academy’s decision. Victor McLaglen’s outstanding performance in The Informer was just better.