When this remake of MGM’s Oscar-winning classic first appeared, critics tended to review it in terms of star Marlon Brando’s off-screen behavior, and fans stayed away. The first director, Sir Carol Reed, was fired from the  production after three months of fighting with Brando. His replacement, Lewis Milestone, simply let the star call the shots, but refused to film a new ending, suggested by Billy Wilder and filmed by George Seaton. For modern audiences, however, it stands as a visually stunning rendition of the classic tale of sailors, led by Brando’s Fletcher Christian, rebelling against the tyrannical, but very human Captain Bligh (Trevor Howard). The location work in Tahiti is beautiful, and Brando’s dandyish interpretation of Mr. Christian, once derided by critics, now seems a densely layered, startlingly original performance. Although it picked up seven Oscar nominations, its box office failure led to the end of Joseph Vogel’s reign as MGM president in January 1963.

70mm print courtesy Warner Bros. Discovery.