Edgar Allan Pooh . . . 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.

bill-790 "Mutiny" is surely one of the weakest films of 1952. Yes, it's in color (though the color photography isn't so hot) and, yes, the cast includes some solid actors. On the other hand production values are minimal and the screenplay is worse than routine. The results are decidedly below par.What can we say about the director? Edward Dmytryk had directed several excellent films before he tackled this one. I should mention, among others, "Murder, My Sweet," "Cornered," and "Crossfire." After "Mutiny," he went on to direct "The Caine Mutiny," "Soldier of Fortune," and "The Left Hand of God." So how did Dmytryk get roped into doing this one? Someone more familiar with the man's career will have to explain that one. Suffice it to say that "Mutiny" places pretty far down the list of this fine director's works. Its short length is in its favor, but that's a rather weak virtue. (Even though it is a short movie, one wishes it were even shorter.) All in all, this is not a good movie. Unless you have absolutely nothing better to do, I strongly recommend that you skip this one.

MARIO GAUCI This low-budget swashbuckler (albeit filmed in murky color) proved somewhat better than anticipated – given that the Leonard Maltin Film Guide deemed to slap it with a measly *1/2 rating! To begin with, it's bolstered by such imposing credentials as scriptwriter Philip Yordan, composer Dmitri Tiomkin and, of course, director Dmytryk. Incidentally, this was the latter's first American film after his unfortunate stint as one of "The Hollywood Ten" – which saw him imprisoned and then exiled for non-collaboration in the McCarthy witch-hunts; however, within two years Dmytryk would renounce Communism and turn friendly witness, which is how he got back into Hollywood's A-list and eventually helmed such high-profile titles as THE CAINE MUTINY (1954) and THE YOUNG LIONS (1958). With this in mind, the political subtext regarding the character of Patrick Knowles – aping his frequent co-star Errol Flynn as a disgraced naval captain who's forced to serve as First Mate to a younger officer (an unlikely yet effectively cast Mark Stevens) – can hardly be a coincidence!Interestingly, the only woman involved (played by Angela Lansbury) is depicted as a femme fatale and Knowles' opportunistic lover – who goads him into usurping Stevens' leadership, and even connives with the crew (led by hook-handed Gene Evans and Rhys Williams) to steal the ship's cargo, a camouflaged 'treasure' intended for the U.S.A.'s 1812 war effort! At only 77 minutes, there's more talk than action – but the latter does come in at the climax, where it's both efficient and versatile: following the mutiny itself, we get the expected sea battle culminating in the deployment of an archaic form of submarine (which, in turn, leads to Knowles' self-sacrifice).In the end, I would have liked to add MUTINY to my collection – but had to forego any such intention due to the substandard quality (typified by intermittent picture fuzziness) of the print utilized for Platinum's budget DVD release.

ma-cortes The film is based on historic events , the US went to war for the first time as an independent nation in 1812 , against the old enemy , Great Britain . Some have called the war ¨foolish and unnecessary¨. For several years American shipping had seen caught in the crossfire between Britain and France during Napoleonic wars . When the President Madison finally declared war on 18 June 1812 , the US navy was a force to be reckoned with , accustomed to ruling the seas , the British fleet was surprised and shaken by a series of American success . The United States was supported by French navy . The war ended with the American victory at the battle of New Orleans 1815 . In the film the captain James Marshall (Mark Stevens) is assigned a dangerous mission to avoid the British blockade and head his ship toward France for receive war loan , a golden anchor . The ship is one of many frigates built as the US drifted towards war with Britain . Marshall recruits to Ben Waldridge (Patrick Knowles) , bringing his previous crew (Gene Evans , Rhys Williams , Denver Pyle , Claytoon Moore, among others) who start scheming a mutiny as soon as aware the existence gold aboard , but they're carrying a treasure calculate the value of $ 10.000 million . Then , the crew confronting among themselves for a part of France's donation to the war effort . Besides the Waldridge's former lover Leslie (Angela Lansbury) who's wishing a bit of gold herself . Meanwhile the main ship repulses a British attack at high sea and harbor and the protagonists use a primitive underwater for counterattack .The picture contains historic elements , a maritime intrigue and sea fighting with spectacular taking on between ships well made to scale model . Good performances by trio starring , Mark Stevens, Patrick Knowles and special mention an ambitious Angela Lansbury as a femme fatal . She and Mark Stevens developed a friendship and years later she hired him for an episode of her ¨Murder,she wrote¨ series . Besides , an excellent plethora of secondary actors : Gene Evans, Rhys Williams , Clayton Moore (Lone Ranger) , Morris Ankrum and Denver Pyle . Interesting screenplay , though predictable , by the prestigious Philip Yordan . Evocative and appropriate musical score by the classic Dimitri Tiomkin . Colorful cinematography , although worn-out caused by a bad copy, by Ernest Laszlo . The motion picture was professionally directed by Edward Dmytryck who directed another mutiny film , the famed : ¨Caine mutiny¨ and he was a warlike genre expert : ¨Back to Batan , Battle of Anzio , Young lions¨ and Western: ¨Broken lance , Alvarez Kelly, Warlock¨ among other s. Rating : Passable and entertaining, it's recommended for sea adventures enthusiasts .