Meuterei auf dem Piratenschiff

Though about average overall, "Mutiny" has some strengths, with an interesting period/adventure setting and a couple of good performances. The story includes some good action sequences that help make up for the less interesting stretches. The shipboard atmosphere generally works well, but the lighting and photography are so dark (at least in the print as it now seems to be available) that a lot of details get lost or obscured.

The setup has Mark Stevens as the captain of a ship carrying out a special mission during the War of 1812, with Patric Knowles as a disgraced captain who is now serving as second in command, Angela Lansbury as Knowles's greedy and domineering wife, and a mutinous gun crew looking for a way to turn things to their own advantage. It's interesting in taking the historical setting as the backdrop to what becomes a largely private battle of nerves and wills. The circumstances of the war do come into play often enough to make the setting relevant.

Knowles is effective in portraying his complicated, somewhat indecisive character, Lansbury gets the kind of role that she used to perform quite believably, and Rhys Williams and Gene Evans are good as the ringleaders of the mutineers. Stevens is solid, but sometimes slightly lacking in energy, as the captain.

The finale is the best part of the movie, and it is set up nicely, leading to a three-way showdown with plenty of suspense and action, plus an interesting depiction of a primitive submarine. It's good enough to make up for an overall lack of consistency in much of the rest of the movie. In the earlier parts, especially, the script sometimes takes too long to establish simple points, and it also has some stretches in which some weak dialogue weighs it down. So its by no means perfect, but it does have enough to fill its relatively short running time with a generally interesting story.

It's the War of 1812. French citizens have come up with a lot of gold for the United States. However, France is at peace with Great Britain for the moment, and the British have a blockade of the US. The government turns to Mark Stevens, and his fast sloop. He recruits Patrick Knowles, a disgraced captain who stole his ship's money to pay for lovelies for Angela Lansbury, who's in France. They get to France, and bring Miss Lansbury out. She's not interested in a life without luxury. Then she discovers the gold, and persuades Knowles to mutiny.

It's the first movie Edward Dmytryk directed in three years, after tangling with and eventually giving into the HUAC. That's undoubtedly how he came to direct this King Brothers production; they knew how to get talent on the cheap. The script is by Philip Yordan -- he fronted a lot of blacklisted screenwriters in this period. Unfortunately, while the miniature work is good, the dialogue stinks. All in all, it's an unprepossessing effort.

Dmytryk's next movie would be the taut and exciting THE SNIPER. He was on his way back and by the 1960s, would helm some major big budget movies.

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 .

Edward Dmytryk's first film in Technicolor is unlikely to have been a milestone he took pride in, grateful as he doubtless was simply for the work after having been jailed as one of the Hollywood Ten.

Several other talented people were also slumming in this reasonably ambitious King Brothers potboiler (notably Angela Lansbury as a treacherous, high maintenance femme fatale), enhanced by a Dimitri Tiomkin score and atmospheric photography by Ernest Laszlo (which goes some way towards mitigating the stationary painted clouds that ruin most of the scenes on deck).

The script by Philip Yordan (assuming he's signing his own work this time) is actually pretty witty & imaginative; and the similarity of the ignominious fate suffered by one character and incorporation into the plot of an early submersible suggests he knew both his Shakespeare and his military history.

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.