Rebellion (1962)

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Movie
German title rebellion
Original title HMS Defiant
Country of production Great Britain
original language English
Publishing year 1962
length 100 minutes
Age rating FSK 12
Rod
Director Lewis Gilbert
script Edmund H. North ,
Nigel Kneale
production John Knatchbull
music Clifton Parker
camera Christopher Challis
cut Peter R. Hunt
occupation

Rebellion (original title: HMS Defiant ) is a British adventure film directed by Lewis Gilbert from 1962. The screenplay is based on the novel Mutiny by Frank Tilsley . The premiere in Germany took place on October 23, 1962.

action

At the time of the First Coalition War in 1797, Captain Crawford was in command of the warship HMS Defiant . In doing so, he finds that the warnings he received before his new chief officer Scott-Padget were justified. Scott-Padget is not only ambitious but also sadistic and arrogant and thinks the captain is too soft. In addition, he does not agree to set a course for Corsica , despite the news that Napoleonic troops are in northern Italy. The officer, who can count on the influence of his wealthy family, uses Harvey, the son of the captain, who serves as a midshipman on the Defiant , as leverage to get his way. Crawford, whose hands are tied for bias , must give in to stop exposing his son to excessive corporal punishment.

The seaman Vizard is the leader of a group of dissatisfied sailors. He organizes a rebellion in order to achieve better conditions on the ship, which, according to a secret agreement, is to happen on many ships of the British Navy at the same time. In the Mediterranean Sea, the Defiant encounters a French frigate accompanying a merchant ship. Both ships are arrested, the merchant ship is to be brought to a British port. Harvey is said to be part of the award crew . The captain has brought his son out of the reach of Scott-Padget and now has the opportunity to impose penalties on him for his constant refusal to obey.

When the Defiant arrives at a Venetian frigate, the captain is badly wounded. Among the prisoners of the frigate is an adviser to Napoleon who speaks of a planned invasion of Great Britain. Since the captain is incapacitated, Scott-Padget takes command. His brutality leads to the planned rebellion. Crawford, who is given the seamen's petition at the bedside , convinces Vizard and the other mutineers of the importance of getting the news and gets them to sail to the British blockade fleet at Rochefort. He also promises to testify for the mutineers if they will not harm the officers.

When they arrive at Rochefort, they learn that the seafarers' uprising has taken place everywhere as planned and the British Navy will comply with the demands. The team cheers, but then Scott-Padget is murdered by the seaman Evans. The mutineers panic because they fear that the murder will result in them being charged as mutineers after all. Vizard kills Evans in anger, and it is decided to flee by ship. At that very moment, of all times, the French fleet made a breakdown. The British flagship is a French Brander , threatened, a plugged-in fire ship. The only ship under sail is the Defiant , which can save the flagship. Again Crawford can get the team to do a service for their country. The fire is stopped. Vizard is fatally injured. Before he dies, he hears the British Admiralty thank the Defiant crew for their courage.

Reviews

"The patriotic film tells its turbulent story in an entertaining and effective way."

- Lexicon of international film

"The model for the magnificent, historical drama is the novel 'Mutiny' by Frank Tilsey, which describes the great naval mutiny of 1797."

- Cinema

"Technically successful film, which, however, soon disregards its critical approaches."

- Protestant film observer

background

The lead actor Alec Guinness was at the height of his career. Four years earlier he had received the Oscar for best actor in the film The Bridge on the Kwai . For his services he was raised to the nobility in 1959 and was allowed to bear the title of Sir . For Richard Carpenter it was the second role in a movie. He switched his field of work to television. From 1970 he wrote scripts for several television series, u. a. for Catweazle and Five Friends . For the Welshman Peter Gill it was the film debut. But after a short time he was drawn back to the theater stage.

The 1949 Oscar winner Arthur Lawson was responsible for the equipment for the film, which was shot in the Shepperton studios and in CinemaScope .

Production manager Richard B. Goodwin switched to the production branch two years later. Outstanding are his Agatha Christie productions Mord im Orient-Express , Death on the Nile , Mord im Spiegel and Das Böse unter der Sonne . He worked often with the producer of this film, John Knatchbull, the 7th Baron Brabourne.

The name HMS Defiant for a ship in the British Navy is purely fictional. Ships (including spaceships) with this name have been mentioned several times in films. So the name in this film is considered the origin.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ cf. Lexicon of International Films 2000/2001 (CD-ROM)
  2. ↑ http://www.cinema.de/film_aktuell/filmdetail/film/?typ=inhalt&film_id=28928
  3. ↑ Ev. Munich Press Association, Review No. 641/1962