H.M.S. Defiant
| H.M.S. Defiant | |
|---|---|
Original UK film poster
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| Directed by | Lewis Gilbert |
| Produced by | John Brabourne |
| Screenplay by |
Nigel Kneale Edmund H. North |
| Based on |
Mutiny 1958 novel by Frank Tilsley |
| Starring |
Alec Guinness Dirk Bogarde Anthony Quayle Maurice Denham |
| Music by | Clifton Parker |
| Cinematography | Christopher Challis |
| Edited by | Peter R. Hunt |
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Production
company |
G.W. Films Ltd
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| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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101 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
H.M.S. Defiant (released as Damn the Defiant! in the United States) is a British adventure CinemaScope and Technicolor film from 1962 starring Alec Guinness and Dirk Bogarde. It tells the story of a mutiny aboard the fictitious ship of the title at around the time of the Spithead Mutiny. It was directed by Lewis Gilbert, with a screenplay by Nigel Kneale from Frank Tilsley's novel Mutiny (1958). The film had its world premiere at the Odeon Leicester Square in London's West End on 22 February 1962.
In 1797, the humane Captain Crawford (Guinness) is in command of the warship HMS Defiant during the French Revolutionary Wars. He soon finds himself in a battle of wills with his first officer, the sadistic and supercilious first lieutenant, Mr. Scott-Padget (Bogarde). The Lieutenant believes that Crawford is too soft on his crew, and also disagrees with the captain's decision to proceed with orders to sail to Corsica despite word that Napoleon has overrun much of Italy. Scott-Padget has powerful family connections, which he has used in the past to "beach" two previous commanding officers with whom he disagreed. Knowing that Crawford is helpless to intervene, Scott-Padget subjects the former's son, Midshipman Harvey Crawford (David Robinson), to excessive daily punishments so as to gain leverage over the captain.
Meanwhile, some of the crew, led by seaman Vizard (Anthony Quayle), are organising to strike for better conditions, in conjunction with similar efforts throughout the British fleet. They eventually pledge virtually the entire crew.
In the Mediterranean, the Defiant encounters a French frigate escorting a merchant ship. After a sharp engagement, a boarding party from the Defiant captures the French frigate, and the merchantman surrenders. Crawford dispatches his son as part of the prize crew tasked to send the captured merchantman back to a British port, thereby placing him out of Scott-Padget's reach. Crawford tells Scott-Padget that bringing his son with him was a mistake, but now he's "put it right!" He further vows to take actions that will 'astound' his second-in-command. Before long, Scott-Padget is confined to quarters as punishment for insubordination. His humiliation is compounded by the requirement that he appear on deck every two hours in full dress uniform; a punishment usually reserved for young midshipmen.
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