The Bounty (1984 film) third film, released in 1962, starred Marlon Brando, Trevor Howard and Richard Harris. The most recent film, starring Mel Gibson, is generally regarded as more revisionist as well as a more historically accurate depiction of the mutiny than the two earlier film versions. According to director Donaldson, "The major difference between our film and the other versions is that none of the others pointed out that Bligh and Christian were friends. They'd made voyages together before they sailed on the "Bounty". And while they were on the "Bounty", Bligh demoted another officer and promoted Christian, who was at that stage
Mutiny on the Bounty unfortunate in his timing: The story of the mutiny became public knowledge when the Romantic poets first commanded the literary scene. Bligh's chief apologist was Sir Joseph Banks, while Christian was championed by Wordsworth and Coleridge. Among historians' attempts to portray Bligh more sympathetically are those of Richard Hough (1972) and Caroline Alexander (2003). Hough depicts ""an unsurpassed foul-weather commander ... I would go through hell and high water with him, but not for one day in the same ship on a calm sea"". Alexander presents Bligh as over-anxious, solicitous of his crew's well-being, and utterly devoted to his task,