Billy Budd (film)

Last updated

Billy Budd
Billy budd poster.jpg
Original film poster
Directed by Peter Ustinov
Screenplay by
Based on Billy Budd
1924 novella
by Herman Melville
Billy Budd
1949 play
by
Produced byPeter Ustinov
Starring
Cinematography Robert Krasker
Edited by Jack Harris
Music by Antony Hopkins
Production
companies
  • Anglo Allied
  • Harvest Films
  • Nikhanj Films
Distributed by Rank Film Distributors
Release date
  • 21 September 1962 (1962-09-21)(London) [1]
Running time
123 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget$1.2 million [2]
Box office$25 million

Billy Budd is a 1962 British historical drama-adventure film produced, directed, and co-written by Peter Ustinov. [3] Adapted from Louis O. Coxe and Robert H. Chapman's stage play version of Herman Melville's short novel Billy Budd , it stars Terence Stamp as Billy Budd, Robert Ryan as John Claggart, and Ustinov as Captain Vere. In his feature film debut, Stamp was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, and received a Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Male Newcomer. The film was nominated for four BAFTAs. [4]

Contents

Plot

In the year 1797, the British naval vessel HMS Avenger presses into service a crewman "according to the Rights of War" from the merchant ship The Rights of Man. The new crewman, Billy Budd, is considered naive by his shipmates, and they attempt to indoctrinate him in their cynicism. But Budd's steadfast optimism remains; when asked to critique the horrible stew the crew must eat, he offers "It's hot. And there's a lot of it. I like everything about it except the flavor." The crew discovers Budd stammers in his speech when anxious.

Though Budd manages to enchant the crew, his attempts at befriending the brutal master-at-arms, John Claggart, are unsuccessful. Claggart is cruel and unrepentant, a man who controls the crew through vicious flogging, savaging them before they can prey on him. In a scene on deck alone with Billy, Claggart is lit with shadows on his brows resembling satanic horns.

Claggart orders Squeak to find means of putting Budd on report and to implicate him in a planned mutiny. He then brings his charges to the Captain, Edwin Fairfax Vere. Vere summons both Claggart and Budd to his cabin for a private confrontation. When Claggart makes his false charges that Budd is a conspirator, Budd stammers, unable to find the words to respond, and he strikes Claggart - who falls backward against a block and tackle and fatally injures himself.

Captain Vere assembles a court-martial. Though aware of the background to Budd and Claggart's conflict, the captain is also torn between morality and duty to his station. Vere intervenes in the final stages of deliberations - which at that point are in support of Budd - to argue the defendant must be found guilty for even striking Claggart, not to mention killing him. His argument that the letter of the law matters is successful, and Budd is convicted.

Condemned to be hanged from the ship's yardarm at dawn the following morning, Budd takes care to wear his good shoes. At Budd's final words, "God bless Captain Vere!", Vere crumbles, and Budd is subsequently hoisted up and hanged on the ship's rigging. The crew is on the verge of mutiny over the incident, but Vere can only stare off into the distance. Just as the crew is to be fired upon by the ship's marine detachment, a French vessel appears and commences cannon fire on The Avenger. The crew breaks off from the potential mutiny to return fire, and in the course of battle a piece of the ship's rigging falls on Vere, killing him. The ship's figurehead is also shot off while a narrator tells of Budd's heroic sacrifice.

Cast

Production

In addition to serving as director, Ustinov also produces and co-stars in the feature. His dedication to the film appears to emanate from his identification with the characters in the story. He said, "I am an optimist, unrepentant and militant. After all, in order not to be a fool an optimist must know how sad a place the world can be. It is only the pessimist who finds this out anew every day." [5]

On the novel itself, Melville had been writing poetry for 30 years when he returned to fiction with Billy Budd in late 1888. Still unfinished when he died in 1891, Melville's widow worked to help complete it, but it remained unpublished. Melville's biographer accidentally stumbled upon it when going through a trunk of the writer's papers in his granddaughter's New Jersey home in 1919, and it was finally published in 1924. Over the years other versions were published, but it was not until Melville's original notes were found that the definitive version was ultimately published in 1962. Coincidentally, this movie version, made in continental Europe and England, was released the same year.

Reception

Stanley Kauffmann of The New Republic wrote Billy Budd was 'in almost every way a failure, and it is (Peter) Ustinov's fault.'. [6]

In its opening weekend in Leicester Square, London, it grossed a house record $12,000. [1]

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports an 91% approval rating based on 11 reviews.

Awards and honours

AwardCategoryNominee(s)ResultRef.
Academy Awards Best Supporting Actor Terence Stamp Nominated [7]
British Academy Film Awards Best Film from any Source Nominated [8]
Best British Film Nominated
Best Foreign Actor Robert Ryan Nominated
Best British Screenplay Peter Ustinov and DeWitt Bodeen Nominated
Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles Terence StampNominated
Directors Guild of America Awards Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures Peter UstinovNominated [9]
Golden Globe Awards Most Promising Newcomer – Male Terence StampWon [10]
National Board of Review Awards Top Ten Films 2nd Place [11]
Writers Guild of America Awards Best Written American Drama Peter Ustinov and DeWitt BodeenNominated [12]

Related Research Articles

<i>The Caine Mutiny</i> (film) 1954 war drama film by Edward Dmytryk

The Caine Mutiny is a 1954 American military trial film directed by Edward Dmytryk, produced by Stanley Kramer, and starring Humphrey Bogart, José Ferrer, Van Johnson, Robert Francis, and Fred MacMurray. It is based on Herman Wouk's Pulitzer Prize-winning 1951 novel of the same name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Ustinov</span> British actor, filmmaker and writer (1921–2004)

Sir Peter Alexander Ustinov was a British actor, filmmaker, and writer. An internationally known raconteur, he was a fixture on television talk shows and lecture circuits for much of his career. Ustinov received numerous accolades including two Academy Awards, a BAFTA Award, three Emmy Awards, and a Grammy Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terence Stamp</span> British actor

Terence Henry Stamp is an English actor. Known for his sophisticated villain roles, he was named by Empire as one of the 100 Sexiest Film Stars of All Time in 1995. He has received various accolades including a Golden Globe Award, a Cannes Film Festival Award, and a Silver Bear as well as nominations for an Academy Award and two BAFTA Awards.

<i>Billy Budd</i> Novella by Herman Melville

Billy Budd, Sailor , also known as Billy Budd, Foretopman, is a novella by American writer Herman Melville, left unfinished at his death in 1891. Acclaimed by critics as a masterpiece when a hastily transcribed version was finally published in 1924, it quickly took its place as a classic second only to Moby-Dick among Melville's works. Billy Budd is a "handsome sailor" who strikes and inadvertently kills his false accuser, Master-at-arms John Claggart. The ship's Captain, Edward Vere, recognizes Billy's lack of intent, but claims that the law of mutiny requires him to sentence Billy to be hanged.

USS <i>Somers</i> (1842) Brig in the United States Navy

The second USS Somers was a brig in the United States Navy during the administration of President John Tyler. It became infamous for being the only U.S. Navy ship to undergo a mutiny which led to executions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spithead and Nore mutinies</span> Two mutinies by British sailors in 1797

The Spithead and Nore mutinies were two major mutinies by sailors of the Royal Navy in 1797. They were the first in an increasing series of outbreaks of maritime radicalism in the Atlantic World. Despite their temporal proximity, the mutinies differed in character. The Spithead mutiny was a simple, peaceful, successful strike action to address economic grievances, while the Nore mutiny was a more radical action, articulating political ideals as well, which failed.

<i>White-Jacket</i>

White-Jacket; or, The World in a Man-of-War is the fifth book by American writer Herman Melville, first published in London in 1850. The book is based on the author's fourteen months' service in the United States Navy, aboard the frigate USS Neversink.

Billy Budd is a short novel by Herman Melville.

<i>Billy Budd</i> (opera) 1951 opera by Benjamin Britten

Billy Budd, Op. 50, is an opera by Benjamin Britten to a libretto by the English novelist E. M. Forster and Eric Crozier, based on the short novel Billy Budd by Herman Melville. Originally in four acts, the opera received its premiere at the Royal Opera House (ROH), London, on 1 December 1951. Britten later revised the work into a two-act opera, with a prologue and an epilogue. The revised version received its first performance at the ROH, Covent Garden, London, on 9 January 1964.

<i>H.M.S. Defiant</i> 1962 British film

H.M.S. Defiant is a British naval war CinemaScope and Technicolor film from 1962 starring Alec Guinness and Dirk Bogarde. It tells the story of a mutiny aboard the fictitious title ship at around the time of the Spithead mutiny in 1797. It was directed by Lewis Gilbert with a screenplay by Nigel Kneale from Frank Tilsley's novel Mutiny (1958). The film's world premiere occurred at the Odeon Leicester Square in London's West End on 22 February 1962.

<i>Mutiny on the Bounty</i> (1935 film) 1935 film by Frank Lloyd

Mutiny on the Bounty is a 1935 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer drama film directed by Frank Lloyd and starring Charles Laughton and Clark Gable, based on the 1932 Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall novel Mutiny on the Bounty.

<i>Mutiny on the Bounty</i> (1962 film) 1962 film by Carol Reed, Lewis Milestone

Mutiny on the Bounty is a 1962 American Technicolor epic historical drama film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, directed by Lewis Milestone and starring Marlon Brando, Trevor Howard, and Richard Harris. The screenplay was written by Charles Lederer, based on the novel Mutiny on the Bounty by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall. Bronisław Kaper composed the score.

<i>The Sea Wolf</i> (1941 film) 1941 film by Michael Curtiz

The Sea Wolf is a 1941 American adventure drama film adaptation of Jack London's 1904 novel The Sea-Wolf with Edward G. Robinson, Ida Lupino, John Garfield, and Alexander Knox making his debut in an American film. The film was written by Robert Rossen and directed by Michael Curtiz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Hawkins (character)</span> Fictional character

Jim Hawkins is a fictional character and the protagonist in Robert Louis Stevenson's 1883 novel Treasure Island. He is both the protagonist and main narrator of the story.

<i>Pirates of Treasure Island</i> 2006 American film

Pirates of Treasure Island is a 2006 American comedy-drama film produced by The Asylum, loosely adapted from Robert Louis Stevenson's 1883 novel Treasure Island.

<i>Treasure Island</i> (2012 TV series) British TV series or program

Treasure Island is a two-part British television drama adaptation of the novel Treasure Island (1883) by Robert Louis Stevenson. The screenplay was written by Stewart Harcourt, produced by Laurie Borg and directed by Steve Barron. It was made by BSkyB and first shown in the United Kingdom on Sky1 on 1 & 2 January 2012. It was re-released a year later on Pick on the 14 February 2013 and 21 February 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Somers Affair</span> Alleged US naval mutiny

The Somers Affair was incident on board the American brig USS Somers while on a training mission in 1842 under Captain Alexander Slidell Mackenzie (1803-1848). Midshipman Philip Spencer (1823-1842) was accused of plotting a mutiny that would kill those who opposed him and then use the Somers as a very fast, well-armed pirate ship. Spencer was arrested and executed, along with two other alleged co-conspirators, Samuel Cromwell and Elisha Small, when the Somers was thirteen days away from shore. The three were hanged without a court-martial following a hastily assembled shipboard meeting. The ship then returned to New York. An inquiry and a court martial both cleared Mackenzie. There was enormous public attention, most of it unfavourable to Mackenzie.

<i>Billy Budd</i> (play) Play written by Louis O. Coxe and Robert Chapman

Billy Budd is a play by Louis O. Coxe and Robert H. Chapman based on Herman Melville's novella of the same name. Originally titled Uniform of Flesh, the play premiered Off-Broadway in 1949. Coxe and Chapman restructured and retitled the work for its Broadway debut in 1951. The revised version was a critical success, winning the Donaldson Award for Best First Play and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Play in 1951. In 1952 the play was adapted for the television anthology series Schlitz Playhouse of Stars, and Peter Ustinov adapted the play into a film which premiered in 1962.

Robert Harris Chapman was an American playwright and longtime academic of English literature and drama at Harvard University. He is best remembered for co-authoring the 1951 Broadway play Billy Budd, adapted from Herman Melville's novel of the same name, with Louis O. Coxe. Their play won the Donaldson Award for Best First Play and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Play in 1951.

References

  1. 1 2 "$12,000 Weekend Gross Of 'Billy Budd' in London". Variety . 26 September 1962. p. 5.
  2. "Billy Budd Budget Item". Variety. 28 June 1961. p. 17.
  3. Tube. (29 August 1962). "Film reviews: Billy Budd". Variety . p. 6.
  4. John C. Tibbetts, and James M. Welsh, eds. The Encyclopedia of Novels Into Film (2nd ed. 2005) pp 33–34.
  5. Ustinov, Peter (2011). "9". Dear Me. London: Random House. ISBN   9780099421726.
  6. Kaufmann, Stanley (1968). A world on Film. Delta Books. p. 117.
  7. "The 35th Academy Awards (1963) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Archived from the original on 2 February 2018. Retrieved 23 August 2011.
  8. "BAFTA Awards: Film in 1963". BAFTA . 1963. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  9. "15th DGA Awards". Directors Guild of America Awards . Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  10. "Billy Budd – Golden Globes". HFPA . Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  11. "1962 Award Winners". National Board of Review . Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  12. "Awards Winners". Writers Guild of America. Archived from the original on 5 December 2012. Retrieved 6 June 2010.

Further reading