Mutiny on the Bounty

By: James Norman Hall

Narrated by: Orson Welles

Captain Bligh leaves London for Tahiti in charge of his crew on the Bounty. At sea he shows himself to be a brutal tyrant and cruel whilst enforcing discipline which includes flogging the men, cutting rations and over zealously working them too hard.

On the return voyage, first mate Fletcher Christian, wonderfully played here by Orson Welles, leads the crew to mutiny and sets Bligh and his supporters adrift on a boat. What they did not count on is the Captain's return in this gripping tense drama.

©2008 Copyright Group (P)2006 Hollywood Stage

Excellent Performance!

I had no idea what I was getting when I decided to give this a try, but it turns out this is the an early radio series work remastered for the audio book format.

This was a trip down nostalgia road. As with many of those early radio broadcasts, it is as much audible-theater as it is the reading of a novel. As such, this really was a performance that was ell engineered and directed.

Be advised, however, that this novel doesn't cover all aspects of the movie. It only touches on the relationships the crew developed with the islanders, and doesn't follow the ship once Bligh is deposed.

Of course, the performance by Wells is first-rate, as he is perhaps the first master of the audio format.

Get this book for your morning commute. It's short enough to finish in one sitting and will certainly show you the power of audio performances as they were in the past.