HMS Defiant
Encyclopedia
H.M.S. Defiant is a British
film
released in 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 the novel Mutiny by Frank Tilsley. The movie was released as Damn the Defiant! in the United States
.
Crawford (Guinness) is in command of the warship HMS Defiant during the Napoleonic Wars
. He soon finds himself in a battle of wills with his second in command, 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 "amaze" 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.
Soon, Defiant fights and captures a Venetian frigate, taking on many prisoners. Crawford is severely wounded in the action and eventually loses his arm. Discovered among the prisoners is a key aide to Napoleon, from whom the British learn important information about a planned invasion of Britain.
With Crawford temporarily out of way, Scott-Padget takes command, but his brutality goads the crew into a premature mutiny. Appealing to their patriotism, Crawford convinces Vizard and the other mutineers to sail for the main British fleet blockading La Rochelle in order to warn them of the impending invasion. Crawford promises to intercede for the crew as best he can, on the condition that none of the officers are harmed.
As the Defiant reaches the fleet at La Rochelle, they receive word that the main British fleet has already gone on strike, with the naval high command agreeing to most of the sailors' demands. The crew's jubilation at the news is cut short when the hot-headed seaman Evans murders Scott-Padget. Realizing that they are now all doomed to punishment as mutineers, an enraged Vizard kills Evans. Their only course now is to try to escape with the ship.
Just then, the French fleet sorties from port, and a French fireship is sighted heading straight for the British flagship. As the only ship under sail, the Defiant has the unique opportunity to save the flagship. Once again, Crawford appeals to the crew's patriotism, convincing them to intercept the fireship. Vizard is killed in the ensuing action, living just long enough to hear a message from the British admiral thanking Defiant for their gallant actions.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
released in 1962
1962 in film
The year 1962 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*May - The Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards are officially founded by the Taiwanese government....
starring Alec Guinness
Alec Guinness
Sir Alec Guinness, CH, CBE was an English actor. He was featured in several of the Ealing Comedies, including Kind Hearts and Coronets in which he played eight different characters. He later won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Colonel Nicholson in The Bridge on the River Kwai...
and Dirk Bogarde
Dirk Bogarde
Sir Dirk Bogarde was an English actor and novelist. Initially a matinee idol in such films as Doctor in the House and other Rank Organisation pictures, Bogarde later acted in art-house films such as Death in Venice...
. 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
Lewis Gilbert
Lewis Gilbert CBE is an English film director, producer and screenwriter.-Early life:He was the son of music hall performers, and spent his early years travelling with his parents, and watching the shows from the side of the stage. He first performed on-stage at the age of 5, when asked to drive a...
, with a screenplay by Nigel Kneale
Nigel Kneale
Nigel Kneale was a British screenwriter from the Isle of Man. Active in television, film, radio drama and prose fiction, he wrote professionally for over fifty years, was a winner of the Somerset Maugham Award and was twice nominated for the British Film Award for Best Screenplay...
from the novel Mutiny by Frank Tilsley. The movie was released as Damn the Defiant! in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Plot summary
The humane CaptainCaptain (Royal Navy)
Captain is a senior officer rank of the Royal Navy. It ranks above Commander and below Commodore and has a NATO ranking code of OF-5. The rank is equivalent to a Colonel in the British Army or Royal Marines and to a Group Captain in the Royal Air Force. The rank of Group Captain is based on the...
Crawford (Guinness) is in command of the warship HMS Defiant during the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
. He soon finds himself in a battle of wills with his second in command, 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
Midshipman
A midshipman is an officer cadet, or a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Kenya...
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
Anthony Quayle
Sir John Anthony Quayle, CBE was an English actor and director.-Early life:Quayle was born in Ainsdale, Southport, in Lancashire to a Manx family....
), 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 "amaze" 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.
Soon, Defiant fights and captures a Venetian frigate, taking on many prisoners. Crawford is severely wounded in the action and eventually loses his arm. Discovered among the prisoners is a key aide to Napoleon, from whom the British learn important information about a planned invasion of Britain.
With Crawford temporarily out of way, Scott-Padget takes command, but his brutality goads the crew into a premature mutiny. Appealing to their patriotism, Crawford convinces Vizard and the other mutineers to sail for the main British fleet blockading La Rochelle in order to warn them of the impending invasion. Crawford promises to intercede for the crew as best he can, on the condition that none of the officers are harmed.
As the Defiant reaches the fleet at La Rochelle, they receive word that the main British fleet has already gone on strike, with the naval high command agreeing to most of the sailors' demands. The crew's jubilation at the news is cut short when the hot-headed seaman Evans murders Scott-Padget. Realizing that they are now all doomed to punishment as mutineers, an enraged Vizard kills Evans. Their only course now is to try to escape with the ship.
Just then, the French fleet sorties from port, and a French fireship is sighted heading straight for the British flagship. As the only ship under sail, the Defiant has the unique opportunity to save the flagship. Once again, Crawford appeals to the crew's patriotism, convincing them to intercept the fireship. Vizard is killed in the ensuing action, living just long enough to hear a message from the British admiral thanking Defiant for their gallant actions.
Cast
- Alec GuinnessAlec GuinnessSir Alec Guinness, CH, CBE was an English actor. He was featured in several of the Ealing Comedies, including Kind Hearts and Coronets in which he played eight different characters. He later won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Colonel Nicholson in The Bridge on the River Kwai...
as Captain Crawford - Dirk BogardeDirk BogardeSir Dirk Bogarde was an English actor and novelist. Initially a matinee idol in such films as Doctor in the House and other Rank Organisation pictures, Bogarde later acted in art-house films such as Death in Venice...
as Lieutenant Scott-Padget - Maurice DenhamMaurice DenhamMaurice Denham OBE was an English character actor who appeared in over 100 television programmes and films throughout his long career.-Life and career:...
as Mr. Goss (Ship's Surgeon) - Nigel Stock as Senior Midshipman Kilpatrick
- Richard Carpenter as Lieutenant Ponsonby
- Peter GillPeter Gill (playwright)Peter Gill, theatre director, playwright and former actor, was born in Cardiff, Wales, on 7 September 1939, son of George John Gill and his wife Margaret Mary .He was educated at St Illtyd's College, Cardiff.-Career:...
as Lieutenant D'Arblay - David RobinsonDavid Robinson-Sports personalities:*David Robinson , American player*David Robinson , cricketer*David Robinson , English professional player; striker from 1988 to 1998...
as Midshipman Harvey Crawford - Robin StewartRobin StewartRobin Stewart is an English actor who is best known for playing Mike Abbott in the 1970s sitcom Bless This House.He acted on television and in feature films in both the UK and Australia...
as Midshipman Pardoe - Ray Brooks as Hayes
- Peter Greenspan as Johnson
- Anthony QuayleAnthony QuayleSir John Anthony Quayle, CBE was an English actor and director.-Early life:Quayle was born in Ainsdale, Southport, in Lancashire to a Manx family....
as Vizard - Tom BellTom Bell (actor)Tom Bell was an English actor on stage, film and television. He was dark-haired, lean, and in his later years often played characters having a sinister side to their nature.-Biography:...
as Evans - Murray MelvinMurray MelvinMurray Melvin is an English stage and film actor.The son of Hugh Victor Melvin and Maisie Winifred Driscoll, he is best known for having created the role of Geoffrey in the Shelagh Delaney play, A Taste of Honey, a role which he recreated opposite Rita Tushingham in the 1961 film of the same name...
as Percival Wagstaffe - Victor MaddernVictor MaddernVictor Jack Maddern was an English actor.Born in Seven Kings, Ilford, Essex, Maddern was one of large group of dependable supporting actors that British film produced over the years....
as Bosun Dawlish - Bryan PringleBryan PringleBryan Pringle was a British actor who appeared in television, film and theatre productions.Born in Tamworth, Staffordshire but raised in the Lancashire town of Bolton he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. In 1958, he married character actress Anne Jameson; together they had...
as Marine Sergeant Kneebone - Johnny BriggsJohnny Briggs (actor)Johnny Briggs, MBE is an English actor. He is best known for his role as Mike Baldwin in the soap opera Coronation Street, in which he appeared from 1976 to 2006...
as Wheatley - Brian Phelan as Grimshaw
- Toke TownleyToke TownleyToke Antony Townley, born 6 November 1912 in Great Dunmow, died 27 September 1984 in Leeds, was an English actor.-Biography:His father was a vicar and he was christened John Townley, but his first name was then changed by his parents to the surname of an ancestor. After he left school he worked as...
as Silly Billy - Declan MulhollandDeclan MulhollandThomas Declan Mulholland was a Northern Irish character actor who appeared in dozens of television shows and films....
as Morrison - Walter FitzgeraldWalter FitzgeraldWalter Fitzgerald was an English character actor.Born Walter Fitzgerald Bond in Keyham, Devon. Married 1st Rosalie Constance Grey in 1924.1s .2nd Angela Kirk in 1938. 3 sons 1 daughter....
as Admiral Jackson - Joy SheltonJoy SheltonJoy Shelton was an English actress, who performed in films, radio and television.-Biography:Joy Shelton was born in London on 3 June 1922...
as Mrs. Crawford - Anthony OliverAnthony Oliver-Selected filmography:* Once a Jolly Swagman * The Happy Family * To Dorothy a Son * They Can't Hang Me * Eyewitness * The Entertainer * H.M.S. Defiant * Danger by My Side...
as Tavern Leader - Russell NapierRussell NapierRussell Gordon Napier was an Australian actor.Russell Napier was born in Perth, Western Australia. Originally a lawyer, Napier was active as an actor from 1947 to 1974, playing both comedic and dramatic roles in both cinema and television. Notably, he starred in a live BBC television production...
as Flag Captain - Michael Coles as Flag Lieutenant
- Andre MaranneAndré MaranneAndré Maranne is an Anglo-French actor who appeared chiefly in English-language roles from the mid 1950s.-Career:Born in Toulouse, France, Maranne's most prominent recurring role was Sergeant François Chevalier in six of The Pink Panther films, alongside Peter Sellers and Herbert Lom. Before the...
as Colonel Giraud