Watch H.M.S. Defiant For Free

Absolutely the worst movie.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

It's 1797 during the French Revolutionary Wars. Captain Crawford (Alec Guinness) is setting off on his ship, the H.M.S. Defiant, with his eager young boy. He's a veteran with a gentle touch considering the era. Lieut. Scott-Padget (Dirk Bogarde) is his new well-connected, ruthless, hardnosed first mate. There is a building conflict between the two. Much of the crew have been pressed into service by force and some are plotting a fleet wide mutiny.This is a well made thrilling sailing navy flick. The acting is first rate led by the great Guinness. The back and forth between Crawford and Scott-Padget is intriguing although more background for Scott-Padget would help. It's not quite at the level of the best of the genre but it's plenty good enough. The miniature action is quite nice. The hand to hand combat is thrilling. It's solid swashbuckling with a compelling clash of personalities.

Captain Crawford (Alec Guinness) of HMS Defiant takes on a new Lieutenant, Scott-Padget (Dirk Bogarde), who becomes hated by the crew and is the eventual cause of their mutiny under the leadership of seaman Vizard (Anthony Quayle).Guinness is, naturally, fantastic as the well-respected Captain. His emotions are obvious, giving a depth to the character. Bogarde and Quayle are credible in their roles, displaying fine acting as well. The plot is easy to follow, often exciting, and always interesting. The viewer is left guessing as to what the ending will be. Costumes and sets looked good, especially the Defiant. My only problem with this film is the inexplicable weakness of Crawford in a few parts; he reacted in a way that no Captain of that era would have. Otherwise, it's a good movie with lots of action and excellent acting.

This sea saga is set during the Napoleonic Wars , Captain Crawford (Alec Guinness) takes command of the HMS Defiant and is ordered to rendezvous with the British fleet in island of Corsica . With his son aboard as a new midshipman , Captain Crawford takes an even friendship with his crew . Defiant's crew is part of a fleet-wide movement to present a petition of grievances to the Admiralty . The continual sadism of Defiant's first officer pits a battle of wits against the captain in this stalwart story set in Napoleonic period . As it pits the first commanding and a hated second-in-command officer and when the captain is wounded , the chance for violence enhances . Scott-Paget (Dick Bogarde) uses Crawford's son (David Robinson as Midshipman Harvey) in an attempt to get the Captain to lash out against him . Meanwhile, some of the crew (Tom Bell) , led by seaman Vizard (Anthony Quayle), are organising to strike for better conditions , in conjunction with similar efforts throughout the British fleet . The men on the verge of mutiny and tension increases when they must also take on the French ships . They eventually pledge virtually the entire crew , then there ensues the mutiny .Dramatic film with impressive battle of wills between humane Captain Crawford in command of the warship HMS Defiant perfectly performed by Alec Guinness against his first officer, the sadistic and supercilious first lieutenant , splendidly interpreted by Dick Bogarde . Authenticity is the hallmark of this breathtaking adventure along with awesome acting , spectacular warships and overwhelming sea battles . Production design , gowns and ambient show great attention to period detail . The support cast performances by all concerned are superb as Maurice Denham as Mr. Goss , Nigel Stock as Senior Midshipman Kilpatrick , Richard Carpenter as Lieutenant Ponsonby ,Peter Gill as Lieutenant D'Arblay ,David Robinson as Midshipman Harvey Crawford , Robin Stewart as Midshipman Pardoe , Ray Brooks as Hayes , and specially Anthony Quayle as Vizard . Very good cinematography in Cinemascope by Christopher Challis and evocative score by Clifton Parker . The motion picture was well directed by Lewis Gilbert .The flick was inspired on actual events as ¨The mutiny at Spithead¨ in 1797. Sailors on 16 ships in the Channel Fleet, commanded by Admiral Lord Bridport, protested against the living conditions aboard Royal Navy vessels and demanded a pay raise. Seamen's pay rates had been established in 1658, and because of the stability of wages and prices, they were still reasonable as recently as the 1756–1763 Seven Years' War . The Royal Navy had not made adjustments for any of these changes, and was slow to understand their effects on its crews. Finally, the new wartime quota system meant that crews had many landsmen from inshore, who did not mix well with the career seamen , leading to discontented ships' companies. The mutineers were led by elected delegates and tried to negotiate with the Admiralty for two weeks, focusing their demands on better pay , and the removal of a handful of unpopular officers; neither flogging nor impressment was mentioned in the mutineers' demands. The mutineers maintained regular naval routine and discipline aboard their ships , allowed some ships to leave for convoy escort duty or patrols, and promised to suspend the mutiny and go to sea immediately if French ships were spotted heading for English shores.Because of mistrust, especially over pardons for the mutineers, the negotiations broke down, and minor incidents broke out, with several unpopular officers sent to shore and others treated with signs of deliberate disrespect. When the situation calmed, Admiral Lord Howe intervened to negotiate an agreement that saw a Royal pardon for all crews, reassignment of some of the unpopular officers and a pay raise . Afterward, the mutiny was to become nicknamed "breeze at Spithead".

I remember seeing H.M.S. Defiant in the theater when it came out back in 1962. It's too bad my VHS copy is formatted. One really needs the wide screen to appreciate the vast sweep of this wonderful sea adventure.The Defiant sets sail from the naval harbor at Spithead just before the ships of the Channel Fleet are ready to start an organized mutiny. So with no contact between them and the ships at Spithead or in the Mediterranean, the men of the Defiant have to work out their own course of action. That action is the basis for what happens.They've got an unwitting ally in the ship's executive officer, Scott- Padget played by Dirk Bogarde. A future Drake or Hawkins with influence and a taste for sadism. He looks to usurp the authority of Captain Crawford who is played by Alec Guinness. The conflict between them plays into the hands of the mutineers.In that other famous story of the sea, Mutiny on the Bounty, Fletcher Christian points out to Captain Bligh that the men drafted into the Royal Navy from the press gangs aren't king and country volunteers. Neither are these people in the foc'sle of the Defiant.Bogarde plays against type and does it well. He's usually not a villain in film although he had essayed villainous roles before in his career. But Guinness is a wonder. His Captain Crawford, calm, detached, and inspiring in his own way in his patriotism was a role Alec Guinness could be proud of. Totally different than the characters he played in those Ealing studio comedies. This falls more in line with Colonel Nicholson in The Bridge on the River Kwai or Colonel Sinclair in Tunes of Glory without the bad character features the other two had. Great Britain eventually stopped using press gangs, but at the time it was the way the Royal Navy got a crew together. In fact later on during the Napoleonic Wars, the British took to stopping American ships and impressing members of those crews in the Royal Navy. It was one of the causes of the War of 1812.Two other performances in H.M.S. Defiant are worthy of note. Anthony Quayle as the mutiny leader on the Defiant and Tom Bell one of the mutineers whose rashness nearly blows it all for the seamen and their cause.Hovering over all of this is the French and to me the highlight of the film is Alec Guinness reminding the men of their duty to prevent a French invasion of their island home. It's a superb piece of drama.A little Mutiny on the Bounty, a little Horatio Hornblower go into the plot of H.M.S. Defiant. It's a good mix with a superb group of players serving it up for the audience.