Where was Mutiny on the Bounty filmed?

Roger Byam (Franchot Tone), midshipman on the Bounty, has a naive and optimistic view of what life at sea will be like. He’s about to discover that serving in the navy under Captain Bligh’s command is certainly no picnic. Early in the film, Byam heads to Portsmouth Harbor, where the ship is being prepared for its voyage to Tahiti. The harbor is a bustling hive of activity, and Byam points out a ship moored in the harbor and asks another man if it’s the Bounty. But the man informs him that he’s actually looking at the flagship of the fleet, and then points out the “pint pot” Bounty. “That’s the Bounty for Tahiti? She isn’t very big, is she?” Byam says, disappointedly. The Portsmouth Harbor scenes in Mutiny on the Bounty were filmed on the western side of the Catalina Island isthmus. Over on the eastern side was chosen as the film shoot location for the Tahitian harbor. It’s also worth noting that one of the ships seen in the background in Portsmouth Harbor, a square rigger then known as the Pacific Queen and later as Balclutha, is on display at the San Francisco Maritime Museum.

The mutineers are enjoying an idyllic life in paradise. As they laze on white sandy beaches, soak up the tropical weather, and enjoy the hospitality of the friendly locals, the brutal realities of life on board the Bounty seem an entire world away. But the peace in their beautiful island paradise is about to be shattered. At first, the men are all smiles and laughter as they celebrate Christmas in Christian’s Island hut. “A Merry Christmas to you all,” says a contented Christian to his men, before inviting them into his hut. There, we see his bride, Maimiti, who has recently given birth to Christian’s child. But just when it seems like Christian’s Tahitian paradise couldn’t be any more perfect, the HMS Pandora is spotted off the coast. It seems the sins of the past are about to come back to haunt the mutineers. The setting for Christian’s Tahitian hut was Two Harbors on Catalina Island, close to where the harbor scenes for the film were shot.

With a British ship spotted approaching Tahiti, Christian and many of his men prepare to board the Bounty and flee with their wives and children. But not everyone wants to join him, as some decide to go it alone and others are desperate to get back to England. Roger Byam is one of those who decides not to board the Bounty with Christian. Along with a number of other crew members, Byam, who didn’t participate in the mutiny, decides to wait behind in Tahiti so the ship can take him back to England. Standing on a sandy beach, the Bounty being loaded in the background, Christian and Byam bid each other farewell. “From now on they’ll spell mutiny with my name. I regret that. But not the taking of the ship,” Christian says. He and Byam then part ways — Byam preparing to face the music in England, and Christian ready to explore the uncharted islands of the Pacific. This farewell scene on the beach was filmed at Shark Harbor on Catalina Island. This pretty spot is found on the western side of the island, a little over six miles south of Two Harbors and the isthmus.