Product Details

• Actors: Alec Guinness, Dirk Bogarde, Maurice Denham, Nigel Stock, Richard Carpenter
• Directors: Lewis Gilbert
• Writers: Edmund H. North, Frank Tilsley, Nigel Kneale
• Producers: Douglas Peirce, John Brabourne
• Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
• Subtitles: Spanish, French, Portuguese, Georgian, Chinese, Thai
• Region: Region 1 encoding (US and Canada only)
  PLEASE NOTE: Some Region 1 DVDs may contain Regional Coding Enhancement (RCE). Some, but not all, of our international customers have had problems playing these enhanced discs on what are called "region-free" DVD players. For more information on RCE, click here.
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: October 10, 2000
• Run Time: 101 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00004W5SS
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #17,020 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Damn the Defiant!" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Sailors mutiny aboard the H.M.S. Defiant when the humane captain is wounded and the cruel first mate takes command. In spite of the mutiny, they join the British fleet to fight the invading French.
Genre: Feature Film-Action/Adventure
Rating: NR
Release Date: 10-OCT-2000
Media Type: DVD

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

107 of 108 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Even better in the DVD version!, October 20, 2000

By 

Bruce Trinque (Amston, CT United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Damn the Defiant! (DVD)

First I'll repeat what I wrote in my review of the VHS version of "Damn the Defiant!":

"There aren't a lot of movies about the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars, despite the popularity of novels such as those written by Patrick O'Brian and C.S. Forester, but "Damn the Defiant" is an action film far above average. Not only does it boast fine acting by Alec Guiness and Dirk Bogard, it presents an unusually realistic look at life aboard a warship in the Age of Fighting Sail. If you like Jack Aubrey and Horatio Hornblower, then this is a movie you shouldn't miss.""

And I will now state that the DVD version is even better. It presents both the "widescreen" as well as the clipped "full screen" versions (the VHS has only the "full screen") and visually the "widescreen" is much more impressive, giving an even better impression of life aboard a sailing man of war. If you are at all interested in this era of history, this DVD is a real keeper!

48 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you are a Hornblower fan, you'll like this one!, May 8, 2000

By 

Alan R. Holyoak - See all my reviews

This review is from: Damn the Defiant [VHS] (VHS Tape)

The movie presents a side of Napoleanic British Royal Navy life I have seldom seen in film. Lashings are common enough in sailing films, but the use of corporal punishment, press gangs, and poor shipboard life and the like reveal a picture of life in the Royal Navy in the early 1800s less often shown.

As for the movie...while a a good and decent ship's captain (played by Alec Guinness) prepares for sea, we learn that his young son will ship out with him as a new midshipman. In the meantime navy pressgangs are out on the streets rounding up men to be pressed into service in the navy. Involved in rounding up men for the crew is a new first officer (Dirk Bogard).

The story centers around conflict between the good and fair captain and his devious and conniving first officer. Caught in the middle of them is the young, innocent midshipman son of the captain.

A supporting plot involves a plan by the sailors to seek for improved conditions...and there is, of course, the war.

One thing leads to another, and the captain is wounded in battle. While the captain is bedridden the now outwardly abusive first officer takes over and runs roughshod over the crew and the ship.

I enjoy this film for it's fine efforts toward historical accuracy. The character development is excellent, and you can feel the strain on the captain as he stands by and is helpless to remove his son out from under the thumb of the 1st officer.

An excellent yarn of life at sea. Guinness is, as always, outstanding. Top notch! Top marks! 5 stars.

35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent story of the age of wooden ships and iron men!, August 2, 2003

By 

Roger J. Buffington (Huntington Beach, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Damn the Defiant! (DVD)

This is a fine story of life aboard a British naval vessel during the Napoleonic wars. Alec Guiness stars as the enlightened and thoughtful captain, Dirk Bogarde is the cruel and hard first lieutenant (executive officer). The two are locked in a battle of wills and leadership concerning the means by which the ship will be commanded. The captain believes that a happy ship is an efficient ship, and seeks to lead by inspiration. The first lieutenant believes in merciless discipline, reinforced with his sadistic love of inflicting punishment. This conflict is complicated by the fact that the men of the British fleet are plotting the famous Spithead mutinies, and the first lieutenant has influential friends in London. This is a very interesting story of leadership and conflict.

The storyline moves along smartly most of the time, and the acting is quite good. The special effects are very good--no "bathtub ships" or battles. Guiness does his customary excellent job in his role as captain, although I personally thought he might have exerted more personal force than he did; his leadership style as portrayed in the film is somewhat understated. Bogarde is excellent as the villainous first lieutenant--you'll hate him by the end of the movie.

This is a fine movie worth watching more than once.