Blu-ray Review The Mutiny on the Bounty Blu-ray Review (1 Viewer)

The 1962 film “The Mutiny on the Bounty” - starring Marlon Brando as a somewhat reluctant Mr. Christian and Trevor Howard as the notorious Captain Bligh - sets sail on Blu-ray, with mostly commendable results. The special features are a bit of a disappointment, but consistent with materials included on the past DVD release.



[SIZE= 24px]Mutiny on the Bounty[/SIZE]
Release Date: Available now
Studio: Warner Home Video
Packaging/Materials: Single-disc Blu-ray “Eco-Box”
Year: 1962
Rating: NR
Running Time: 3:05:43
MSRP: $19.98












THE FEATURE

SPECIAL FEATURES



Video

1080p high definition 16x9 2.76:1

Standard definition



Audio

DTS-HD Master Audio: English 5.1 / Dolby Digital: French 5.1, German 5.1

Various



Subtitles

English SDH, French, German SDH, Spanish, Portuguese, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish

Various








[SIZE= 16px]The Feature: 4/5[/SIZE]
In December of 1787, the HMS Bounty of the British Royal Navy is tasked to collect and cultivate breadfruit from Tahiti, in the hopes of generating an inexpensive and sustainable food source for the slave industry. The ship is under the command of Captain William Bligh (Trevor Howard), with First Lieutenant Fletcher Christian (Marlon Brando) as his first officer and a crew of about 40 men, which includes the botanist William Brown (Richard Haydn). Though their destination is a reputed island paradise, their journey will prove to be hellish, as Bligh leads - not by example - but with an iron fist and a penchant for corporal punishment. His methods get results, however, and the ship arrives in Tahiti with only a few setbacks, though having taken longer than anticipated to get there, the crew’s stay on the island eventually extends into months given the breadfruit’s growing habits. With the beautiful environment, welcoming female islanders, and reprieve from Bligh’s more sadistic impulses, the men find the respite they need, though it also serves to highlight the misery the crew will experience on their inevitable return home. Though none have gone as far to say the word that will bring with it a death sentence, difficulties maintaining the breadfruit crop and an already strained relationship between Bligh and his first officer will be all that it takes for things to take a mutinous turn.

As the third film based on Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall’s novel of the same name - which itself was based on the actual event - the 1962 “Mutiny on the Bounty” takes a number of liberties with the historical record, but produces an engrossing - if somewhat predictable - seafaring drama. The production itself was rife with problems, many of which were blamed on Brando and his eccentricities, and reception and profits on the film were not as good as hoped. However Brando turns in a solid performance as the famous “Mr. Christian,” Howard makes a despicable - but strangely charismatic - Bligh, and the storm and action sequences are expertly choreographed and shot. While the film falls short of being the grand epic it was intended to be, almost 50 years later it proves to be a solid piece of entertainment and ultimately undeserving of some of its harsher critiques.

[SIZE= 16px]Video Quality: 4/5[/SIZE]
The film is accurately framed at 2.76:1 and presented in 1080p with the AVC codec. Color rendition is the transfer’s strongest feature, with often incredible depth and saturation, particularly in the island locales. Brightness and contrast are fairly consistent, though in darker scenes, and particularly in the final 30 minutes, there’s noticeable black level compression, resulting in an excessively contrasty image. There’s mild ringing along high contrast edges - scenes with sail lines and dark uniforms set against the sky - though there’s no evidence of such problems in more conventional settings. Detail is decent, holding up in the super-wide panoramic vistas, but sometimes the image can look a touch soft in the medium shots. As the film was shot with anamorphic lenses under the Ultra Panavision 70 process, the issues could very well be an artifact of the optics.

[SIZE= 16px]Audio Quality: 3/5[/SIZE]
Dialogue in the 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio mix can be a little indistinct/dirty and variable in volume. Surround activity is decently balanced, though not particularly nuanced with its atmospheric effects and even support for the film score. LFE is non-existent, but the track exhibits reasonable depth and range given the vintage of the material. The only scenes where a little more “oomph” would have been nice are the storm sequences, which lose a bit of their power because of an anemic low end.

[SIZE= 16px]Special Features: 2.5/5[/SIZE]
The majority of extras focus on the construction and promotion of the prop replica of the Bounty. By the second or third piece most will have had their fill, but there’s actually five separate featurettes on the subject! The original prologue, epilogue and theatrical trailer round out (and provide respite from) an otherwise highly repetitive package. All items appear to be the same as those on the 2006 DVD release.

After the Cameras Stopped Rolling: The Journey of the Bounty (24:17, SD): Archival footage and interviews with the surviving shipwright and designers detail the construction of the working, full size replica of the Bounty and efforts to restore it for public viewing. Produced in 2006.

The Story of HMS Bounty (28:38, SD): Vintage 1960s featurette covers a similar story of the preceding piece.

The Bounty’s Voyage to St. Petersburg (24:58, SD): Vintage 1960s featurette describes how - and why - the replica made the journey from Oyster Bay, NY to St. Petersburg, Russia.

The Bounty: Star Attraction at the New York World’s Fair (6:39, SD): Visitors to the 1964 World’s Fair had a chance to tour the ship and this orientation film provides a background of the full-size replica and where to find it at the fair.

HMS Bounty Sails Again! Millions Cheer Famous Ship on Exciting Voyage (8:05, SD): Vintage newsreel piece reports on the replica’s journey from Vancouver, B.C. to San Francisco, CA.

Prologue (4:11, SD): The prologue, depicting the discovery of the remaining Bounty survivor on the Pitcairn Island in 1914, was originally deleted from the theatrical release, but reinstated for the 1967 television premiere on ABC. “The Sound of Music” film fans should be amused by a sort of “preunion” between two of the key actors in the scene.

Epilogue (3:23, SD): The epilogue, depicting the final exchange between the Bounty survivor and the officers of the HMS Blossom, was also originally deleted from the theatrical release, but reinstated for the 1967 television premiere on ABC.

Theatrical Trailer (4:29, SD)

[SIZE= 16px]Recap[/SIZE]
The Feature: 4/5
Video Quality: 4/5
Audio Quality: 3/5
Special Features: 2.5/5
Overall Score (not an average): 3.5/5

Warner Home Video delivers a respectable presentation for “The Mutiny on the Bounty,” a dramatization that takes some liberties with history but that proves to be a solid piece of entertainment. The special features package is mildly disappointing for its over-emphasis on the Bounty prop replica; details about the actual production would have made for a more interesting set of extras, and a stronger overall release. For those who own the 2006 DVD, the Blu-ray should prove to be a compelling upgrade given the right price point. Those who haven’t seen the film yet may want to look to a rental first.

I'll definitely upgrade upgrade my DVD for this Blu-ray when I find it on sale. Too bad Warner isn't in control of "My Fair Lady" as I'm sure the picture quality of "Mutiny on the Bounty" is how "My Fair Lady" could have looked, done correctly.

Not wanting to pour cold water on your review but there is a couple of points to mention about the history of the title. This 1962 version is not the second version but maybe the third or fourth version depending on one's point of view.

The first is an Australian 1916 version, which is now lost, but I thought there was also another around this time in a CD database I had but it doesn't work on current computers so I can't check. The other is the 1933 Australian Charles & Elsa Chauvel production "In the Wake of the Bounty" being the first appearance of Errol Flynn in movies before he escaped to London(a lost film at Warner Teddington) and then Cpt Blood(1935) in Hollywood. Flynn is Fletcher Christian and it does follow a different path but still about "The Bounty". The Australian film is on DVD from ReelClassicsDVD in New Jersey. There has been no Australian release.

The talking point of the first two US versions is that Marlon Brando was involved with the female leads in both films: Movita & Tarita.

Bligh died in Bond Street London in 1817(the year Australia's Westpac Bank was formed, then The Bank of New South Wales) but was buried in a family plot near his Lambeth Home at 100 Lambeth Road/Lambeth close to The Imperial War Museum. There is a plaque on the house to this day. Anna Bligh, the first female Premier of the Australian State of Queensland(still in office), is a descendant. Bligh is from the Cornish Blyth meaning Wolf. Enough said, perhaps.

Pitcairn Island is a British Overseas Territory which is administered from Auckland/New Zealand. The currency is the New Zealand dollar. Made up of several islands is it about 18 square miles in size and one island has my family name. Only Pitcairn is inhabited. The population is made up of Bounty survivors & Tahitians. The men have strange sexual practices and a recent court case has proved that their activities in these matters can't continue unpunished and were.

The Blu Ray reviewed here is on the way to me and I should have it in the next few days.

This film is apparently the third film adapted from Nordhoff and Hall novel, so I've corrected the review accordingly.

Thanks for the information.

Charles Nordhoff (1887-1947) and James Norman Hall (1887-1951) were competent, workaday writers who nevertheless created an enduring popular myth out of the true story of the Bounty mutiny. Nordhoff and Hall were both members of the Lafayette Escadrille squadron during WW1 though they only met after the war, sharing rented homes before moving to Tahiti in the 1920s. It was in Tahiti they hatched the idea of writing about the Bounty and they eventually published a trilogy - Mutiny on the Bounty (1932), Men Against the Sea (1933) and Pitcairn's Island (1934). The novels were immediate successes and were quickly sold to Hollywood where they formed the basis of the 1935 and 1962 films. Nordhoff and Hall played a major part in mythologising the long and complex Bounty saga even as they distorted history on every page and, as far as Bligh is concerned, indulged in character assassination. Nordhoff returned to live in America where he drank himself to death while Hall remained in Tahiti for the rest of his life. His home near Papeete is now a museum. Hall was also the father of Conrad Hall, the noted cinematographer.
As an amateur Bounty scholar, I have never seen the Australian picture, In the Wake of the Bounty. I happen to really dislike the Laughton-Gable version, though the Brando version works for me for many reasons - the scale of it, the amazing location work and the music are irresistibly entertaining. In a strange way, I find the constant historical distortions in the 1962 film far less infuriating than the single historical distortion in the 1984 film which purports to be factually correct!

Originally Posted by AdrianTurner /t/316335/the-mutiny-on-the-bounty-blu-ray-review#post_3872370
Charles Nordhoff (1887-1947) and James Norman Hall (1887-1951) were competent, workaday writers who nevertheless created an enduring popular myth out of the true story of the Bounty mutiny. Nordhoff and Hall were both members of the Lafayette Escadrille squadron during WW1 though they only met after the war, sharing rented homes before moving to Tahiti in the 1920s. It was in Tahiti they hatched the idea of writing about the Bounty and they eventually published a trilogy - Mutiny on the Bounty (1932), Men Against the Sea (1933) and Pitcairn's Island (1934). The novels were immediate successes and were quickly sold to Hollywood where they formed the basis of the 1935 and 1962 films. Nordhoff and Hall played a major part in mythologising the long and complex Bounty saga even as they distorted history on every page and, as far as Bligh is concerned, indulged in character assassination. Nordhoff returned to live in America where he drank himself to death while Hall remained in Tahiti for the rest of his life. His home near Papeete is now a museum. Hall was also the father of Conrad Hall, the noted cinematographer.
As an amateur Bounty scholar, I have never seen the Australian picture, In the Wake of the Bounty. I happen to really dislike the Laughton-Gable version, though the Brando version works for me for many reasons - the scale of it, the amazing location work and the music are irresistibly entertaining. In a strange way, I find the constant historical distortions in the 1962 film far less infuriating than the single historical distortion in the 1984 film which purports to be factually correct!

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I might add that anyone truly interested in the history, read the books by Lieutenant William Bligh. The first (1790) entitled "A narrative of the Mutiny on board His Majesty's Ship Bounty; and the subsequent voyage of part of the crew, in the ship's boat, from Tofoa, one of the friendly islands, to Timor, a Dutch settlement in the East Indies."

The second book, which was the official account of the incident, published to clear Bligh's name, published in 1792, "Voyage to the South Sea, undertaken by command of His Majesty, for the purpose of conveying the bread-fruit tree to the West Indies, in His Majesty's Ship The Bounty. Including an account of the mutiny on board the said ship and the subsequent voyage of part of the crew."

The following from a posting on Abebooks, on which the tomes are offered: "While the mutiny lives on in popular imagination, what is less well-known is Bligh's monumental feat of seamanship, navigating the Bounty's 23-foot launch over 4000 miles in an open boat over uncharted waters, successfully landing in Batavia. To cap that, Bligh kept a meticulous log, charting and naming parts of the unknown north-east coast of New Holland (Australia) as the Launch passed along it. "

For those who like to have original works in hand, copies of both are rare, but available.

RAH

Mark-P said:

I'll definitely upgrade upgrade my DVD for this Blu-ray when I find it on sale. Too bad Warner isn't in control of "My Fair Lady" as I'm sure the picture quality of "Mutiny on the Bounty" is how "My Fair Lady" could have looked, done correctly.

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It should be noted that Mutiny on the Bounty is NOT representative of its large format origins and similar to my Fair Lady Warner gave us a transfer that is simply too dated to be acceptable on Blu-Ray these days although for different reasons. The Blu-Ray imo is hardly representative of the detail level that can be reached with 35mm, let alone 65mm origination, on Blu-Ray these days.
With all the criticism for My Fair Lady and West Side Story which imo is rather harsh in case of the latter title it is very confusing to me that there is so little criticism for MoB which imo is overall the most disappointing of the three releases as it has the most potential to look spectacular and yet looks the worst when it comes to detail. One smudgy face after another and scenery after scenery with mediocre detail show what Warner did to improve upon the look of the 2006 HD-DVD - nothing.

Sounds like a BLAH release. What a disappointment. The 2-disc DVD set gets to stick around a while longer, as I apply the buck$ to the really deserving releases out there.

OliverK said:

It should be noted that Mutiny on the Bounty is NOT representative of its large format origins and similar to my Fair Lady Warner gave us a transfer that is simply too dated to be acceptable on Blu-Ray these days although for different reasons. The Blu-Ray imo is hardly representative of the detail level that can be reached with 35mm, let alone 65mm origination, on Blu-Ray these days.
With all the criticism for My Fair Lady and West Side Story which imo is rather harsh in case of the latter title it is very confusing to me that there is so little criticism for MoB which imo is overall the most disappointing of the three releases as it has the most potential to look spectacular and yet looks the worst when it comes to detail. One smudgy face after another and scenery after scenery with mediocre detail show what Warner did to improve upon the look of the 2006 HD-DVD - nothing.

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I saw MoB in the original UltraPanavision 70 version in first-class settings.
The situation is a bit more complex than you indicate.
I do agree that the detail is not what it should be in MoB. We could reasonably expect it to look like Ben-hur (same process (Camera 65 was renamed to UltraPanavision 70), same cinematographer (Robert Surtees) , same studio (MGM).
However, there are no errors that I know of in the MoB Blu-ray, and the color and contrast are excellent as well as the general condition of everything. I also find the sound pretty impressive, albeit the dialogue is too centered. The problem with MoB is likely to be simply that an old transfer was used, hence detail was left on the table. It is, however vastly better than the 2006 DVD, and incredibly better than the LD versions from earlier decades.
In the case of WSS, there are some significant hiccups in the Blu-ray, and the problems with MFL are apparently both general and serious.
Further, to bring some economic realism to this discussion, MoB does not have anything like the standing of MFL or WSS, having been forgotten by both critics and audiences. The HD DVD version released in 2006 sold only a few hundred copies, causing Warners to pull the Blu-ray from its release schedule at the time.
One can hardly blame Warners for not wanting to spend more money on MoB. WSS and MFL, on the other hand, would appear to be excellent future investments for their owners. MFL is particularly distasteful since CBS appears to have gone very cheap and made no effort at all with the Blu-ray. In the case of WSS, a significant effort was made, just bungled.
I am very grateful for the MoB Blu-ray and, as a fan of the film, will watch it until a better version is commissioned, if that happens. Sadly, I doubt that the film will ever get such treatment, given its popularity.

Absolutely better than the DVD. Watched the Blu-ray three times and impressed each time.

Originally Posted by OliverK /t/316335/the-mutiny-on-the-bounty-blu-ray-review#post_3872574
With all the criticism for My Fair Lady and West Side Story which imo is rather harsh in case of the latter title it is very confusing to me that there is so little criticism for MoB which imo is overall the most disappointing of the three releases as it has the most potential to look spectacular and yet looks the worst when it comes to detail. One smudgy face after another and scenery after scenery with mediocre detail show what Warner did to improve upon the look of the 2006 HD-DVD - nothing.

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Sorry but I disagree, I am extremely disappointed in the West Side Story release, but extremely happy with the Mutiny On The Bounty Blu-ray. Warners has done a good job with it, while MGM has dropped the ball on Story. Just the opening of Story is a no purchase. The transfer of Mutiny is enticing and the sound is first notch. I do not see smudgy faces nor scenery.

rsmithjr said:

I saw MoB in the original UltraPanavision 70 version in first-class settings.
The situation is a bit more complex than you indicate.
I do agree that the detail is not what it should be in MoB. We could reasonably expect it to look like Ben-hur (same process (Camera 65 was renamed to UltraPanavision 70), same cinematographer (Robert Surtees) , same studio (MGM).
However, there are no errors that I know of in the MoB Blu-ray, and the color and contrast are excellent as well as the general condition of everything. I also find the sound pretty impressive, albeit the dialogue is too centered. The problem with MoB is likely to be simply that an old transfer was used, hence detail was left on the table. It is, however vastly better than the 2006 DVD, and incredibly better than the LD versions from earlier decades.
In the case of WSS, there are some significant hiccups in the Blu-ray, and the problems with MFL are apparently both general and serious.
Further, to bring some economic realism to this discussion, MoB does not have anything like the standing of MFL or WSS, having been forgotten by both critics and audiences. The HD DVD version released in 2006 sold only a few hundred copies, causing Warners to pull the Blu-ray from its release schedule at the time.
One can hardly blame Warners for not wanting to spend more money on MoB. WSS and MFL, on the other hand, would appear to be excellent future investments for their owners. MFL is particularly distasteful since CBS appears to have gone very cheap and made no effort at all with the Blu-ray. In the case of WSS, a significant effort was made, just bungled.
I am very grateful for the MoB Blu-ray and, as a fan of the film, will watch it until a better version is commissioned, if that happens. Sadly, I doubt that the film will ever get such treatment, given its popularity.

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You make some very good points that I am very aware of and I agree with all of them except for the last part about economic realism as I think that I can reasonably expect a minimum release quality on Blu-Ray that imo has not been achieved with MoB, that's why I kept my post short.
As RAH has proposed elsewhere and if I got the right idea of what he meant: IF it is out on Blu-Ray it should meet a certain quality standard, I should not have to worry about that.
Imo this is not the case with the 1962 MoB.

Chas in CT said:

Sounds like a BLAH release. What a disappointment. The 2-disc DVD set gets to stick around a while longer, as I apply the buck$ to the really deserving releases out there.

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I rented it to have a look so this is what I recommend if you want to watch it again.

ahollis said:

Sorry but I disagree, I am extremely disappointed in the West Side Story release, but extremely happy with the Mutiny On The Bounty Blu-ray.  Warners has done a good job with it, while MGM has dropped the ball on Story.  Just the opening of Story is a no purchase.  The transfer of Mutiny is enticing and the sound is first notch. I do not see smudgy faces nor scenery.
  

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West Side Story can and will be fixed but there will be no recall of fixing for the lack of detail of Mutiny on the Bounty. Of course it is better than the DVD as others have pointed out but with the Blu-Ray I would estimate that we have covered maybe half the distance that we should have covered between what it looks like on DVD and what it SHOULD look like on Blu-Ray. To get an idea of a movie that also looked significantly better on Blu-Ray then on DVD but not nearly as detailed as it could be I suggest to have a look at Gladiator - the improvements in detail that we see there are also possible for MOB, but only if a proper job is done by Warner. Recycling what made if to HD-DVD more than 5 years ago is not what I want although it is EXACTLY what I expected from Warner.Not worth to bother about it anyway I guess - almost nobody seems to care for the movie and those who do are happy they got a Blu-Ray like this so I will just forgot about owning a proper version of it on a shiny disc.Sorry for previously bad spelling I wanted to press preview but instead hit submit.

OliverK said:

You make some very good points that I am very aware of and I agree with all of them except for the last part about economic realism as I think that I can reasonably expect a minimum release quality on Blu-Ray that imo has not been achieved with MoB, that's why I kept my post short.
As RAH has proposed elsewhere and if I got the right idea of what he meant: IF it is out on Blu-Ray it should meet a certain quality standard, I should not have to worry about that.
Imo this is not the case with the 1962 MoB.

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Warners spent between $1m and $2m (I have heard both numbers) on Ben-hur to achieve a result that I suspect could also be achieved on MoB. It would probably not be a good investment, considering all of the titles that they have crying out for restoration and Blu-ray release and also the likely rates of return.
I wish it were better and would buy it if it were. But MoB is a consistent and very satisfactory rendering, just not the very best that it could be. It exceeds my standards for a Blu-ray release.

rsmithjr said:

You make some very good points that I am very aware of and I agree with all of them except for the last part about economic realism as I think that I can reasonably expect a minimum release quality on Blu-Ray that imo has not been achieved with MoB, that's why I kept my post short.
As RAH has proposed elsewhere and if I got the right idea of what he meant: IF it is out on Blu-Ray it should meet a certain quality standard, I should not have to worry about that.
Imo this is not the case with the 1962 MoB.

Click to expand...

Warners spent between $1m and $2m (I have heard both numbers) on Ben-hur to achieve a result that I suspect could also be achieved on MoB. It would probably not be a good investment, considering all of the titles that they have crying out for restoration and Blu-ray release and also the likely rates of return.
I wish it were better and would buy it if it were. But MoB is a consistent and very satisfactory rendering, just not the very best that it could be. It exceeds my standards for a Blu-ray release.

Click to expand...

I would expect MoB to cost much less than $1m if the OCN remains in good condition but even that amount would probably be considered excessive by Warner. Fox went to far greater lengths on The Bible which is not exactly a big seller so who says it can't be done? It is just a matter of spending money without an instant return on investment on flagship titles.
But as I said before: Just about everyone is happy so Warner obviously did the right thing. From their perspective they would be stupid spending more given the prevalent satisfaction with the title.

Your point is well taken and this is a good lesson for MGM (and others) with regard to their film library. For many years, Mr. Harris has been trying to get THE ALAMO returned to its TODD-AO glory if it isn't too late! The fact that the video (and theatrical?) re-release will help subsidize the restoration does not seem to be registering with the bean counters.

It's on my list. It's off my list. It's on my list. Maybe. The thing that had most put me off was the reference to smudgy faces and scenery.

Chas in CT said:

It's on my list. It's off my list. It's on my list. Maybe. The thing that had most put me off was the reference to smudgy faces and scenery.

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How close are you sitting to the screen?
I would say that up to 3 screen widths away you should be more forgiving even though MoB will still look less good than better titles but below that your milage will vary.
I am sitting very close (2 screen widths or less) and while titles like King of Kings, Ben Hur, The Bible or The Sound of Music, all of which I have bought and paid for, have plenty of detail sitting so close Mutiny on the Bounty does not cut it from there.
Please note that with average eyesight one would need to sit at about 2 screen widths to be able to resolve the maximum resolution that the blu-ray format is capable of.
Here is a link to a scene with lots of people standing around with nary a sign of detail anywhere in anybodys face:
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film3/blu-ray_reviews55/mutiny_on_the_bounty_blu-ray_/large/large_mutiny_on_the_bountyl_blu-ray_1.jpg
these seamen surely have nice and smooth skin:
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film3/blu-ray_reviews55/mutiny_on_the_bounty_blu-ray_/large/large_mutiny_on_the_bountyl_blu-ray_9x.jpg
compare that to the menu screen that shows Marlon Brando and his wife in a less smooth if a bit sharpened and too contrasty appearance:
http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/screenshot.php?movieid=26357&position=20
And you get an idea of what could/should have been.
In the end you have to decide for yourself, me I am happy that I can rent so that Warner will get minimum money from me for a job not well done.