5/5 Classic tale of good and evil
  by lorokidul (Australia)
"Billy Budd", from Herman Melville's story, is directed by Peter Ustinov, and set at sea in 1797. Ustinov plays Captain Vere of the war-time British navy vessel on which the story unfolds. The angelic, pure hearted young Billy Budd (Terence Stamp in his first film role), is a psychological threat to the cruel Claggart(Robert Ryan), whom life has turned into a man who must destroy any sign of goodness. He no longer believes in it. He is filled with darkness and hatred. A situation develops which becomes a battle of Good versus Evil and a demonstration of a conflict between Justice and Law.
Ustinov, as the Captain must enforce the rules of the Navy - being ruled by his head, rather than his heart. His duty torments him to breaking point. This classic tale is an unforgettable experience, in gorgeous black and white Cinemascope. Black and white very well suits this film about polar opposites.
You also get commentary by Terence Stamp, and Steven Soderbergh.

4/5 Billy Budd
  by Jane W. Sullivan
Although in black and white, it follows story closely and clearly decpicts issues raised by Melville.

4/5 Ryan's Sadistic 'Claggart ' Unfogettable
  by Craig Connell (Lockport, NY USA)
First, it's nice to finally see this out on DVD with an excellent widescreen transfer. The great cinematography alone made this cry out for a good DVD transfer, which was released by Warner Brothers in March of 2007.

As for the story, a nice, innocent kid getting brutalized by an incredibly-sadistic 1700s ship officer is not always easy to watch, but this is one of the better under-publicized films of its day. It sill holds up, some 40-plus years later.

It was an apt choice to cast Robert Ryan as the sadistic "Claggart." Ryan played mostly villains in his career and is extremely effective in that role here as an intelligent-but-sick-and-vicious bully. In fact, his character in Billy Budd remains one of the most memorable villains I've seen in a half century of movie watching. It isn't just his deeds. The looks on his face alone as he delivers his lines make him fascinating.

Peter Ustinov gives a great performance as the captain of the ship and a man who has to make a big, big decision about Mr. Budd, played by a young and boyish-looking Terrence Stamp. The character "Billy Budd" is about as pure and innocent as some of the characters Jennifer Jones played in the 1940s, such as Cluny Brown, Bernadette Soubirous or Jennie Appleton. Also of interest is Melvyn Douglas as the aging seaman.

This is simply a powerful and very involving film, one that is hard to forget.


5/5 Billy Budd, the old movie
  by S. Solat
This is a powerful, moving story on human purity of soul and courage vs alienation, hatred and the heartless, unbending character of military (also applicable to military-like) bureaucracies. This is an old story and movie, with great relevance for today's world.

5/5 A Classic that many people have never seen
  by Brian Barkley (Overland Park, KS, USA)
This is Terence Stamp's best performance, and one of his earliest. This is one of those rare movies that stands the test of time. It is well written, directed, acted, etc.

Billy Budd, along with Mutiny On The Bounty, are the two most authentic movies ever produced that takes place primarily on a ship. If you have not seen this movie, you will be amazed at the quality of this production.