Billy Budd

This allegorical tale of good versus evil comes from the classic novel by Herman Melville. Billy Budd is an eager eighteen-year-old who goes to sea on a boat commanded by Captain Vere. Billy is relentlessly harassed by the sadistic master-of arms Claggart and his equally slimy underline Squeak. When Billy kills Claggart, the Captain is put in the middle between compassion and the maritime law calling for Billy's death by hanging. He ponders the moral dilemma when a strong case is given for justifiable homicide. Peter Ustinov produced and directed this film. The screenplay was co-written by Ustinov and Robert Rossen.(Dan Pavlides).