It is the year 1797 on the Atlantic Ocean. Young Billy Budd is a sailor on a British warship on the hunt for French shipping. Budd, a pleasant sort, befriends the crew but cannot win over sadistic and widely despised officer Robert Ryan. Ustinov is the wise but overly analytical ship's captain.
Supporting players include veteran sailor Melvyn Douglas; glum officers Paul Rogers, John Neville, and David McCallum; and rabble-rouser sailor Ronald Lewis.
Ryan desires to be hated by the entire crew, and the obvious holdout is Budd. He tries to break Budd by accusing him of mutiny. Budd responds with a single punch that kills Ryan. This subjects Budd to a court martial that could take his life.
How others will see it. Billy Budd had luckless timing. It was up against a big budget version of Mutiny on the Bounty that starred Marlon Brando. Although not a financial success, Billy Budd did garner an Oscar nomination for Stamp's auspicious film debut. Stamp was also nominated by BAFTA, as was the hissable Robert Ryan and Ustinov's screenplay (a nod shared with DeWitt Bodeen). The Directors and Writers Guilds chipped in with further nominations.
At imdb.com, the vote total is good for a 1962 black and white British drama. The user ratings are quite high, even among females over 45, which is something of a surprise given that is a grim drama that has an unhappy ending and lacks a single female character in the entire movie.
How I felt about it. We are presented with three conflicting philosophies about life, those held by Ryan, Stamp, and Ustinov. Ryan believes that men are corrupt and must be beaten to be kept in check. In such a world, only the hardest and toughest persevere. Stamp believes that people are inevitably good, though they may do wrong things when compelled to do so by their environment. For Ustinov, duty is paramount. To fulfill his duty, he makes practical decisions knowing that men are fallible and justice is a mirage.
Duty can be unpleasant. As a pessimist, Ustinov expects no less. Ustinov must hang Billy Budd because that he concludes that is the only outcome that his superiors at the Royal Navy would allow. It is also the outcome that proves Budd's philosophy to be hopelessly naive. If you are generous to your fellow man, he will likely take advantage of you.
Note that there is a possible way out for Ustinov and Budd, the only witnesses to the death of Ryan. Ustinov could claim that he had brought Budd and Ryan together to tell the latter that he was demoted and Budd promoted to take his post. Ryan then assaulted Budd and was killed in self-defense.
Of course, the Royal Navy might then wonder why the young Budd received such a position as Master at Arms. Gallantry in battle would have to be invented. Then there is the question whether Budd could keep the sailors in line through charm instead of through fear, as Ryan had. Still, it might be better than hanging an undeserving man and risking a mutiny among the crew.