Billy Budd: Benjamin Britten (1988) Rating: Starring: Thomas Allen, Philip Langridge, Richard Van Allan Director: Tim Albery Category: Classics, Classics Studio: Image Ent. Subtitles: English Length: 157 mins     Billy Budd is Britten's gripping opera of sadism and injustice aboard a British man-o'-war. The libretto, by E.M. Forster and Eric Crozier, is based on the literary masterpiece by Herman Melville and tells the tale of a young seaman, Billy Budd, who is maliciously persecuted by his master-at-arms. The opera explores universal themes of an individual at odds with society, the corruption of innocence and the conflict between good and evil.