The Caine Mutiny (1954)

User Rating:

8.1/10   

Director:

Edward Dmytryk

Writers:

Herman Wouk (novel)
Stanley Roberts (screenplay)

Release Date:

24 June 1954 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | War

Tagline:

As big as the ocean!

Plot:

When a US Naval captain shows signs of mental instability that jeopardizes the ship, the first officer relieves him of command and faces court martial for mutiny.

Plot Keywords:

Mutiny | Naval | Court Martial | Yosemite California | Paranoid Psychosis

Awards:

Nominated for 7 Oscars. Another 3 nominations

Cast

Humphrey Bogart	...	Lt. Cmdr. Philip Francis Queeg
José Ferrer	...	Lt. Barney Greenwald (as Jose Ferrer)
Van Johnson	...	Lt. Steve Maryk
Fred MacMurray	...	Lt. Thomas 'Tom' Keefer
Robert Francis	...	Ens. Willis Seward 'Willie' Keith
May Wynn	...	May Wynn
Tom Tully	...	Comdr. DeVriess
E.G. Marshall	...	Lt. Comdr. Challee
Arthur Franz	...	Lt. JG H. Paynter Jr.
Lee Marvin	...	Meatball
Warner Anderson	...	Capt. Blakely
Claude Akins	...	Horrible
Katherine Warren	...	Mrs. Keith (as Katharine Warren)
Jerry Paris	...	Ens. Barney Harding
Steve Brodie	...	Chief Budge

Also Known As:

Authority and Rebellion (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

124 min | Spain:125 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Iceland:L | South Korea:15 (2003) | Finland:K-11 (2007) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 (1955) | Ireland:G | UK:U | USA:Approved (PCA #16627) | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Stanley Kramer Productions

Trivia:

Humphrey Bogart's tour de force performance in the climactic courtroom scene was so powerful that it completely captivated the onlooking film technicians and crewmen. After the scene's completion, the company gave Bogart a round of thunderous applause.

Goofs:

Continuity: Before going to Yosemite, as Willie is talking with his mother, their positions change from being in close to being at arm's length.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Admiral: And so today you are full-fledged ensigns. Three short months ago you assembled here from all parts of the nation, from all walks of life: field, factory, office and college campus. Each of you knew what the fighting was about, or you wouldn't have volunteered...

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "The Jack Benny Program: The Giant Mutiny (#5.4)" (1954)

Soundtrack:

YELLOW STAIN BLUES

Man going overboard...

One thing it's really good to see is Humphrey Bogart showing his range and giving a truly vulnerable performance. Cynicism is usually the protective armour of a Bogie character, but in Queeg we have the opposite of a cynic - a man so obsessed with doing even trivial things by the book that his underlings decide he is no longer fit for his job. To understand and embrace routine is obviously necessary in military life, but this rigid adherence ultimately becomes a distraction from performing his necessary duties. It's a perfect showcase for how the pressure-cooker atmosphere of always living with the threat of war can make otherwise tough men crumble.

It's a subtle show from Bogart, his demonstration of illness encompassing a number of tics which get worse as he starts to unravel from being judged up there on the stand. It's a cleverly escalating portrait, and the film never feels rushed, but for me the story started to get less interesting once everybody entered the courtroom. I generally don't like legal dramas, because out of necessity the focus becomes more on the mechanics of the plot than getting to examine human personalities. This is just a personal preference, however, and if you're a person who combines an admiration for Humphrey Bogart with a passion for the technicalities of the law, then I don't see how you could go far wrong in selecting "The Caine Mutiny".