The Caine Mutiny

The Caine Mutiny
1954 - Columbia Pictures
Directed by Edward Dmytryk



SYNOPSIS

A new ensign (Robert Francis) reports to an insignificant mine-sweeping ship during the second world war. The captain runs a lax ship and soon is replaced by Lt. Commander Queeg (Humphrey Bogart) who runs it the complete opposite. A pattern of behavior begins to develop that leaves some of the senior officers on the ship doubtful of the captain's sanity. During a rough storm where Queeg cracks up, the first officer (Van Johnson) relieves him of his command. The first officer faces mutiny proceedings.



MY THOUGHTS

Several strong performances make Caine shine like she was a new ship.... especially Humphrey Bogart.
Van Johnson, Fred MacMurray and Robert Francis (who would tragically die in a plane crash a year later) are very believable in their roles. MacMurray is the tough Fred MacMurray of "Double Indemnity" and not of the light 'Flubber'-y kind he was later in his career.
Jose Ferrer is excellent as the Naval Prosecutor in the film's last half hour.

The love affair between Francis' ensign and the nightclub singer played by May Wynn brought nothing to the film. There was little chemistry between the actors and it seemed hokey. The whole thing smelled of a studio exec saying "there has to be a love story or we're not making the film." It's a poor way to open the film and the whole Yosemite scene, though beautifully shot, was wholly unnecessary.

Those scenes should have been replaced so we could get more of Humphrey Bogart's magnificent performance
The normal Bogart screen persona is a confident tough-as-nails character. A character you fear because he's got a gun and he's going to kill you.
Queeg is a complete 180 from that. You're afraid because he's so unstable, has ultimate power, and you don't know what he's going to do.

His unusual mannerisms and habits, like moving around the steel balls in his hand, give off a general unease about the character. This all leads to his expertly played final scene in the courtroom.
His breakdown is expertly handled and paced through the film. This is helped by the expert direction of Edward Dmytryk.
His use of camera angles and shots with a lot of movement really add to the storytelling, and keep it from ever being boring. The 'all hands on deck' scene on Admiral Halsey's ship is a perfect example.

This is an excellent film and I highly recommend you enjoy it with some ice cream and at least a gallon of strawberries (be sure to finish them.)