A Great Sea Story

Rating: 10/10 (18 January 2007)

Herman Wouk's novel of naval warfare won a Pulitzer Prize. The movie of the same name, "The Caine Mutiny" followed the book up to a point. The movie ends with Willie Keith returning to a ship under the command of his first skipper, Captain DeVriess. The book goes on for a long time after the court-martial. In fact it ends with Willie in command of the old Caine after the war ends.
Nevertheless, this should not detract from what a truly great movie "The Caine Mutiny" is. It can stand on its own, and bear comparisons with the book, as inevitably happens in situations of this kind. Bogart, as Queeg is almost frightening in his portrayal of the paranoid skipper. His fear of combat and mistrust of his crew comes right off the screen. The fact is, we are uncomfortable and squeamish because we all secretly fear that there is a bit of Queeg in all of us.
The supporting cast is solid. Van Johnson as the stolid and at first, loyal executive office, Fred MacMurray as Keefer (in another great performance), Jerry Paris as Ensign Harding, and all the rest give the crew and wide and varied viewpoint. Very typical of real life naval vessels and the men who sail in them.
The typhoon scene and the way Queeg and the rest of the crew appear is in stark contrast as to how Queeg appears, at first, in the court-martial. Dapper, well-rested, in his best dress blues, one wonders how Barney Greenwald (Jose Ferrer) is going to convince the court that this is the same man who froze during the typhoon, screamed at Stillwell the helmsman (another great subplot in the book, but left out of the movie), refused to alter course, and forgot basic seamanship. Only Maryk could save the ship. Greenwald's tactics, rather than defending Maryk, were in going after Queeg. His best line in the court was "It is not the defense's contention that Commander Queeg is a coward. Quite the contrary. The defense assumes that any man who rises to command a United States naval ship cannot possibly be a coward and that if he commits questionable acts, the reasons must lie elsewhere." Greenwald proved this brilliantly.
The Caine Mutiny stands up as great drama, great writing, great acting, and great cinematography. I would recommend this movie to anyone who wants a great sea story. I would also strongly suggest that anyone interested in the movie take the time to read the book. You will enjoy both tremendously.