Bogey On the Stand - Sine Qua Non

Rating: 10/10 (5 October 2007)

This one scene is worth the price of admission. Bogey's gradual disintegration on the witness stand, as the beleaguered Captain folding under relentless cross-examination, is one of the truly great performances on film. From the point at which he begins to unravel, reaching into his pocket for the little steel balls to begin rolling them nervously in his sweaty palm, to the almost unbearable moment of tragic epiphany, when Bogey suddenly realizes the effect his paranoid ravings have had on his fellow Officers ... absolutely brilliant. And as the defense lawyer forced against his conscience to be the instrument of torture which exposes Bogart as emotionally shattered, in order to defend his client on the mutiny charge, Jose Ferrer gives a near equally compelling performance. While ruthlessly tormenting Bogey into revealing his raging paranoia, Ferrer somehow finds a way, without words, to simultaneously and powerfully communicate to us, the viewers, his intense sympathy for his victim, and in so doing, forces us to experience it. Pay attention the next time you see the picture, it's all there in his eyes. One truly great film.