The Caine Mutiny
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Actor: Fred MacMurray, Humphrey Bogart, José Ferrer, Robert Francis, Van JohnsonBrand: Columbia Pictures
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 1.0; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 1.0; Spanish (Original Language), Dolby Digital 1.0; French (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 1.0
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 124 minutes
DVD Release Date: 1998-12-15
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Sony Pictures
DVD Reviews of The Caine Mutiny
DVD Review: ARE THEY FOOLS OR MUTINEERS? THERE IS NO 3rd WAY -- OR IS THERE?
Summary: 5 Stars
FIRST THOUGHTS: A DIDACTIC MORAL STORY HAS NEVER BEEN SO ENTERTAINING
I can recall seeing this film around 1960 on television and being absolutely stunned and mesmerized by Captain Queeg's testimony at the end of the trial. I can remember my much older sister explaining to me that Captain Queeg was mentally ill, and I also recall feeling really badly for the character. I thought, how could they subject that poor man to such harsh treatment? I was completely taken in by the glib Lt. Keefer [MacMurray] just like the officers of the Caine.
IN A NUTSHELL: A COMPLEX LOOK INTO THE HUMAN MIND UNDER STRESS
Essentially, as we later learn, the Caine Mutiny occurs, in part, because of the constant undermining of Captain Queeg's [Bogart] authority by Lieutenant Keefer [MacMurray], the Caine's 3rd in command. Is Queeg really crazy or was he pushed over the edge.
WHAT THE 'CAINE MUTINY' IS ALL ABOUT: [PLOT SPOILERS BELOW]
The 'Caine Mutiny' is a very tightly scripted character driven story about the effects of stress and treachery on board an American naval warship during World War 2 in the Pacific theatre. Unlike stories, such as, 'Mutiny On the Bounty', the villian is NOT the Captain, but another officer in the background who insidiously instigates actions to be taken by other officers against the Captain. That officer is Lt. Tom Keefer [Fred MacMurray] who is the Caine's Communications Officer, and third in command of the Caine. He doesn't like Captain Queeg, probably because Queeg banned Keefer's daily novel writing activities after a foul-up, where Keefer was the 'Officer of The Deck'. From that point on Keefer continuously undermined Queeg's authority, safely behind his back, to the point where the 1st officer, Lt. Steve Maryk [Van Johnson] was keeping a medical log regarding the Captain's unstable behavior, the other officers were singing songs with derogatory lyrics about the Captain, like 'The Yellowstain Blues' and the Captain was forced to function entirely without the support of his officers and crew.
What followed was inevitable; at the point of maximum stress during a typhoon where the Caine was in danger of foundering, Captain Queeg become dysfunctionally catatonic and Lt. Maryk was forced to relieve him of command under article 184 of Naval Regs. Keefer had recited this article to Maryk some months earlier and stated, "this is required reading aboard the Caine", in his usual glib and derogatory way.
AND THEN THERE IS THE TRIAL: "LIKE SHOOTING FISH IN A BARREL" - LT. GREENWALD
Sorting out this mess starts with the defense attorney, Lt. Barney Greenwald's, [Jose Ferrer] first scene. Almost immediately he realizes that "the wrong man is on trial", after he asks Keefer a couple of preliminary questions in the conference room. Keefer rather uncomfortably ajourns to the hallway as a result of the scrutiny, and Greenwald takes the case, though he states, "I WOULD MUCH RATHER PROSECUTE". Obviously, he means he would like to prosecute Mister Keefer, but this only becomes certain at the party after the acquital when Mister Greenwald tells the story of the Caine Mutiny to the officers of that tragic vessel and Mister Keefer's spineless involvement which he [Keefer] had hoped would pass unnoticed.
-----> THE CAST <-----
Humphrey Bogart - Capt. Philip Francis Queeg
José Ferrer - Lt. Barney Greenwald
Van Johnson - Lt. Steve Maryk
Fred MacMurray - Lt. Tom Keefer
Robert Francis - Ensign Willie Keith
May Wynn - May Wynn
Tom Tully - Capt. DeVriess
E.G. Marshall - Lieutenant Commander Challee
Arthur Franz - Lt. Paynter
Lee Marvin - Meatball
Warner Anderson - Capt. Blakely
Claude Akins - Horrible
Katherine Warren - Mrs. Keith
Jerry Paris - Ensign Harding
Steve Brodie - Chief Budge
Todd Karns - Stilwell
Whit Bissell - Lt. Cmdr. Dickson
James Best - Lieutenant Jorgensen
Joe Haworth - Ens. Carmody
James Edwards - Whittaker
Don Dubbins - Uban
David Alpert - Engstrand
Richard Norris - Board Member
Patrick Miller - Movie Operator
James Todd - Commodore Kelvey
Gaylord "Steve" Pendleton - Board Member
Jay Richards - Sailor
Don Anderson - Radar Man
Ted Cooper - Sergeant-at-arms
Donald Dillaway - Chauffeur
Robert Bray - Board Member
Herbert Anderson - Ens. Rabbit
Tyler McVey - Board Member
Kenneth MacDonald - Board Member
Paul McGuire - Board Member
Don Keefer - Court Stenographer
Dayton Lummis - Uncle Lloyd
-----> THE PRODUCTION CREW <-----
Edward Dmytryk - Director
Stanley Kramer - Producer
Michael Blankfort - Screenwriter
Stanley Roberts - Screenwriter
Herman Wouk - Book Author
Franz Planer - Cinematographer
Clarence Gaskill - Songwriter
Freddy Karger - Songwriter
Jimmy McHugh - Songwriter
Max Steiner - Composer (Music Score)
Wouk - Songwriter
Henry Batista - Editor
William Lyon - Editor
Rudolph Sternad - Production Designer
Cary O'Dell - Art Director
Frank A. Tuttle - Set Designer
Jean Louis - Costume Designer
Lambert Day - Sound/Sound Designer
Clay Campbell - Makeup
Lawrence W. Butler - Special Effects
Carter De Haven, Jr. - First Assistant Director
ABOUT THE DVD:
This is a 2-sided DVD which plays Full-Screen on 1 side and Wide-screen on the other. Obviously this would be better on 2 disks. The sound and picture where quite clean and looked and sounded excellent.
The DVD does offer the audio in Spanish, French or English and subtitles for the aforementioned as well.
As far as 'Special Features' goes, there is a Trailer and that's about it.
-----> MAJOR AWARDS <-----
Best Actor (nom) Humphrey Bogart 1954 Academy
Best Drama or Comedy Score (nom) Max Steiner 1954 Academy
Best Editing (nom) Henry Batista 1954 Academy
Best Editing (nom) William Lyon 1954 Academy
Best Picture (nom) 1954 Academy
Best Screenplay (nom) Stanley Roberts 1954 Academy
Best Sound (nom) John P. Livadary 1954 Academy
Best Supporting Actor (nom) Tom Tully 1954 Academy
Best British Film Edward Dmytryk 1954 British Academy Awards
Best Director (nom) Edward Dmytryk 1954 Directors Guild of America
BOTTOM LINE: SOLID PERFORMANCES FROM A SOLID SCRIPT MAKE THE CAINE MUTINY A SOLID FILM
Bogart, as Captain Queeg, is absolutely wonderful and manages to convince us, in a truly exquisite performance, that he is both crazy and incompetent while still endearing himself to an objective audience [i.e. - outside of his ship's company]. Keefer, played by Fred MacMurray is the true villian and "author of the Caine Mutiny", and his spineless backstabbing methods make him a revolting character in the end, though he started out as a glib and engaging character, at least on the surface. Jose Ferrer as Lt. Greenwald, the defense attorney, brings into focus for our examination, the truth behind the Caine Mutiny.
Other roles, such as Van Johnson as 1st Officer Maryk, E.G. Marshall as Prosecutor Challee, Whit Bissell as the Psychiatrist for the Prosecution, Lt. Cmdr. Dickson, really aid in telling the story during the trial. But there are many other roles played quite well on the ship, and there's the subplot of the 'Ensign Kieth coming-of-age story'. All of this contributes to an excellent and wholly believable film which ends almost as it begins with Ensign Kieth [Robert Francis] meeting his first Captain, Capt. DeVriess [Tom Tully] aboard his new ship, this time a destroyer more to both mens' liking. This time both men seem more ready for what lies ahead, Kieth has grown-up and Captain DeVries now seems much more like a Captain to the new and improved Ensign Kieth. Captain DeVries orders Kieth to 'take her out', meaning the ship, which indicates to us, after a tense moment that these two men are going to let-bygones-be-bygones. It is a nice note to end on.
Description of The Caine Mutiny
Humphrey Bogart is heartbreaking as the tragic Captain Queeg in this 1954 film, based on a novel by Herman Wouk, about a mutiny aboard a navy ship during World War II. Stripped of his authority by two officers under his command (played by Van Johnson and Robert Francis) during a devastating storm, Queeg becomes a crucial witness at a court martial that reveals as much about the invisible injuries of war as anything. Edward Dmytryk (Murder My Sweet, Raintree County) directs the action scenes with a sure hand and nudges his all-male cast toward some of the most well-defined characters of 1950s cinema. The courtroom scenes alone have become the basis for a stage play (and a television movie in 1988), but it is a more satisfying experience to see the entire story in context. --Tom KeoghBestsellers in DVD
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