The Caine Mutiny (1954)

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.

Director:

Edward Dmytryk

Writers:

Stanley Roberts (screenplay), Michael Blankfort (additional dialogue),

Stars:

Humphrey Bogart, José Ferrer, Van Johnson

Nominated for 7 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Humphrey Bogart	...	Lt. Cmdr. Philip Francis Queeg
José Ferrer	...	Lt. Barney Greenwald (as Jose Ferrer)
Van Johnson	...	Lt. Steve Maryk
Fred MacMurray	...	Lt. Tom Keefer (as Fred Mac Murray)
Robert Francis	...	Ens. 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	...	Seaman Lugatch aka 'Horrible'
Katherine Warren	...	Mrs. Keith (as Katharine Warren)
Jerry Paris	...	Ens. Barney Harding
Steve Brodie	...	Chief Budge

Storyline

During the Second World War, onboard a small insignificant ship in the U.S. Pacific Fleet, an event occurs unlike any that the United States Navy has ever experianced. A Ship's Captain is removed from his command by his Executive Officer in an apparent outright act of mutiny. As the trial of the mutineers unfold, it is then learned that the Captain of the ship was mentally unstable, perhaps even insane. The Navy must then decide: was the Caine Mutiny a criminal act? Or an act of courage to save a ship from destruction at the hands of her Captain.

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Plot Keywords:

mutiny | ship captain | court martial | lawyer | united states navy | 

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Taglines:

Fred MacMurray as Keefer... the brain who plotted "The Caine Mutiny"

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | War

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 June 1954 (USA)

Also Known As:

Authority and Rebellion

Filming Locations:

Ahwanee Hotel, Yosemite Valley, Yosemite National Park, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$21,750,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

124 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Preparations for filming took 15 months. The length of time it took to make the film, unusually long at the time, was due in part to the unwillingness of the US Navy to endorse the film. Without the Navy's endorsement, it would have been impossible for the filmmakers to use naval equipment and personnel. The Navy was concerned that the film's subject dealt with a mutiny, and that audience would feel that it was a true story. But the filmmakers reached a compromise upon agreeing to include the comment in the opening titles that there has never been a mutiny on a US Navy vessel.

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Goofs

Before the paravane is dropped overboard, the Jones is #383. After the paravane is recovered, the Jones is #378.

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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. Each of you knew that the American way of life must be defended by life itself. From here on your education must continue in the more demanding school of actual war. Wearing the gold stripe of ensign in the United States ...

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Crazy Credits

May Wynn was not the actress's real name. She merely adopted it after playing the character May Wynn in this film.

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Connections

Referenced in The Ogre of Athens (1956)

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Soundtracks

"For He's a Jolly Good Fellow"
(uncredited)
Traditional
Sung a cappella by officers of The Caine

User Reviews

"There's the right way, the wrong way, the Navy way, and my way—and if you do things my way, we'll get along!"

Queeg (Humphrey Bogart) was simply a man who had seen too much of war… With the excitable tendency of rolling a pair of steel balls in his hand, he censures the error of incorrectness on everything but himself falling as an easy victim to the intrigues of self-serving officers who felt that their panicked captain is mentally not suitable to command the ship…

A subplot, seeming to lack common sense, between two young lovers (Robert Francis and May Wynn) only served to lessen the concentration and distract our attention from the real story… Also, at the court-martial, a long trial sequence, was clearly anticlimactic, though it included the film's most tense and unforgettable scene, that of Queeg disintegrating as he pronounced his statement…

But we had noticed it all before, after all, aboard the Navy destroyer, the U.S.S. Caine… We had seen Queeg as a strict disciplinarian and a compulsive, unstable commander, earning, in his limited imagination, the total disregard of both officers and crew… So we knew what would occur when he got on the witness stand…

"The Caine Mutiny" is a splendid character study, a tale of bravery and cowardice at odds with one another… The film received seven Academy Award nominations included one to Humphrey Bogart who delivered a terrific performance…