Release Date: June 24, 1954
Running Time: 125 minutes
Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Jose Ferrer, Van Johnson, Fred MacMurray, Robert Francis
Directed By: Edward Dmytryk
From the first moments it is obvious that some compromises were made to the Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Herman Wouk the get it in theaters. It was a necessary compromise however as a film of this scope could not have possibly been made back in 1954 without the assistance of the US Navy and the Navy had many issues with the novel. Part of the appeasement made to get that assistance was a prominent disclaimer that opens the film declaring that there has never been a mutiny on board a US Naval ship. There was some softening of Commander Queen, too, to make him more sympathetic and a victim of battle fatigue rather than an outright madman. Purists of the novel and subsequent stage play might take offense at these changes but they actually make the film more powerful than it otherwise would have been. It certainly gave Humphrey Bogart something more substantial to latch onto.
Ensign Willy Keith, newly commissioned, is assigned to the USS Caine under the command of William De Vriess (Tom Tully). Executive officer Maryk (Van Johnson) and communications officer Keefer (Fred MacMurry) are also aboard. De Vriess is popular with his crew but his laid back command style bothers Keith, causing friction between the two men. Not too long after reporting for duty, Keith is pleased with the news that De Vriess is being relieved by veteran commander Phillip Queeg, a no-nonsense leader intent on whipping the men into better shape via strict discipline.
Problems begin to form though as Queeg seemingly focuses too much on minor details leading to various mishaps such as when he is too intent on dressing down an enlisted man for an untucked shirt and fails to heed the warnings his helmsman is giving him that they are about to cut across their own towing line, severing a tether between the Caine and its target. Queeg insists the incident never happened and the tow line was simply faulty and broke on its own accord. Later, on an escort mission during an invasion, Queeg orders a yellow die marker dropped into the water and abandons the mission and the ships he was escorting before reaching the designation point, leaving them to fend for themselves. His officers refuse to support the decision and he is nicknamed “Old Yellowstain” as a symbol of cowardice.
Keefer, believing Queeg to be paranoid and unstable, attempts to convince Maryk to relieve Queeg of his command under article 184 of the Navy Regulations but Maryk is reluctant to take that action as it could lead to his court martial should it prove to be the wrong choice. His mind is changed however when Queeg goes on a rampage, turning the whole ship upside down in search for an unauthorized spare key to the food cabinets when a small amount of strawberries turns up missing. Maryk is determined to speak to the admiral about his beliefs only to suddenly lose the support of Keefer, the man who was trying to convince him to do it in the first place. Keefer now fears having his own name involved in this and won’t support the action. Eventually Maryk will have to step in when Queeg’s actions jeopardize the life of the crew which leads to a court-martial where Maryk will have to defend his actions, even as Keefer shows his true colors and refuses to support Maryk’s decision.
The Naval scenes are simply stunning. I reiterate from before that there is no way this film could have been realistically made without the assistance of the US Navy. There are many scenes that would have lost their realism had this film been made entirely on sound stages using miniatures in a water tank. Director Edward Dmytryk took full advantage of having access to these Naval ships to film some truly stunning scenes. It is this level of realism that helps smooth over some obvious miniature work later in the film during scenes of rough weather.
The central drama that drives the story is well written and performed here. Humphrey Bogart shows just how good of an actor here as he plays things subtly in his early scenes, hiding his paranoia and fear until the right moment for maximum effect. When he is dressing down the crewman for his untucked shirt, it is definitely overboard, yet we can still see his point of view to a degree. This ramps up slowly until we begin to see just how far gone Queeg really is. The first time he juggles a pair of metal ball bearings in his hand, using them like a modern day fidget spinner, we don’t fully understand it. When he does the same thing in his final scene at the court martial, just the sound of them alone is enough to drive home his condition. Like Pavlov’s dogs, that sound elicits a response in us because we have been effectively conditioned to know what to expect when we hear them.
Equally impressive is Van Johnson as Maryk. He is a man who knows his place in the military and is reluctant to step outside that chain of command, yet understands the safety of the crew and the mission trump that of the chain of command. He is reluctant to take that step and relieve Queeg of his command, yet when that decision is finally forced on him he does it, knowing he could be hanged for it.
Keefer is another story altogether. Fred MacMurray is primarily known as a father figure, a typecast he got from his many films made at Disney as well as his role on My Three Sons. He always seemed to be playing good natured guys and stand up men in his films. Yet he was a slime ball in The Apartment, a film many credit as being against type for him. He is neither a leader or father figure here, nor is he a slime ball. He is, however, a cowardly manipulator who backs off when it’s his neck on the line. He’s all for reporting on Queeg until he actually has to do anything then he suddenly thinks it’s not the right thing to do. When called to testify on the mutiny he makes it clear that he feels Maryk was not justified even though it was he that was pushing for it all along. When he is eventually called out for his cowardice he doesn’t even have the courage to stand up for himself but just stand there looking ashamed and pathetic.
If there is any weak element to this film it is the character of Willy Keith. Effort was made to round out his character by introducing a love interest and a conflict with his overbearing mother. All this accomplishes is becoming a distraction to the main story and slowing down what is otherwise a good solid pace. The scenes are unnecessary and just serve to make the film longer. Actor Robert Francis is fine here although he was not great. He had a short career in just four films, all military roles, before his life was cut short just one year after this film. His character is too stiff and we never really care for him and his personal issues the way we do about Maryk and Queeg. The novel focused more on Keith but the film wisely shifted focus to the more interesting characters.
This is a film with few flaws. Keith is the biggest with his uninspiring home life and battles to get his girl to accept his proposals. Everything else is firing on all thrusters presenting “truths [that] lie not in its incidents, but in the way a few men meet the crisis of their lives.” That statement at the beginning of the film tells you all that this film will be about while at the same time letting you know it will not take too harsh of a shot at military leadership. It could have been a heavy blow against the effectiveness of the film but it is handled so well that we almost forget we read it right at the beginning of the movie. It is well acted and well dramatized and deserves all the recognition it got then and the reputation is survives on now.
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