The Caine Mutiny

• Directed by Edward Dmytryk
• June 24, 1954
• Based on Herman Wouk’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 1951 novel The Caine Mutiny

When the captain of a US Naval minesweeper shows instability, his crew mutinies and are subsequently court-martialed.

The Caine Mutiny is a movie that has withstood the test of time. With powerful performances in an excellent adaption of an award-winning book, It is a character study of bravery and cowardice, a legal drama, and a peak into naval life the feels authentic owing to Herman Wouk’s time in the US Navy though the filmed script lacked his involvement.

What strikes me about the opening is the lack of Humphrey Bogart whose name is very attached to the film. It takes a bit before LCDR Philip Francis Queeg (Humphrey Bogart) shows up to replace the more casual first captain.

What else strikes me as how very traditional for-the-time the movie opens. The set-up borders on war-as-an-adventure yet the introduction of the Caine’s first commander LCDR William H. De Vriess (Tom Tully) is a distinct tone shift. Cynical and maybe even bitter.

Newly assigned to the Caine ENS Willis Seward ‘Willie’ Keith (Robert Francis) is the ridiculously all-American type that was everywhere in film and television at the time. Whiter than white. He has a bit of an “Awe shucks” attitude though it becomes clear he is not perfect with the introduction of his girlfriend May (May Wynn) who is a singer. They do not hide he might be a bit ashamed of her even if does love her. This romance is a bit of distraction from events on the Caine and inconsequential to the main story.

Keith is paired in the story with Lt. Steve Maryk (Van Johnson) who is the ship’s very grounded executive officer and Lt. Tom Keefer (Fred MacMurray) who is an aspiring novelist (Herman Wouk?) and is more just biding his time until success or discharge while at war.

Once Queeg shows, tensions and problems are set up quickly. We have a poorly disciplined crew with a relaxed commander suddenly handed over toa very by the book man who doesn’t really have a knack for commanding at the moment due to previous issues.

Another factor is the detached nature of the military bureaucracy. That disconnect puts Queeg into a position of authority he was not able to handle. Issues that the viewer sees but cannot be well communicated to those not present are badly handled. There is even a bit of shoot-the-messenger when those issues are confronted.

In my view Queeg is not a villain per se. He’s just not well suited for the job based on offscreen experiences. That’s not to say he can’t do the job but between the weaknesses caused by his war experience and the feelings of the crew with the different styles of leadership, he was doomed to failure.

These are very well portrayed characters. Each an individual and each not a Boy Scout. It’s a series of mistakes and personality clashes which cause a very bad situation. No one is quite in the wrong and no one is quite a saint either. Bravery and cowardice come in many forms.

What sends things to a point of no return is probably one of the stupidest and most innocuous things possible. That’s not an insult. It’s just a breaking point because of how petty each side has become. Queeg not getting the support he feels he needs and everybody else is chafing under the extreme by the book nature of his command. The cause is a few missing strawberries.

The ridiculous need to account for those strawberries and the withholding of certain information by Keith, Maryk, and Keefer that would have probably angered Queeg but solved the problem. It creates an untenable situation that culminates during a very serious storm. The crew doubts his leadership and Queeg doubts the crew. He tries to take on everything himself essentially and they try to do the opposite of everything he says.

Wrapped also in this story is a look at leadership and how someone in a position of authority can be harmed by not only their flaws, but the assumptions and general biases of others. By the end of the movie, I was left asking what if the problems on the Caine were entirely because of Queeg or because of a lack of support from the staff. Queeg had some problems but were they so insurmountable that the staff couldn’t deal with them or was his staff just being difficult because of a change in leadership? Keith at first appreciated Queeg’s approach but events during his tenure changed his view. Maryk had issues but was not sold until Keefer convinced him before largely chickening out.

I think many people in my generation at the minimum when considering Fred MacMurray think of Flubber or any number of Disney projects despite the numerous dramas he was in during his time. He’s not quite a brave man as demonstrated when they finally decide to register a formal complaint about Queeg. There’s Maryk who is not thinking Queeg is a problem until he does. Keith is an outside observer succumbing to pressure.

This is a little over two hours of story. Made back in the days before long credit sequences, this has a few technical and production acknowledgments but is largely narrative that never feels long or two hours. By the end, everybody comes out a little different.

Despite quality production and acting I can see this not being for everybody. At least modern audiences. There’s only one action-oriented sequence. I could even see some finding silliness in the strawberries being the straw that breaks the camel’s back.  For me, I enjoyed The Caine Mutiny. I liked the drama and character study with it being a beautiful to look at movie.