This film is criminally overlooked, at least in my book. The best (and also pretty much the first) of the combination courtroom/military dramas. Rob Reiner, Tony Scott, and countless others have borrowed heavily both from the Herman Wouk book and from Edward Dmytryk�s visual and dramatic style. (Only complaint there is that there is a great deal of stock footage used, especially for the WWII battle and invasion scenes. And that tends to break the mood, at least somewhat.) The story is fictional, although I had believed for many years that it was based on a true story. The characterizations are wonderful, even if they do not come from actual people. Like most successful older movies, this one succeeds because of the strength of its cast. Bogart is excellent as Lieutenant Commander Philip Francis Queeg, in what is certainly a very uncharacteristic role for him. McMurray is also noter-perfect; again, in a very strange role for him, especially if you have seen The Absent Minded Professor. The rest of the supporting cast is excellent, especially Van Johnson. But it is multi-Oscar nominated Jose Ferrer who really steals the show. His JAG officer, Lieutenant Barney Greenwald, is a riveting character; one that I believe to be the finest of �Cyrano�s� sizeable career. The film is well worth seeing, if for no other reason than Ferrer�s performance. But believe me, once you start to watch it, you will see that there are plenty of other reasons as well.
"I wanna drink a toast to you, Mr. Keefer. From the beginning you hated the Navy. And then you thought up this whole idea and you managed to keep your skirts nice and starched and clean, even in the court martial. Steve Maryk will always be remembered as a mutineer. But you, you'll publish your novel, you'll make a million bucks, you'll marry a big movie star, and for the rest of your life you'll live with your conscience, if you have any. Here's to the real author of the Caine mutiny. Here's to you, Mr. Keefer." |
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