When a U.S. Naval captain shows signs of mental instability that jeopardises the ship, the first officer is urged to consider relieving him of command.When a U.S. Naval captain shows signs of mental instability that jeopardises the ship, the first officer is urged to consider relieving him of command.When a U.S. Naval captain shows signs of mental instability that jeopardises the ship, the first officer is urged to consider relieving him of command.
- Nominated for 7 Oscars
- 1 win & 13 nominations total
- Lt. Barney Greenwald
- (as Jose Ferrer)
- Lt. Tom Keefer
- (as Fred Mac Murray)
- Mrs. Keith
- (as Katharine Warren)
- Engstrand
- (uncredited)
- Radarman
- (uncredited)
- Ens. Rabbit
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe fate of the USS Hull, one of three US Navy destroyers lost during Typhoon Cobra in December 1944, served as the basis for the mutiny in the story. According to his first hand account, Boatswain's Mate First Class John Ray Schultz directly confronted Hull's CO, Lt. Cmdr. James A Marks, about his handling of the ship as she was entering the worst of the typhoon. Schultz implored Hull's XO, Lt. Greil Gerstley, an expert ship handler, to assume command but he refused citing fear of a court martial for mutiny. Other surviving witnesses on the bridge described Marks as paralyzed and indecisive, issuing questionable maneuvering orders, and declining to take on leveling ballast to help keep the ship upright after severe rolls, a decision his XO strongly disagreed with. A powerful gust exceeding 100 knots eventually rolled Hull over to her side and she did not recover. The ship flooded rapidly and 202 of her crew were lost. 62 others were subsequently rescued including Captain Marks. A board of inquiry did not find fault with Marks (none of the incidents on the bridge were brought up by anyone) but rather with Adm. Halsey for sending his fleet directly into the massive storm, although no disciplinary action was recommended. Some survivors of the Hull laid the blame for ship's loss exclusively on the Captain. James Marks committed suicide in 1986.
- GoofsThe "Yellow Stain Incident" took place during what was depicted as being a major amphibious operation (in the novel it was said to have happened during the attack on Kwajalein atoll). Many ships and aircraft are shown supporting the attack. Somebody--a pilot, an observer on a another ship, the surviving Marines in the boats (if any in fact survived) the Caine abandoned--should have been able to corroborate the story of the Caine dropping a dye marker and retiring at high speed and without authorization.
- Quotes
Captain Queeg: Ahh, but the strawberries! That's - that's where I had them. They laughed at me and made jokes, but I proved beyond the shadow of a doubt and with - geometric logic - that a duplicate key to the wardroom icebox DID exist! And I'd have PRODUCED that key if they hadn't've pulled the Caine out of action! I, I, I know now they were only trying to protect some fellow officers -
[breaks off in horror, becomes hesitant]
Captain Queeg: Umm... naturally, I can only cover these things roughly, from - memory... but if I've left anything out... why, you just ask me - specific questions and I'll be - perfectly happy to answer them... one by one.
- Crazy creditsMay Wynn was not the actress's real name. She merely adopted it after playing the character May Wynn in this film.
- Alternate versionsThere was a version made for school, to be used in Social Studies class. It edited out most everything except the pertinent scenes of the Queeg incidents and the trial. The movie ended before the decision was reached so that the class could vote on whether they would convict for mutiny or not.
- ConnectionsEdited into Catalogue of Ships (2008)
- SoundtracksI Can't Believe That You're in Love with Me
Written by Jimmy McHugh and Clarence Gaskill
But the best known mutiny in the American navy is that on the U.S.S. Caine, during the hurricane that preceded the battle of Okinawa. That this is a fictional mutiny does not seem to attract any attention. THE CAINE MUTINY was a successful novel, Broadway play ("THE CAINE MUTINY COURT MARTIAL") and a great movie. It remains the American equivalent of the mutiny on the H.M.S. Bounty.
The performances of the leads, Bogart, Johnson, MacMurray (his second of three great heels), Ferrer, Tully, and E.G.Marshall are all first rate, as are the supporting cast (which includes Lee Marvin, Claude Atkins, and Jerry Paris - all of whom had quite substantial careers after this film). Only Robert Francis did not have a substantial career after his fine Ensign Keith - he died in a plane crash in 1955.
There are mental images from the film (mostly connected to Bogart's Queeg) that people remember - even spoof. Every time you see some character showing nervous ticks, if he or she pulls out a pair of small metal balls and roll them in their hand, it is a salute to Bogie's originally doing it in THE CAINE MUTINY. And his magnificent moment of success: "the strawberries", and how he proved the theft with geometric precision, remains a signal that the person speaking has too many fixations.
Interestingly, the film makes Queeg better (if still sick) than the play does. When cross examined by Greenwald at the court martial of Maryk and Keith, Queeg is asked about whether or not he overused his right to free transport of liquor and other items from Hawaii to the mainland from the navy. Queeg at first denies it, but when Greenwald says he can bring in (as witnesses) people connected with the sale of the items and the transport of them, Queeg suddenly remembers that he might have. This is not in the film, but it shows that Queeg was not all that clean an officer.
That aside, the impact of the film is still terrific half a century after it was shot. It illustrates that personality flaws frequently causes the problems that affect all of us, and that we need more understanding of each other's problems to avoid the bigger ones. From a case of over-extended battle fatigue, the crew of a warship are driven to accept an act of mutiny against it's captain in an emergency situation. And it almost gets two officers disgraced or hanged.
- theowinthrop
- Oct 8, 2005
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- El motín del Caine
- Filming locations
- Ahwanee Hotel, Yosemite Valley, Yosemite National Park, California, USA(Willie Keith and May Wynn stay at the hotel)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $2,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $21,750,000
- Gross worldwide
- $21,750,000
- Runtime2 hours 4 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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