Humphrey Bogart is widely considered the greatest male star Hollywood has ever produced. I've seen all of his major hits yet it wasn't until I watched THE CAINE MUTINY ( Edward Dmytryk, Columbia, 1954) that I understood just how truly great Bogie was. With the role of LCDR. Phillip Queeg, Bogie displays a sublime vulnerability that stretches beyond performance. To me its as if Bogie is baring his soul, allowing us to see real pain, real emotion. And this role drives THE CAINE MUTINY entirely. In fact without Bogie's portrayal this film becomes just another piece of 50's fluff propaganda, serving to stoke a post war euphoria and rehabilitate an industry damaged by an ongoing struggle with it's identification with liberalism and suspected communist ties.
Coming at the end of his career, the role of Queeg suits Bogie perfectly. Queeg is the crusty veteran, having served his country well and faithfully through years of war service. He is the ideal American man, never complaining, always doing his duty and sticking by the book. But much like Bogie himself, the cracks are starting to show. Within three years of the films release Bogie was gone and one could say to by the end of the court-martial so to was Queeg. But this is where Bogie's portrayal is sublime. His vulnerability and anguish make him relatable, they allow his audience to feel with Bogie/Queeg and though he plays the crusty old hard liner, we empathize. I've always maintained that great acting allows audiences to empathize with characters regardless of deed or brutality. Bogie playing Queeg is a perfect example of this. It is easily the best performance I have ever seen from Bogie.
Also playing a role that transcends what audiences expected of him is Fred MacMurray in the role of LT Keefer. Slimy and backstabbing, self serving to the end, LT Keefer is an excellent villain. Admittedly I have never read the Herman Wouk novel which is the source of the film but it's twist on the title at the end of the film is very intriguing. I want to know if Keefer truly is the author of THE CAINE MUTINY, and only by reading the novel will I be able to figure that one out.
One thing I can determine is that at the time of the films release the film is an obvious propaganda piece for the U.S. Military. There is extensive use of actual war footage within the film and most assuredly there is a pro-military slant to the films overall message. With the director being one of the infamous Hollywood Ten, I wonder if this was his shot at redemption, his way of rejoining the industry he obviously loved. I guess I have more reading to undertake, figuring out just who Edward Dmytryk was and why he made this film.
The final thing that really impresses me with this film is a rather simple one. I love when I am watching an older film for the first time and as I'm watching I see elements or entire sections of more contemporary films throughout the text I am viewing. CRIMSON TIDE (Tony Scott, Hollywood Pictures, 1995) and A FEW GOOD MEN (Rob Reiner, Castle Rock, 1992) are two excellent films yet after having seen THE CAINE MUTINY they will never be the same. How can I look at COL. Jessup (Jack Nicholson) or CAPT. Ramsey (Gene Hackman) without seeing Bogie playing Queeg? And this solitary fact drives home to me finally just how great Bogie was. Nicholson and Hackman are two of the very best ever to work in Hollywood, yet they owe something to Bogie. He was truly a great!
And so I must ask, what is your favorite Bogie role, and why?
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