The Caine Mutiny

Based on Herman Wouk’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 1951 novel of the same name, The Caine Mutiny is set in the Pacific theatre of World War II, the film depicts the events on board a fictitious U.S. Navy destroyer-minesweeper and the subsequent court-martial of its executive officer for mutiny. A dilapidated vessel, the Caine, gets a new ensign, Willis Keith (Robert Francis), and a new captain, Commander Queeg (Humphrey Bogart). The crew sees Queeg's unconventional behavior as irrational, and communications officer Thomas Keefer (Fred MacMurray) spreads suspicion about his suitability as captain. When a dire situation during a storm forces the executive officer (Van Johnson) to relieve Queeg of his duties, he and Ensign Keith are tried for mutiny. The film was well-received by critics and was the second highest-grossing film in the United States in 1954.