The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial

If you've ever watched the Caine Mutiny movie, you are familiar with the story. A small Navy ship in World War II, the USS Caine, during the height of a typhoon, the executive officer Ensign Willis Keith, relieves his Captain, Lt. Commander Phillip Queeg, to save the ship. The movie was based on Herman Wouk's book, as is the Caine Mutiny Court-Martial, which is a two act play the Wouk wrote to adapt the novel for the theater. The Court-Martial play focuses only on the end of the story, the court-martial of Ensign Keith, and effectively summarizes the events that led to the mutiny in the court proceedings. This is a wonderful adaptation of the story and captures the drama of the courtroom, but also the events on the ship. If you've never show more seen the movie (and shame on you if you haven't!) then this is a great, short (only 2 hours long) dramatization that completely captures the essence of Wouk's work. show less

Herman Wouk wrote this play based on the ending of his novel The Caine Mutiny (and the play opened with Henry Fonda playing the defense lawyer Greenlaw!) and he maintains the heart of the story. However, it isn't as compelling as the full length movie (and I assume novel).

This play, written by Wouk based on his novel, preserves the heart of the drama but is slightly less effective than the full-length movie (with Humphrey Bogart as Queeg).

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Beginning as a strongly autobiographical, this novel was eventually modified as a play and a couple of films. We are left in dubt as to whether the action, ie. the mutiny was necessary. Our hero is a competent naval officer whose formative trauma is the mutiny (the ship's officers take command of the ship from its then commander who has been exhibiting strongly erratic behaviour.) It is an interesting movie and more sophisticated than a great deal of the war fiction still popular.