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The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial

Directed by Robert Altman.
With Eric Bogosian, Jeff Daniels, Brad Davis.
US, 1988, digital video, color, 100 min.
Copy source: Robert Altman Collection at the UCLA Film & Television Archive

Once again Altman directs an adaptation of a play on one set and destined for television broadcast. The material here is Herman Wouk’s 1953 courtroom drama about a naval officer on trial for leading a rebellion on ship against a bitter, obsessive and vindictive captain. Hired to remake material that had been a hit both on Broadway and as a Hollywood film, Altman was told that he could not change a word of Wouk’s script. Instead, he worked with his actors to bring out the ambiguities—about military ethics, warfare and authority—that underpin the play’s often-straightforward morality. Altman’s choice of a gymnasium basketball court for the proceedings gives the film an ironic touch of nostalgic Americana.

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