MovieChat Forums > The Caine Mutiny (1954) Discussion > Keefer

Keefer

posted 14 years ago by c7c7c7r
11 replies | jump to latest

(Spoilers) The Keefer character was even more problematic in the book. He celebrated with everyone else right after the acquittal, which was not believeable to me.
But when Keefer was on the stand in the movie, all Greenwald had to do was ask Keefer if he ever said that Queeg was crazy or on the verge. Since Keefer didn't know what others had testified, I don't think he would've taken the chance to lie so obviously, especially with Maryk staring at him. And Greenwald would have been sharp enough to be able to pin down Keefer, just like he did to Queeg. Maryk needed all the support he could get. Having the Gunnery Officer admit in court that he said Queeg was mentally unbalanced would help Maryk.

[–] cross-12 14 years ago

Greenwald didn't think so. He said better to have one hero than two grumbling malcontents (a paraphrase), which is why he made no attempt to cross-examine Keefer.
In the book, the celebration was for both the acquital of Maryk and the sale of Keefer's novel, which is why he sponsored and hosted the celebration. In the film, Keefer says he was afraid not to show up, implying that his absence would confirm that he had failed to help Maryk. In eithe case, Keefer apparently wanted to celebrate Maryk's acquital to cover up his own shameful role in the court martial.
Incidentally, in the book, Keefer ultimately becomes Captain of the Caine, behaves cowardly by jumping overboard when the Caine is attacked by a kamikazi (sp?), and subsequently expresses remorse not only for his own cowardice, but for helping undermine Queeg.

[–] c7c7c7r 14 years ago

But there were already 'two grumbling malcontents' --Fellow officer Willie Keith was testifying on Maryk's side. Why not add a third? So Greenwald's (Wouk's) logic fails here.
After Keefer dives overboard as Captain, he does acknowledge the difficulties of being Captain, but as to his testimony, he says something like "I still don't see what I could've said..." Wouk ends the sentence there.

[–] dangerousdanaz 14 years ago

I agree with you that with a bit of pressure Keefer may certainly have cracked and admitted to pressuring Maryk. But Greenwald's basic point is also correct. Even if he showed that Keefer influenced Maryk, that would not have reduced Maryk's culpability. Maryk knew that Keefer had no professional expertise in psychiatry or psychology, and it would have diffused the court's attention.

Greenwald bet the farm, the entirety of Maryk's defense on demonstrating to the court that Queeg could not deal with intense pressure, and he wanted them to focus on that.

I don't know if the scenario makes legal sense. It seems pretty risky to me. But I definitely think that it makes a better drama this way. Going after Keefer would also diffuse our attention as viewers. It keeps us focused on the 'bad guy' until the twist at the end with Greenwald's speech to the group at the party.

Captain Dan

[–] TorontoJediMaster 14 years ago

Going after Keefer on the stand would have made it look like there WAS some sort of conspiracy about to relieve Queeg. Maryk would have looked like he'd been waiting for an opportunity to do so.

Later, at Okinawa, after the kamikaze incident -where Willie, who's now the Executive Officer, saves the ship by calmly taking charge of damage control parties- Keefer actually says that he feels more sympathy for Queeg than Willie ever could, unless he achieves command. Keefer says he's haunted by the fact that all could take is him making one mistake and he could conceivably kill everyone on board.

[–] c7c7c7r 14 years ago

I've often wondered why Wouk had the Keefer character in there. Keefer was the only professional writer on board--and Wouk slowly turned him into a treacherous coward. What did Wouk have against writers? (He was one himself).I mean he really beat up on Keefer. After the trial at the party, Greenwald reveals the truth about Keefer, and throws wine in his face. So I thought--OK, Keefer deserved it, end of story, over and out. But Wouk keeps him in the story, later showing Keefer's cowardness and has him weeping drunkenly. It was just overkill.

[–] tfilm78 14 years ago

Willie Keith is already charged with essentially supporting Maryk's mutiny, so having him testify about what he thought of Queeg doesn't help or hurt.

For Maryk to have confided in Keefer would be damaging to his case, even more so if it were pointed out that it was Keefer who brought the relevant regulations to Maryk's attention. A jury of officers is not going to sympathize Maryk for having been manipulated by Keefer. They will look down on an XO who allowed a subordinate officer to push him around. And it would make them look like conspirators. The only way to convince a jury that Maryk did the right thing was to make it look like he acted upon his own judgment of the best interests of the ship and the crew. Blaming it on Keefer is a sure-fire one-way ticket to the gallows.

[–] c7c7c7r 14 years ago

That's why a third officer's opinion was so important.
Maryk never confided in Keefer, really. Keefer brought up the subject of insanity, not only to Maryk, but to officers Keith & Harding (a forth officer) and to some of the men (in one chilling sentence during the typhoon). Greenwald could have brought that out. Like I said, all Greenwald had to do was ask Keefer if he ever stated to anyone on the Caine that Queeg was crazy. That's different from asking Keefer if he thought Queeg was crazy.

[–] tfilm78 14 years ago

Like I said, all Greenwald had to do was ask Keefer if he ever stated to anyone on the Caine that Queeg was crazy. That's different from asking Keefer if he thought Queeg was crazy.

The end result being that the officer who participated in the mutiny were acting under Keefer's influence rather than their own judgment. There is no excuse for that in the mind of a military jury. And as Maryk has already pointed out one instance in which Keefer is lying, I wouldn't give him another chance to do it. Greenwald marked him from day one for a man who would lie to cover his own @$$.

[–] Ironman54 14 years ago

Keefer in fact testified that he did his best to talk Maryk out of making a formal complaint to the Admiral. I might have it wrong that the Admiral was mentioned but for sure he said he talked him out of making a complaint.
Greenwald ended the cross at that point I think because it went to showing Maryk was not unduly influenced by Keefer, no ? A subtle manipulation of 'the truth'
(sin of omission :-)

Greenwald knew Keefer was a snake and intuitively knew Keefer had egged on Maryk from day one. He held Keefer more responsible than Maryk. None of this makes a difference one way or the other as in the end, Queeg sunk himself (yeah I said it :-) Maryk, by nature was a loyal man and he acted very professionally despite Keefers constant stirring of the pot. It was the regs. and the book on mental illness that really turned Maryk - no doubt he read only the chapter on 'paranoia', didn't know the difference between psychotic and neurotic, the differences between a paranoid personality etc, etc., as he so testified.
One has to wonder how the situation during the typhoon would have went had Keefer never been assigned to the ship. I think Maryk would have stayed loyal to Queeg. As a former deep sea fisherman with no formal ed., no doubt he had worked with men of all sorts of temperaments and personal demons. No insult intended to blue collar workers w/o formal ed. Just the life style of many fisherman/men who go off to sea for long periods, whom often face danger ...well, the few I know and the stories they tell... ya falla me ? I've just painted myself into the proverbial corner haven't I ? LOL ! No offense sailors/merchant marines/fisherman. Somebody bail me out here ... oooops, there I go again.

[–] TorontoJediMaster 14 years ago

Maryk wouldn't have known about Article 184, so he wouldn't have relieved Queeg. However, he would've been urging Queeg to turn into the wind and take on ballast.

Without Keefer, the wardroom dynamic might have changed. The officers might have been more loyal to Queeg throughout his tenure of command. Queeg would have felt more support and thus been more relaxed. That meant, he may have been more willing to listen to his subordinates about crucial matters like handling the vessel in a typhoon.

[–] rwsmith29456 14 years ago

Keefer just became excess baggage to the case since he lied to save his own skin. It would have helped had he supported Meryk buy since he didn't, A.M.F.