The Caine Mutiny premiered in New York City on 24 June 1954, before wider release in July.
Based on Herman Wouk's 1951 novel (which had been a stage production in 1953), the film shifts focus from Ensign Keith (Robert Francis) to Captain Queeg (Humphrey Bogart).
Film studios did not want to make the film without the involvement of the US Navy, and the Navy was reluctant to get involved with a film depicting an officer as insane (or a film with the word "mutiny" in its title). Producer Stanley Kramer purchased the rights to Wouk's novel with his own money and after 15 months of negotiation, the Navy agreed to provide access ports, ships, and planes, and Columbia Studios put the film into production.
Director Edward Dmytryk had been blacklisted since 1947 and had gone to England, returned in 1951 and named names before HUAC. He was taken off the blacklist, but no one hired him, except Kramer. They had worked on 3 low-budget films (The Sniper, Eight Iron Men, and The Juggler) before Kramer hired him to direct The Caine Mutiny.
The film was a commercial and critical success, and was nominated for 7 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor (Bogart), Best Screenplay (Stanley Roberts), and Best Supporting Actor (Tom Tully). It did not receive an Oscar.
