The other comments remarking on the differences between the novel and the film are on-target. I also agree that only something along the lines of an HBO mini-series could do it justice.
All that is preface to the following points. First, if a proper adaptation was done for the screen, it wouldn't be a remake. The film lifted themes and sequences from the book, but didn't cover the half of it.
Second, no substitute for Bogart would be necessary. The character was extensively rewritten to suit an actor of his age. In the novel, Queeg is an inexperienced young officer who's never held command - and it's made clear that the Navy was pretty much scraping the bottom of the barrel for available officers - rather than a battle-weary middle-aged one. The book draws both parallels and contrasts between the immaturity and inexperience of Keith and Queeg, and illustrates how one comes of age and meets challenges, while the other crumbles under the pressure.
Don't misunderstand: I love the film and think it's one of Bogart's very best performances. But to portray Queeg as written in the novel, an entirely different type of actor would be required. As I read it, I kept envisioning someone like Philip Seymour Hoffman, although he, too, is now too old for the character as written.
I really can recommend the novel. I read it for the first time no more than a couple years ago. It's gripping and absorbing, and will put the film version out of your mind, giving you a whole new slant on the characters and the story.
Poe! You are...avenged!
reply
share
TorontoJediMaster
13 years ago
I completely agree with you that a miniseries -preferably by HBO- would be required to do the book justice.
One thing I do need to slightly disagree with you about is Queeg's level of experience. He was in command of a ship for the first time, and it was his undoing. However, he HAD a great deal of experience at sea prior to that. He alluded to having had about four straight years of sea duty and Captain Grace, in a gentle attempt to see if Queeg would like to be reassigned, suggests that he's long overdue for shore duty.
The problem was that Queeg had only been a subordinate officer in his other postings, and had always done a good job. He'd never had ultimate responsibility for a ship and its crew before and that's what caused him to crumble.
The Willie/Queeg contrast is that each of them perform when he becomes the Captain of the Caine. Queeg's tenure is a disaster marked by poor morale and bad decisions. Willie, on the other hand, is able to keep the ship from being damaged while it's anchored at Okinawa during a typhoon -which earns him the respect and trust of the crew- and runs the ship competently and confidantly.
reply
share
Doghouse-6
13 years ago
Thanks. If I oversimplified or stated it poorly, it was inadvertent, as I was focused more on the differences between the character as portrayed in the film vs the book. I recall that you put it better in an earlier post, so I sought it out:
"In the book, it's implied that it wasn't his years of service that did him in. It was simply being in command of the ship."
It strikes me that the "novel" Queeg was pretty much an embodiment of the Peter Principle; that's all I really meant to convey. Would that be fair to say?
Poe! You are...avenged!
reply
share