Glad you left it, Ironman, because I think you've glommed onto some relevant questions and points.
For the shorthand answer to the issues of both character and casting, I go with your "B" option. Willie serves a different purpose in the film than he does in the novel. In the latter, he's the central character, and it's about him, with all other characters in support of his story.
From the standpoint of the film's narrative, he serves primarily as our eyes and ears, so that rather than being about him, he largely functions only as our witness to events, which we see through him.
From the standpoint of film making - particularly "Hollywood" film making - I'm sure it was seen that Francis would be non-competition for all that veteran star power, which - along with the prestige of the source material - would have been the film's selling point. Not to say that the producers weren't expecting that he might earn some chops - apparently there were some high hopes for him - but you've got to be pretty dynamic and stellar to outshine the likes of Bogie, Johnson, MacMurray and Ferrer - not to mention already-reliable players like Tully, Marvin and Akins. It does seem, however, that the script was deliberately constructed to shift the character emphasis.
So I imagine they felt that whether Francis sank or swam, he'd serve his purpose. If he didn't make an impression, no harm, no foul. If he managed to steal the picture, a new star is born and so much the better. Of course, we can now never know what kind of development he may have shown or what future he had.
Thanks for an interesting post, and I think you did pretty well with "Gaslight" as a distraction. I don't know how anyone could do anything while that film is running, except watch it.
Poe! You are...avenged!
reply
share
cross-12
14 years ago
The two previous posts are both insightful. The book's theme is different from the film's. The book is about the maturation of a young officer, with the war story as a backdrop. In the film, the war story is the main point, with the story of Willie Keith's maturation given secondary importance, at best. In fact, the story of Willie Keith is underwritten (and underacted) just enough to be pointless, yet emphasized just enough to be annoying and intrusive. The filmmakers would have been better advised to drop the Keith story entirely rather than bungle it the way they did.
reply
share
Doghouse-6
14 years ago
Considering the degree to which the screenplay reduces the significance of the character, and his personal growth as both a man and an officer, the producers might very well have chosen to present the events on board the Caine as a passive narrative.
My guess is that they didn't feel safe in jettisoning Willie completely because of the popularity and reputation of the novel - rather like filming "Moby Dick" without Ishmael - and chose instead to use the time-honored device of presenting the story through the eyes of one primarily passive character (who is in virtually every scene) as a compromise.
I find it interesting that the three incarnations of this story - novel, play and film - each focus on different aspects thereof and employ different dramatic structures (the novel: from Willie's entrance into midshipman school all the way through to the Caine's decommissioning; the film: the events on board the Caine leading to and climaxing with the court-martial; the play: only the court-martial itself). Since reading the novel, I've felt it cries out for a fully-realized film treatment of the entire story. It would have to be either a very long and big-budgeted feature, or - my preference - something like an HBO mini-series, in as many parts as necessary to do it justice.
Poe! You are...avenged!
reply
share
TorontoJediMaster
14 years ago
That was one of the problems of the film, and was likely a reason Wouk disliked it.
Willie -the main protagonist of the book- is relegated to a background character with no personal or professional development.
In the book, after three months on the ship, Willie promoted to Communications Officer. Over the next year, he becomes amazingly proficient at his job. He also grows into a highly competent watch officer on the bridge. Maryk comes to trust him completely as an officer.
In the film, Willie never seems to outgrow being the "wet-behind-the-ears" Ensign.
In the book, Willie eventually becomes the Captain of the Caine his story ends as the ship is decommissioned after the war.
As for the romance angle, it's presented as a tacked-on addition in the film. In the book, it serves as Willie's personal growth catalyst, the same way the Caine is as his professional growth.
reply
share