Live Life Team
Genre: War
Director: John Ford, Mervyn Leroy
Starring Cast: Henry Fonda, James Cagney, William Powell, and Jack Lemmon.
On a small cargo ship, the USS Reluctant (aka the Bucket), afloat somewhere in the Pacific at some stage in World War II, Lieutenant Roberts (Fonda), the placid cargo officer who worries he will miss seeing battle before the war is over, helps a long tormented crew (as well as the quick witted, lazy and big headed Ensign Pulver and the world weary doctor) deal with the scheming of their dictatorial captain (Cagney).
After the crew wreaks chaos ashore, the captain inflicts a tough work agenda on them as a punishment, as well as cancelling future shore leaves. Driven to beyond his breaking point, Mr Roberts takes vengeance for himself and the crew upon the hated symbol of the captain’s power, a carefully guarded and much watered palm tree. Ensign Pulver also finds the courage to make his own stand against the captain’s domination.
There was a great deal of theatre off screen in the making of Mister Roberts when John Ford and Henry Fonda had a personal conflict which resulted in Ford walking off the filming of the picture. Nonetheless, the film turned out to be a big box office and critical hit, mainly because of the incisive script and the brilliant performances of Fonda, Cagney, Powell and Lemmon. Although not a single gunshot is fired in the entire film, it makes a strong declaration about men at war.
