Imagine a cross between The Caine Mutiny and 12 Angry Men, and you'll get Court Martial. This military courtroom drama is tense, thrilling, and will keep you at the edge of your seat from beginning to end.
David Niven is a highly respected and decorated major, and he's been court martialed for three offenses: stealing money, entertaining a woman in his quarters, and leaving the base without permission. The entire film takes place in the courthouse, and it is intense! The men on the jury all know David Niven personally, and they try to put their bias aside for the sake of the law. Noelle Middleton, a captain, tries to defend him-but is she also biased, since she was the woman in his quarters? And finally, Niven's wife: Margaret Leighton. Niven insists she's too ill to testify, but when she shows up in court, will she condemn or defend him?
The acting in this film is fantastic, not only by Niven and his two leading ladies, but also by the supporting men on the jury. It's very hard to act in a real-time film, because you constantly have to have an emotional buildup in your character's performance-there's no "three weeks later" downtime in the plot, or a cutaway to another character's side-story. Anthony Asquith must have given his actors great direction, because they were all very convincing. John Hunter's script, based on Campbell and Dorothy Christi's play, is intelligent, thoughtful, and fast-paced; you're going to need to pay close attention on this one, but it's worth it! Unfortunately for this movie, it came out the same year as the more successful The Caine Mutiny, so the Academy forgot about the British drama at the Oscars. Although Humphrey Bogart was very good, David Niven absolutely deserved a nomination for his incredible performance.
