Moby Dick
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Movie Reviews of Moby Dick
Movie Review: A classic adventure story with plenty of lessons about life!
Summary: 5 Stars
This review is for the MGM DVD released in 2001.
The movie is based on the classic novel by Herman Melville of the same name. The movie opens with narration by Ishmael (Richard Basehart), who travels to the seaside town of New Bedford so that he can join a whaling crew. He stays at an inn and shares a bed with a harpooner from the South Pacific named Queequeg (Friedrich Ledebur). At first Ishmael is repulsed by Queequeg's tattoos and a shrunken head that he carries into the room, but they soon become good friends and accept employment on the whaling ship Pequod. As the ship is about to set sail, they meet the mysterious ship captain Ahab (Gregory Peck) who has a wooden leg from a previous whaling encounter with a great white whale. Ahab's right hand man is Starbuck, who is a devout Quaker. The ship sets sail and Ahab makes his mission clear to his crew: to capture this white whale he has named Moby Dick. As the movie progresses there is at first tension and later nearly outright mutiny between Ahab and Starbuck regarding the true mission of the voyage and the moral obligations he has with his fellow man which builds up to a dramatic ending.
The movie has many strengths and few weaknesses. One refreshing aspect that stood out for me is how much of the dialogue dealt with God and man's Christian beliefs. Discussions such as this have now become pretty much taboo in Hollywood in this day and age. One terrific scene is a cameo appearance by Orsen Wells who plays Father Mapple, a minister who gives a stirring sermon to his congregation about Jonah and the whale. There are certainly a lot of metaphors and moral lessons in this movie. I'm glad I bought this DVD, so that I can watch it over and over and pull out more of the abstract meanings and observe the subtle nuances of the film. John Huston directed this great film and for being shot nearly 20 years before the movie "Jaws", it gives a convincing presentation of whale hunting.
As for the DVD, an unrestored master copy was obviously used, so a few tiny blemishes would mar the color picture quality on occasion but they seemed to be few and far between. The color and sharpness were not of today's standards, but excellent for a movie this old. The audio was slightly below average, but it did not detract significantly from the presentation of the story. The DVD did not offer any bonuses except a trailer. The making of this movie would have been excellent bonus material since it was clearly a technically challenging project for a film from this era.
Movie: A-
DVD Quality: B+
Movie Review: Movie=5 Stars / DVD= 4 Stars
Summary: 5 Stars
John Huston's film of MOBY DICK is perhaps a rare exception. It's a great film in its own right, apart from the great novel upon which it is based. The case can easily be made that this film does not 'do justice' to the book, if only for the reason that it does not cover every aspect of Melville's original. But this film proves that a slavish literary imitation is not necessary for a great film.
Huston also fought with Ray Bradbury over the screenplay. The great science fiction author was literally reduced to tears by the gruff director, and he wrote a book about the experience. There was also some conflict over the casting of Gregory Peck as Ahab. Some say Orson Welles or Leo Genn (Starbuck) would have been a better choice. This may well be, but it should be admitted that Peck rises to the occasion when it's called for. The great scene with the Spanish doubloon and the great scene with Starbuck on the bridge, where Ahab explains his obsession. Few other actors are likely to have surpassed these moments.
According to IMDb, MOBY DICK was shot in 1.66:1 aspect ratio. This DVD does not present the film in that ratio, yet it does not appear to be a pan & scan transfer. The film looks very good and and nothing appears to have been done to tamper with the color. This is most likely how it should look. The director fought with the studio over the color process used in MOBY DICK: it's intentional. He and the cinematographer were trying to capture a visual style that would be evocative of a period style of painting that would contribute to the mood of the story.
Anyone interested in background on this film should read THE HUSTONS by Lawrence Grobel. The harrowing production is detailed, with plenty of attention given to the above-mentioned conflicts and also to the shooting of the INCREDIBLE final sequence.
Some extras would have been welcome, but this DVD is more than worth owning by any fan of Melville, Huston or American film.
Movie Review: Reviewer tries to pull own foot from mouth.
Summary: 5 Stars
It's really embarassing to have to apologize to a gigantic, soul-sucking corporation, but here goes; in an earlier review, I practically eviscerated MGM for not releasing John Huston's brilliant, wayward MOBY DICK in widescreen on DVD.The movie was released in 1956, at the heighth of widescreen mania, and the DVD case states "Standard: Modified to fit your screen".I was certain that I had seen it on TCM in widescreen, and I was certain that I had seen it released on laserdisc in widescreen.Further research forces me to admit that I didn't, and it wasn't. In other words, in spite of the "modified" notation on the case and my own bad memory, the DVD is in the correct 1.37:1 screen ratio format, and I recommend it unreservedly. Incidentally, the "faded" color mentioned elsewhere may not be in need of restoration; it's quite deliberate. Huston and cameraman Oswald Morris devised a color desaturation process by superimposing three color negatives on a low-contrast black & white fourth, resulting in a muted, stylized color scheme similar to old Currier & Ives prints. The result is one of the most poetically atmospheric literary adaptations ever put on film, in spite of its flaws. It's true that Richard Basehart is too old for Ishmael, and nearly everyone thinks Gregory Peck's cranky-instead-of-demonic Ahab isn't what it should be (I always thought John Huston himself would've made a great Ahab), but Ray Bradbury's script, the production design, the music, editing and direction more than compensate. From the lyrical opening to the apocalyptically-staged finale, with the "Pequod" being almost literally sucked down into Hell for its sins, the movie is a tremendous mood piece, and the last great film Huston would make until he really got back into his stride with 1975's THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING. The DVD has nothing extra on it except for the trailer, but it costs less than a pizza, and I should've checked my facts before I assaulted it. Once again, highly recommended.Movie Review: "Call me Schlemiel..."
Summary: 5 Stars
...but I love this film in spite of its many pratfalls, such as Richard Basehart being too old to play Ishmael, Gregory Peck being to young to play Ahab, and Friedrich Von Ledeburg being too German to play a Polynesian cannibal. Watch out for Father Mapple's ladder when it magically unhooks itself from the ground, or for a golden Spanish doubloon with the inscription "República del Ecuador - Quito" clearly coined in it. Other blunders (shrunken heads come from the jíbaros in South America, not from Polynesian tribes; sperm whales upper jaws have no teeth since they only eat plankton, not humans; whales are not fishes, etc) are to be blamed on Melville himself.
Several scenes would be considered too politically incorrect today, such as whalers harpooning their bloody prey for real, or an African American kid being crushed to death by a fallen mast. Some, like the one with the Pequod leaving New Bedford, are breathtakingly beautiful. As for the Great White Whale itself, it's amazing how well made it was back in 1956. No CGI at the time and a great improvement over ours, since then they really took the time to come up with belieavable special effects. All in all, Ray Bradbury writes, John Huston directs, Orson Welles preaches, Leo Genn is Starbucks, the great Harry Andrews is Stubb, Tashtego wears a perm, and Ahab Lincoln (Peck) makes Norma Desmond faces when going mad. What's not to love?
Old movies tend to date horribly from the time one saw them in childhood to the day one sees them again in DVD. Not this one. I don't know the secret, but it's a great joy nonetheless.
Movie Review: THE ONLY ALTERNATIVE
Summary: 5 Stars
For fans of the epic novel, MOBY DICK, there is only one cinematographic alternative, MOBY DICK, starring Gregory Peck and directed by John Huston. As I consider old reviews that criticize Peck's performance as Ahab, I have to say that I am puzzled. What are these critics looking for, Jim Carrey in a Riddleresque fit of spasmodic mania and insanity? There is such a thing, after all, as subdued insanity. Part of the chilling nature of Peck's masterful performance is the "still-waters-running-deep" portrayal of the troubled whaling captain. As well might these critics criticize Anthony Hopkins' performance as Hannibal the Cannibal in SILENCE OF THE LAMBS.
And the movie is a wonderful adaptation of one of the greatest literature pieces of all time. Preserved here, as well as can be done given the epic proportions of the novel, is Melville's rhapsodic wordsmithing and idiomatic expression. John Huston and Ray Bradbury exhibit pure genius in translating a lengthy manuscript to a wonderful screenplay.
Some critics, as well - individuals who cannot see the forest for the trees when it comes to comparing fifties effects to modern computer-generated and enhanced effects and animation - can't help but look at a classic and immediately begin apples to oranges comparisons that just don't hold up. Despite its origins in 1956, this movie's special effects hold up quite nicely to modern scrutiny.
Let's hope that the temptation to try to rework a masterpiece has died and that this classic is simply and completely accepted as the only alternative.
THE HORSEMAN