Moby Dick
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Movie Reviews of Moby Dick
Movie Review: Melville's classic comes to life
Summary: 4 Stars
John Huston's 1956 version of "Moby Dick" is exquisitely cast and relatively true to the novel. Gregory Peck does a commendable job as Captain Ahab, who is bent on revenge at killing the whale that took his leg and, for him, represents a sinister force of Nature. As one reviewer noted, Peck is able to demonstrate that there is more than one way to play a "crazed and obsessed" man. Ismael, the narrator, is the outside observer on the Pequod, Captain Ahab's boat. He sees the struggles of the men who try to capture several whales; he also sees how Ahab motivates his crew by painting a picture of the white whale as a symbol of "evil" to mankind. At one point, Ahab nails a gold doubloon to the mast and says that the one who first spots Moby Dick will be the one who gets this monetary reward. During another scene, Ahab sees the vessel illuminated when a typhoon hits it, and he sees this as a "sign" that he will have success in his voyage.
Another noteworthy scene is Father Mapple's "Jonah" speech (played perfectly by Orson Wells). I thought it was such a suitable scene for the relevance of the story. The speech typifies the importance of change of character, as Mapple speaks of the way in which Jonah changed after he was swallowed by the whale (referring to the Biblical story). The story that Mapple speaks about is symbolic for the larger allegory of Ahab's pursuit of the Moby Dick.
There were a few flaws with the movie, such as the repetitive chase scenes with the whale, in which we watch seemingly the same action take place. These did not deter much from the effectiveness of the Melville's story, however. The whole essence of what the Pequod represents for the crew and what the search for Moby Dick symbolize are present and accurately depicted in the film. The deeper meaning of the story rings forth in this film, and that's what makes it successful.
Movie Review: "Mighty like a whale"
Summary: 4 Stars
Melville's masterpiece, with its metaphysical speculations and moments of metatextual awareness, is practically unfilmable, but that hasn't stopped Hollywood from trying multiple times (including twice with John Barrymore as Ahab); this version directed by John Huston was one of its finest attempts. The film can best be understood as an visualization of a kind of Classic Comics version of the story, with most of the more difficult parts excised in favor of the adventure story. But it's an adventure story missing a protagonist; as in the novel, Ishmael (here played by Richard Basehart) absents himself for the most part after the fine introductory sequence, involving spectacular shots of New Bedford and its whalers and Father Mapple's sermon delivered with intelligence and fire by Orson Welles. Thereafter Gregory peck has to take over as Ahab, and though his characterization has been much mocked (most memorably by Pauline Kael), he's suitably demonic and has the look to him of an Old Testament patriarch. But the character can't really hold the film together. The best parts of the film are towards the end after the eponymous whale is finally sighted. At first, he appears only very partially and obscured by spray and foam; his appearance is uncannily presaged by the cawing and circling of gulls. When by the end he's racing through the surf smashing through whaleboats and ramming the Pequod with his bulk he really seems genuinely monstrous (the special effects are terrific especially considering they were done more than half a century ago). Even if the film doesn't wholly hold together, the effect is in the end so admirable you can't help but salute it.Movie Review: The great American Novel, with maybe the acception of Huck Finn.
Summary: 4 Stars
if you are of a certain age & grade you may have to read Moby Dick next term. Get started this summer for it is a long slough. Then you can reward yourself with this fine film adaption. I've heard others on this site criticizing Gregory Peck's portrayal of Captain Ahab. Not his style they say. Who is Ahab anyway?. Do they have a secret insight on how the character is to be played? It's Mr. Peck's interpretation & just fine. It is a story of vengeance & Ahab's obsession with the giant white whale that disabled him & took his leg. It is also a story of death, fear of death, the after life & the power of a prophesy on god-fearing men. The Pequot, named after an almost extinct, Indian tribe is a whaler out of New Bedford in the 1840's. A time infused with rigid puritanical belief that they were doing god's work supplying light to thousands of lamps with their whale oil. The dialect/manner of speaking & attention to detail on the ship is excellent, under the direction of John Huston. So Captain Ahab is losing his tenuous grip on sanity & his agitation increases. Finally there is the confrontation with the white monster. This is a rather short movie given the grandness of the book. A fine retelling in any case. The sermon by the minister before they set sail is classic Orson Welles.Movie Review: A Harpoon Throw at the Impossible
Summary: 4 Stars
There is doubtless no more difficult classic American novel to film than Moby Dick. Grand and extravagant, meandering and deep, the book is endless as the Pacific, episodic and full of arcane junk as an old roll-top desk in your grandpa's attic.
John Huston did the only thing you could do: strip it down to the size of a short Melville novella, and go for the essences. He also took the classic interpretation of Ahab as fiery madman, the American id gone haywire (some may be surprised to know that the contending theory sees him as hero).
The result is a fine stream of unforgettable Melvillian iconography: the seaside dock town you can almost smell, the fully convincing Orson Welles as Father Mapple; a great Queequeg and his coffin; the dubloon nailed to the mast and Ahab handling Saint Elmo's fire; the unforgettable furrowed wall of the white whale and its spooky eye.
It is no substitute for the book of course; Huston was a wise fellow who understood the limits of filmic art. Time has been kind to this little gem of a movie, and it is starting to look like a sort of classic in its own right -- not a self-conscious epic, either, but as a shrewd, direct piece of story-telling.
Movie Review: The Best Adaptation
Summary: 4 Stars
This 1956 production of Herman Melville's Moby Dick was written and directed by John Huston (Treasure of the Sierra Madre; The Man Who Would Be King) along with Ray Bradbury. This version is superior to the more recent release with Patrick Stewart as Captain Ahab with great cinematography and good acting.
Although some have complained about Gregory Peck's performance as Captain Ahab, I feel that his cold reserved expressions in the film work just as well in showing a man consumed by hatred and a lust for revenge. In line with Melville's extremely religious themes, the character of Ahab is a man who feels he's been cheated by nature and God and so seeks his revenge. Taking his doomed men with him around the world, he seeks to exact his vengeance on the great white whale who took his leg, Moby Dick. The sailor Ishmael (Richard Basehart) is the voice of innocence and redemption.
The direction and cinematography is superb. Huston was a master of his craft and had directed many timeless classics by the time he did Moby Dick. I recommend this film as the best adaptation of the story with the strongest cast as well as the best directed.