Director John Huston again proves he has what it takes when bringing gripping action to the silver screen. A riveting tale from start to finish, it is at its best in the stirring whaling sequences when Huston makes the viewer feel he is in the whaleboat with the harpooners hunting the behemoths.

The story of Moby Dick is one that almost everyone was required to read in high school. If you want to see my take on the book, it is at this address:

http://www.epinions.com/book-review-335A-B374F60-3984264A-prod1

In the movie, Huston wisely focused on the hunt for the great white whale by obsessive Captain Ahab. In the book this hunt covers about 10% of the tale, but to do otherwise would prove a quandary to film, as author Herman Melville delved into many philosophical and spiritual discussions as well as descriptions of whaling itself.

To adapt the story to a screenplay, Huston employed famed science fiction writer Ray Bradbury. Bradbury fleshed out the characters and stuck faithfully to the whale hunt plot.

Our host into the world of whaling is Ishmael, (Richard Basehart) a neutral character who neither excites great interest or contempt in the viewer. Ishmael arrives in New Bedford and meets Queequeg, a tattooed south sea islander who is an experienced harpooner. They decide to ship together and sign on with the Pequod.

Before they ship out, the two friends attend church where the parson (Orson Welles) gives a sermon on pride, using the story of Jonah as a vehicle. Just before they get back on the Pequod, a ragged man accosts them, relating a startling prophecy akin to something from the Old Testament. He mentions Captain Ahab by name and, when asked, tells them his name is Elijah (Royal Dano). Ishmael notes that Elijah and King Ahab were at loggerheads in the Old Testament also.

The Pequod embarks on its two-year voyage without Captain Ahab deigning to show his face. The sailors hear him walking on deck above as they sleep below at night, his peg leg thumping. Finally, Ahab comes on deck and tells the men that he will pay a Spanish gold ounce to the man who spots a white whale. Ahab captures the imagination of the superstitious sailors and quickly drowns any opposition with his feverish rhetoric and a monstrous flagon of grog, passed all around.

The crew finds a solitary whale and the harpooners kill it and flay the blubber off it, boiling it and saving it in casks. Later, the Pequod comes across a vast herd of some two hundred whales, which would allow them to quickly fill their hold and return to New Bedford early. However, Ahab makes them weigh anchor and head for new waters based on reports of Moby Dick. At this point it becomes clear that Ahab's personal obsession overrides any economic consideration the whaling venture may have had up to that point. When First Mate Starbuck (Leo Genn) remonstrates with Ahab on behalf of the owners who are paying for the voyage, we see the glint of madness in Ahab's eyes as he delivers his single minded answer, "There is a God in heaven and there is one captain on the Pequod."

Once Moby Dick is sighted and the pursuit begins in earnest, Ahab's madness infects the entire crew, including Starbuck. Elijah's prophecy is fulfilled to the letter as all crewmembers save one are dragged to a watery grave.

From a technical standpoint, the movie is flawless. The direction, photography and casting is inspired, with the exception of miscasting Gregory Peck as Captain Ahab. While Peck was by no means bad, another actor could have been more convincing. Perhaps Robert Newton or Charles Laughton could have portrayed the elemental evil that was Ahab. Alas for Director Huston, he was saddled with Peck by the studio because they wanted a big name due to the grim script and lack of a heroine or love interest as a box office draw. Supporting cast include Harry Andrews, Frederic Ledebur, and James Robertson Justice, each of whom suited their role to a T.

The sets and props are spot-on, including many scenes of the Pequod under sail in fair weather and foul. The parson's pulpit is the prow of a ship in a church full of markers commemorating sailors lost at sea. Absolutely flawless photography with special film processing by Oswald Morris designed to make the film look like hand tinted whaling prints. Very convincing special effects by Robert Clark - Moby Dick was a ninety-foot mockup of a sperm whale driven in the climax by Huston himself. Well fitting score by Phillip Stainton.

A very impressive adaptation of a difficult novel, I heartily recommend Moby Dick to viewers of all ages.

Happy viewin

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening