Moby Dick (1956) 7.4
The sole survivor of a lost whaling ship relates the tale of his captain's self-destructive obsession to hunt the white whale, Moby Dick. Director:John Huston |
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Moby Dick (1956) 7.4
The sole survivor of a lost whaling ship relates the tale of his captain's self-destructive obsession to hunt the white whale, Moby Dick. Director:John Huston |
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| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Gregory Peck | ... | ||
| Richard Basehart | ... | ||
| Leo Genn | ... | ||
| James Robertson Justice | ... | ||
| Harry Andrews | ... | ||
| Bernard Miles | ... |
The Manxman
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Noel Purcell | ... |
Ship's Carpenter
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Edric Connor | ... | |
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Mervyn Johns | ... | |
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Joseph Tomelty | ... | |
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Francis De Wolff | ... | |
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Philip Stainton | ... |
Bildad
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| Royal Dano | ... | ||
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Seamus Kelly | ... | |
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Friedrich von Ledebur | ... |
Queequeg
(as Friedrich Ledebur)
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This classic story by Herman Melville revolves around Captain Ahab and his obsession with a huge whale, Moby Dick. The whale caused the loss of Ahab's leg years before, leaving Ahab to stomp the boards of his ship on a peg leg. Ahab is so crazed by his desire to kill the whale, that he is prepared to sacrifice everything, including his life, the lives of his crew members, and even his ship to find and destroy his nemesis, Moby Dick. Written by E.W. DesMarais <jlongst@aol.com>
This is a film that becomes part of you. I used to watch it over and over again on TV when it was shown during my childhood in the 1960's, and I never tire of watching it. And whenever I find myself living somewhere away from the ocean, the longing is intense to find water again. "Call me Ishmael".
The screenplay was written by Ray Bradbury, and it was his first. In his lectures and interviews, Bradbury always seems to tell the story of how John Huston contacted him out of the blue for this assignment. Evidently, he flew Bradbury and his wife to Ireland, where the science fiction writer was holed up in a hotel for a few weeks, in a wonderful agony of creation.
Bradbury has always been enamoured with classic novels. His book "Fahrenheit 451" told us how great literature somehow becomes subversive, in a controlled society. Under fascism, individuals are not encouraged to understand what it is to be truly human. Life becomes flat, and it is a deliberate process.
Before I had a VCR, I taped this movie on an audio cassette. It was an amazing experience to see it unfold in my mind's eye.
Bradbury put his whole heart into this screenplay, and the result can never be matched.