Moby Dick (1956) User Reviews

Gotten Better With Age

[bkoganbing · 8/10 · 31 January 2006]

When John Huston was casting for Moby Dick he got to make it on condition that he get a name actor to play Ahab. He went to Gregory Peck who was surprised by the offer. Given his image and the roles he had played up to that time, Peck thought he'd be better cast as Starbuck the first mate. Nevertheless he agreed to do Ahab.

Peck got mixed reviews at the time, but over the course of 50 years his performance has gotten better with time. The film itself which was shot in Ireland and Wales has also aged well. It's a nice depiction of life on a whaling ship in the 1840s and the crew of the Pequod are nicely cast in their roles.

Orson Welles was set to do his own adaption of Moby Dick and canceled his film when he heard his friend John Huston was doing Moby Dick. Welles asked about doing Ahab, but was given the small role of Father Mapple, the minister who blesses the Pequod's voyage. In fact Huston gave Welles a free hand to do the scene as he saw fit and the results are gratifying.

Of course Herman Melville's novel is about obsession and vengeance. I've always thought the point of Moby Dick is that the evil white whale who Ahab so personalizes and demonizes is just a whale doing his whale thing trying to stay alive. It is in fact the whalers who hunt him and his kind. And Ahab losing his leg is what we would call an occupational accident. The evil is how Ahab seduces the whole crew into his own madness, even first mate Starbuck, played winningly by Leo Genn who is the voice of reason and civilization.

Other cast members to note are Harry Andrews as second mate Stub, Friedrich Ledebuhr as Queequeg the Pacific Islander harpooner, and of course Richard Basehart as Ishmael who tells the tale.

Over-the-top rendition of Herman Melville's high seas saga with a sensational Gregory Peck as unforgettable captain Ahab

[ma-cortes · 8/10 · 20 September 2011]

This oceans saga features the sole survivor of a lost whaling ship who relates the tale of a white whale and the captain Ahab's obsession with desires for vendetta upon the greatest animal . It starts in New Bedford , Massachussets, where arrives a novice named Ishmael (Richard Basehart) who signs aboard the whaling ship Pequod and befriends a Polynesian native , harpooner Queequeg (Friedrich Ledebur) . He meets captain Ahab (Gregory Peck) who has a self-destructive obsession to hunt the white whale , Moby Dick . Ahab consecrates his life to hunt it full of hating and vengeance . Soon enough Ishmael aware about the great white whale who claimed the captain's leg and Ahab's determination to seek avenge on the beast that crippled and scarred him , no matter what the cost to himself , his crew or ship .

This impressive adaptation based on Herman Melville's 1851 classic novel is vividly brought to screen . Suspense and tension of the ocean is completely captured , including enduring images as the storm with the 'fire of Saint Telmo' . Climatic final battle is an overwhelming piece of cinema as you are likely to watch . Huston, along with prestigious Sci-Fi author Ray Bradbury wrote a screenplay that was faithful to the novel , stamping this movie with epic images and thought-provoking dialogs . In his memories , Huston wrote that it was his most difficult and enduring film . Huston decided to do the opening sequences at a small village called Youghal located on Irland coast and the maritime scenes were filmed in Islas Canarias , Spain . The FX experts created a great whale made with gum and plastic and moved by means of remote control . Huston bought to Walt Disney the ship used in 'Treasure Island' (by Byron Haskin) and was modified as Herman Melville described the Pequod . Top-notch main cast who realizes extraordinary performances . Peck is fabulous , though Huston had wanted to make the movie 20 years earlier and star his daddy Walter Huston . Phenomenal support cast as Bernard Miles as Manxman , James Robertson Justice as captain Boomer , Harry Andrews as Stubbs , and Leo Genn who steals the show as officer Starbuck . Cameraman Oswald Morris's breathtaking color cinematography splendidly conveys the bleaker qualities of the chase . Exciting and rousing musical score by Philip Stainton and well conducted by the usual Louis Levy . Rating : Above average , quite a few moments that click make this top-of-the-range movie more than watchable . It results to be one of the most thrilling and moving see sagas ever realized .

It's remade in 1998 TV series by Franc Roddan with Patrick Stewart ,Henry Thomas , Bill Hunter and Gregory Peck who takes on the character of Jonah-and-the-whale sermonizing Father Mapple who in this classic adaptation was vividly played by Orson Welles . Furthermore recent lousy rendition full of computer generator FX starred by Barry Bostwick and Renee O'Connor .

flavour of the period

[rudi-samborski · 7/10 · 24 January 2007]

I do understand the criticism of Gregory Peck. His character seems too young and not nearly tortured enough to do Ahab full justice.

The book obsesses about the religious significance of everything. You get a flavour of that with this film too, with superstition seamlessly blended in as well. Orson Wells awesome cameo as the preacher sets up and supports this important plot element. Important because, this is how men thought and dealt with the ongoing risk associated with seafaring. They were literally at the mercy of nature & the elements for months & years at a time.

An enduring image of the film for me is the scene where a member of the crew is seen carving patterns on Queequeg's (already heavily decorated) body using a knife. Queequeg himself is stoic and resigned to die at this point. Ishmael though, is outraged on discovering this abuse of his friend. This is unique to the screenplay, and is a brilliant dramatic instrument.

Ahab: 'From hell's heart I stab at thee; for hate's sake I spit my last breath at thee.' This line was also borrowed by Ricardo Monteban's Khan in 'The Wrath of Khan'.

Melville was inspired to write his tale by the personal account of Owen Chase, the son of a survivor of the Ship Essex, sunk by a whale in the Pacific. The whale charged twice; knocking itself out the first time.

Houston's film seems to capture a flavour of the period. It's probably substantially inaccurate, but it's nevertheless convincing. No other version of Moby Dick I've seen has been able to pull that off.

There's Majesty For You!

[Damion-2 · 14 July 1999]

"We are all killers, on land and on sea," wrote Herman Melville more than 100 years ago. But the artistic failure of a recent television adaptation of his greatest work shows that some are killers, too, on screen. Movie makers. Butchers. Their guts are now gorged with Moby Dick.

"Majestic" raved "TV Guide" about USA Network's production of Melville's book. Reading that review I had a fantasy where Captain Ahab, with his sublime limp, walks into the magazine's office, shoves director John Huston's 1956 film of Moby Dick into the VCR, points to the screen and defiantly exclaims:

"There's majesty for you . . . "

. . . in the faces of men. Huston's film benefits from its intelligent casting of the seamen. The actors in the recent production are just pretty-boy imports from Los Angeles, rabble-rousers lacking the dignity that is gained from a lifetime of duty. But that dignity is plainly visible on the rugged faces of the men in the earlier film. One rarely sees that anymore.

. . . in the faces of women, too. The images of the women suffering as they watch their men go off to sea are utterly devastating, they hold so much emotional depth, so much beauty. The attention to detail in Huston's film is striking: the hairs on the chins of the old women, the tired, thick-skinned expressions of the wives and widows, the heavy shawls covering their heads.

. . . in the performances. Over 40 years ago when Orson Welles gave his performance as Father Mapple (a role which only a person with a special kind of magnificence could successfully take on), Gregory Peck might have been busily preparing for his role as Captain Ahab in the same film. What a testament to Peck's stature as one of our leading actors that throughout his career he could play not only Captain Ahab but also, in the recent production, Father Mapple.

. . . in the color. Huston's film is in Technicolor, a technique which produced colors not even seen in nature. The sky is now blue now red now green. The water is brown, pink, gray. Colors blend. Colors clash. By comparison, how banal the colors of our post-Technicolor world!

. . . in the mouth. The seamen have the exquisite mouths of pipe-smokers. The upper lip tight and stiff after so many hours pulled down in the puff.

. . . in the eyes. My favorite scene is where Peck as Captain Ahab famously proclaims: "Speak not to me of blasphemy. I'd strike the sun if it insulted me." The lighting, the acting, everything here is superb. The camera is focused tightly on Peck's face. The stark appearance of his eyes -- the tense, black irises all surrounded by gleaming white -- seems to reveal the subtext of the story. His eyes electrify!

John Huston's film says more in its two hours than USA Network's says in four; it suggests a lot and explains little, whereas the latter tries to explain a lot but says nothing. A great film, it doesn't butcher Melville's Moby Dick but adds to its power.

Intriguing Gregory Peck Perfomance

[perfectbond · 7/10 · 21 December 2002]

Gregory Peck gives a riveting portrayal of Captain Ahab, a man obsessed with hunting down the white whale, Moby Dick, who disfigured him years earlier. I haven't read the Herman Melville novel on which this film is based so I can't comment on it as as adaptation. Standing alone as a

film however, it was very entertaining. Peck draws the viewer in and makes him believe in (and fear) his obsession. The audience instantly becomes familiar with the hard life and the hopes of Ahab and his men

as they engage in the ageless confrontation between man and nature. The special effects are suprisingly good for the era in which they were created. Very good film, 8/10.

Melville's classic , The Pinnacle of Quality flim making , one of the fascinating Work i have ever Seen ( UK A+ Movie ) My Ratings 10/10

[THE-BEACON-OF-MOVIES-RAFA · 10/10 · 20 March 2020]

"The sea, where each man, as in a mirror, finds himself". Mysterious, haunting and most of all, honest account of the passions and tribulations of life at sea. Stand-out performance from Gregory, given free reign to let rip at a brilliant script. "Is it real? Do you see it?"; "Aye, we all see it, but that doesn't mean it's real". You can tell a quality film when the lead star is kept off screen as in this movie, for the first half hour. Extraordinary moments a-plenty here

Easier to Watch than the Book to Read

[ragosaal · 7/10 · 26 September 2006]

I red Herman Melville's book "Moby Dick" some years ago and though the story was really captivating and I enjoyed it very much but somehow it seemed too long to me. This film version by John Houston lasts a couple of hours and I think it works very good as a resume of Captain Ahab's revengeful chase of the white whale. Don't get me wrong: the book is a classic and a very good one too but it is movies we're talking about here.

"Moby Dick" is a real good adventure film and Houston's direction is pretty accurate. He delivers the plot slowly but constantly up to the moment we are all waiting for: the appearance of the whale ("huge as mountain of snow"). In the meantime he shows the different characters on board the "Pequod" such as the professional Mr. Starbuck, the second in command; the tough and at he same time friendly Mr. Stubb; the mysterious Queequegg with his body covered by tattoos; and Ishmael the newcomer in search for adventure.

But the center of the whole thing is Captain Ahab with his leg ripped of by the white whale and living with the only purpose of taking revenge of the beast. Nothing else matters for him. And so obsessed Ahab is that he finally passes his madness into his men too.

Gregory Peck brings a fine performance as the tortured and insane Captain and he shows perfectly he has been a dead man long before his meeting at sea with Moby Dick. Leo Genn is good too as well as Harry Andrews as Stubb (I can't recall a bad performance from Andrews in all his many appearances as a supporting actor). Richard Basehart is correct in the role of Ishmael, though perhaps his acting is a little too light here.

The final battle between the men and the white whale is outstanding or even more if you consider it was made with the special effects of the 50's. Huston shows his skill here too.

Watch this film if you missed it (don't go for that recent too long all computer TV version starring Patrick Stewart as Ahab); you'll sure enjoy it if you like high classic adventure with psychology in the characters too.

The Power & The Glory...

[Xstal · 10/10 · 18 August 2022]

Ahoy there me hearties, did you happen to see, the biggest white whale, as big as can be; riven by scarring, barnacle strewn, the mind of a demon, tattooed by harpoon.

It's a tough book to crack but the filmed story leaves us under no illusion of the barbarity of man over his perceived kingdom, and one man in particular, the tormented tyrant of the Pequod. Outstanding performances all round, none more so than the gnarled and knotted Ahab presented by Gregory Peck.

On age-appropriate actors

[vamorrison · 7/10 · 23 June 2013]

I enjoyed the heck out of this movie. It's an honest attempt to bring the great novel to the screen, and there is no reworking or Hollywoodizing of it. The story progresses and the characters are believable.

There is, however, a continuing flaw in many movies when an actor of the wrong age is cast for a particular part. This gives us things like a 22-year-old kid playing Superman and 70-year-old Robert Mitchum playing a World War Two Navy captain. (Captains are typically in their early 40s.) That happens here. Gregory Peck effectively conveys the obsessive madness of Ahab, but he is just plain WAY too young. Melville's Ahab is 58, which was considered old in the middle of the 19th century. Peck himself is said to have noted he was not right for the role and that it demanded more than he had in him at that age.

Here's a thought.

This happens in reverse in another superb seagoing film, "The Caine Mutiny" (1954). Humphrey Bogart, then over 50, plays a 30-something Navy LCDR. Again - Bogie nails the part, but he's just plain WAY too old.

What if we go back in time and have Bogart play Ahab and Peck play Queeg? Bogie would be marvelous as the mad, obsessive Ahab, and Peck could bring off the dark, disturbed, unbalanced Queeg just right.

Both are marvelous movies with terrific lead characters - but both stars are twenty years wrong in age.

Get the DVDs and view both and see what you think.

A classic like none before or since!

[Michael1958 · 10/10 · 28 June 2003]

If you have ever read the Herman Melville story of Moby Dick, then you will know how hard it must have been for John Huston to turn it into film. Thanks to Ray Bradbury's screenplay and great acting, this film became a classic. That it is not in the top 250 IMDB rated films is a shame. I hope that this is due to it's limited showings and therefore not being seen by many of this site's users. From the start to the finish the film is well paced. The casting of Gregory Peck as Captain Ahab was wise. He commands the role well. Orson Welles appearance as the minister is also a treat to behold. Welles shows that he can add so much to a film whether it be a small role or a large one. Special effects are the only thing that could have been a bit better done. However, in 1956, depicting a great white whale with an attitude was not an easy accomplishment film making wise. This film does go into the relationship between man and God, so some folks will no doubt be prejudiced against the film. Keep in mind the story's time period and locale. The seafaring men of New England really did once hold God close to their heart. Melville's use of a whale to depict the struggle was good. Huston getting it onto film was even better. Sorry, I like the film better than the book. MM

Great effects, beautifully shot, and a tall tale

[secondtake · 7/10 · 10 October 2010]

Moby Dick (1956)

Stunning low key color, remarkable special effects, a stern Gregory Peck as Ahab, and a cast of ruffians and odd characters from the world 'round. This is about as good as you can do with the novel, which is huge and which depends often on long passages of brilliant writing. Some of the monologues are here, and they are a high point of the script.

The tale is amazing, filled with metaphors of man's free will, his relationship to God and Nature, his duty to captain and to self, and his fighting for survival. It's also about legends and myth, and it transports us to a time mostly gone where the seas were more mystery than mere vastness. Everything is done by hand, and one pleasure of the movie is seeing an accurate depiction of the times, and the industry.

You do wonder now and then why the movie isn't even better. Why doesn't it really shake you to the bones, or make you question the meaning of life, or get weepy for the whale? Maybe it's because the language and the ideals are 150 years old. Times do change. The currents are the same, the big ones, but they get put forward (and illustrated) in a way that feels, well, illustrative. Allegorical. Which is terrific, but something less palpable. Interesting to see Ray Bradbury helping Huston with the adaptation.

I also don't know how to view Peck's job as Ahab. There is something perfect about him, very consistent, and strong (and that voice). But maybe Ahab was a little scarier and more mysterious than this (that's my memory from the book). Ahab was not just large, in life, but larger than life. Like the whale.

A remarkable effort, for sure. John Huston's manly ethic finds a perfect palette here. And without Bogart, but with a small part for a Walter Brennan-like bit actor Royal Dano, and great sermon by Orson Welles.

"Moby Dick" Huston's Masterpiece

[tramky · 10/10 · 19 June 2005]

"Moby Dick" is one of the great adventure films of all time, and one of the greatest psychological stories ever told. Ahab & his quest for the White Whale have reached the status of a cultural icon, but this film was wonderful when it was released, remains wonderful today, and will I think stand the test of time well into the future.

I'd heard that even Gregory Peck himself had been talked into believing that his performance was 'wooden', but that is hogwash. This is probably Peck's greatest performance, and that's saying something.

"Moby Dick" takes us into two strange and unfamiliar worlds--that of the 19th-century whaler and its crew on a global hunt for whale oil on the high seas, and that of Captain Ahab's mind. A great adventure and a great obsession intertwined, inseparable.

The script was a brilliant adaptation of a difficult book. John Huston & Ray Bradbury put this together and managed to use a number of lines directly from the book in the sometimes odd vernacular of the period that gives certain scenes and dialogue such presence and authenticity.

From the odd first spoken line in the film, the voice-over of Richard Basehart saying "Call me Ishmael", the brilliantly constructed initial scenes that brought us, the audience, down to the sea as they brought the young Ishmael to it, the wonderful scenes in The Spouter's Inn where Ishmael meets innkeeper Peter Coffin and some of the Pequod's crew, notably Stubb, who goodnaturedly challenges Ishmael's seagoing ambition and, when convinced that he is authentic, introduces him to the inn's customs and celebration. And the unforgettable, wonderful and strange Queequeg with his head. Who wouldn't want to join a whaling voyage with this lot?! Peck's Ahab is one of the most compelling and memorable characters ever portrayed on film, and the transformation of the crew to carry out Ahab's obsessive search for the White Whale even against their better judgement was wonderfully portrayed and is the singular most important element of the story & of this script.

It is absurd to describe what happens in this film, and I will not. Suffice to say that this is a great film, one I can watch from time to time with almost the same frequency as 'Casablanca'.

Deforestation

[RARubin · 7/10 · 31 July 2006]

For those folks that want great literature without having to read a 500-page tome, then this Readers Digest like condensation might be the ticket. All the high points of Moby Dick are touched on starting with 'Call me Ishmael," and so on.

As all have already pointed out, Gregory Peck has nailed the Ahab character. You got me how he managed the whalebone peg leg. The obsessive rush to take vengeance on the great whale boils in crazed Ahab's head and certainly his crew one by one catch the fever for either greed or blind allegiance. Therefore, our allegorical story full of biblical references mete out large portions of philosophical sophisms, enough for the entire Humanities Departments at fifty Universities to burn the midnight whale oil; oh, the reams of paper written about poor Moby, we're talking deforestation here.

If ever there was a story to get young men to read Lit, Moby Dick is the one.

Except For Very End, This Was A Snoozer

[ccthemovieman-1 · 3/10 · 30 October 2006]

For a two-hour "adventure film," this is Boring, yes, with a capital B. Only the last 10 minutes of the movie, with Captain Ahab (Gregory Peck) being "attached" the big whale, provides any excitement. The latter winds up destroying everything in sight and every one but one person, "Ishmael" (Richard Basehart).

The start of this film is extremely slow, way too talky, and doesn't really provide any "adventure" until that final confrontation. As good as that scene is, I can't see keeping a tape of two-hour movie just to watch the last 10 minutes. This is another case of a '50s movie that is too much talk. This is an adventure, not a melodrama, for cryin' out loud.

Better and better each time you see it

[ericl-2 · 19 April 2000]

Some critics panned this pic when it came out - Peck too wooden, the script too cliched, etc, etc. Don't believe a word of it. I saw this one when I was 8 or 9, and for years I watched it every time it came on TV - even in B&W! Peck isn't wooden, he's intense and fascinating (my favorite scene: in his cabin, saying to Starbuck, "That bed is a coffin"). The language may sound stilted, but it's MELVILLE'S, and the cast sink into it with conviction.

Some critic (I don't know which) has said that Moby Dick (the book) is an "uncomfortable masterpiece" - or something like that - meaning that it's a hard pill to swallow. The movie is bound to be a hard pill for many viewers as well. But that's their loss. Huston's movie is a great big powerful thing - you believe in Peck's crazy passion, in Starbuck's gentleness, in Ishmael and Quequeg's bond, in the evil of the whale, even.

Another favorite sequence: the Pequot becalmed, the crew lying about under the intense sun, slowly going crazy. The climactic chase is superb and thrilling, of course; what it all adds up to is a film about the elements, and our relationship to them. The whale is just the biggest of a whole slew that constantly threaten to destroy us. Nature, our natures - all the things we fight against with our intelligence, that threaten to engulf us.

Beautiful film, one of Huston's best. I find the analogy with Hitler/Nazis in an earlier comment very interesting. Another would be with an earlier Huston film, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre - another film about people taking terrible chances for reasons that don't stand up to a lot of examination, whose biggest obstacle turns out to be themselves. By the way, will someone please rerelease Moby Dick in a restored version so we can get a really good look at all that glorious Technicolor?

Above Average Adaptation

[rmax304823 · 7/10 · 13 November 2007]

Captain Ahab (Gregory Peck) commands the whaler Pequod in 1842 and convinces the crew that they should pursue and kill the giant white whale, Moby Dick, instead of doing their jobs. Ahab has vengeance on his mind, the whale having divested him of a leg on a previous voyage. But it goes beyond that. The whale stands for Something with a capital S, but it's not clear exactly what. "He haunts me," says Ahab to his first mate, Starbuck (Leo Genn). "He heaps me. Yet he is but a mask. 'Tis the thing behind the mask I chiefly hate." Whatever the thing behind the mask is, it's not a sled named Rosebud. The story is a impasto of meanings, some personal, some theological, and some positively mystical. Ahab's quest is at bottom blasphemous. A "dumb brute" has taken his leg, more or less in self defense, and Ahab refuses to accept his fate.

A couple of observations. At the turn of the last century, Max Weber, a German sociologist, wrote "The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism," in which he argued that it was Protestantism, with its idea of a "calling", that facilitated the development of industrialism. A truly religious man worked hard to make a lot of money or, as Starbuck puts it, the whalers of the time provided the world with oil, which was good for society and was therefor a service to God. Melville was also right in making Starbuck a Quaker because Quakers valued humility before arrogance. (Massachussetts has given us more presidents than any other state; Pennsylvania has given us one.) That's from E. Digby Baltzell, not Weber. I mention Weber's insight though because it's kind of important to our understanding of how shocking Ahab's decision was, to put aside what was a service to God in order to satisfy his individual desire. Nowadays we accept self satisfaction as worthwhile in itself. In 1842, it was like giving God the finger.

Undoubtedly, the whale oil lobby of the time would have endorsed this religious sentiment. The whale oil interests fought like the devil to keep the street lamps from being lighted by kerosene or gas.

There are obvious Biblical parallels too -- Ishmael and Elijah -- but it's not clear exactly what they mean. Elijah in the story is a raggedy man who predicts the crew's fate before they sail, so he is a prophet, as in the Bible.

The performances are pretty good. Gregory Peck is surprisingly effective as the half-mad captain, considering that lunacy is not his strong point. The rest of the crew are up to par. Orson Welles as Father Mapple gives a terrifically hammy sermon from his ivory pulpit. The use of music is pretty well done, though the score itself is unexceptional. At the first sighting of Moby Dick, there is no sound at all but the hushed rushing of sea water from the beast's field and the whoosh of water from his spout. In a modern film we'd expect the scene to be overscored. The editing is a little clumsy. A shot of Pip, the ship's boy (who plays a much larger part in the novel), seems to come from another movie. And the special effects are not what they would be today, but we have to give them a pass because everyone in 1956 was working within technological limits, as we are today. It would have been nice, though, to have a Moby Dick as realistic as the shark in "Jaws." Maybe Hollywood will still come around to the idea that it is time to remake the movie, so many remakes of so many earlier films having appeared in the last two decades that one wonders if the industry has run out of original ideas entirely. The next version may be a sequel: "Moby Dick, Part Two: Ishmael's Revenge."

Ray Bradbury's script makes a couple of changes from the novel, almost all of them necessary, since the novel is over 700 pages long and no movie can be infinitely long. I didn't understand some of the changes though. Starbuck, the Quaker first mate, tries unsuccessfully to steer the Pequod away from the murderous whale. In the movie, he shouts to the others that Moby Dick in only a whale, and "we kill whales", and they attack Moby Dick and die. There's also a suggestion in the movie that Moby Dick dies. That would be ridiculous.

On the whole I didn't find the real scenes of harpooning and killing whales (shot off the Irish coast) to be very satisfying. Whales are mammals, the biggest on earth, and harmless to us. I was walking along the shore of Chichigoff Island in Alaska, miles from any human, and was startled by a long, loud, echoing crack of expelled breath as two huge whales pushed placidly to the surface, maybe one hundred feet away. The experience had me shivering. Maybe that's part of what Melville was trying to get at. Isn't it a bit blasphemous to tear apart the planet we live on, instead of treating as a God-given trust? I don't know. I'm just wondering if Melville may have had, among his other concerns, some sense of living in harmony with Nature, with a capital N. It's hard to pin down exactly "what inscrutable thing" Melville and Ahab were dealing with, except that it was more than just a big cetacean.

Colorful, poetic film almost captures Melville's mystical quest

[mlraymond · 10/10 · 1 January 2007]

In the strict, literal sense, it is impossible to make a movie out of Moby Dick. The best that one could hope for would be an intelligent condensation of the story's main events, with a reasonably close approximation of the book's characters.

In this, Ray Bradbury's screenplay and Huston's direction succeed admirably. Though the motivations of the characters have to be simplified, and the story streamlined to fit the running time of a movie, there are scenes that come remarkably close to the spirit and atmosphere of the original. The scene in Ahab's cabin, when he argues with Starbuck about his reasons for wanting to destroy Moby Dick, and Starbuck declares that the idea is blasphemous, Gregory Peck and Leo Genn rise to the almost Shakespearean tone of the novel. An even more dramatic scene occurs near the end, when Ahab, in a relaxed and even cheerful mood, shows an unexpected side of himself, as he describes the beauty of nature that surrounds them. But in a masterful bit of adaptation of Melville's original dialogue, Ahab shows his madness once again, as he begins to ramble about Fate and destiny. Starbuck pulls a gun and announces his intention to kill Ahab, but can't go through with it. The closeup of Peck gazing into Genn's eyes, and saying solemnly, " The act's immutably decreed. T'was rehearsed by thee and me a billion years before this ocean rolled" , is pure Melville captured on film. It's almost the essence of Moby Dick in one short scene.

This is a wonderful film, full of adventure, humor, suspense, strange characters and unearthly mysteries, just like Melville's novel. The acting is of a high order, the music and cinematography amazing. I defy anyone to sit through the scene where Ahab nails the gold coin to the mast, and declares it a reward for the man who first sights the White Whale, and not be as excited as the crew, when they pass around the flagon of rum ,and wave their harpoons and shout " Death to Moby Dick!"

"A champion of darkness"

[Steffi_P · 7/10 · 11 December 2009]

Post-war Hollywood was a battlefield. The old vertically-integrated studios were starting to lose their grip, while a new breed of independent producers, often producer-directors, were gaining ever more prominence. For many of these eager independents, the desire to get a personal project off the ground was sometimes so strong it overrode conventions and even good sense. And so we get little oddities like John Huston's production of Moby Dick.

Huston was already something of a maverick among Hollywood directors, not to mention a surrealist. He was fond of eerie close-ups, bizarre faces and nightmarish shot compositions. As a screenwriter he was fatalist and pessimistic. On those occasions when he wore his producer's hat, he tended to favour material that was grim and depressing, but also outlandish. Moby Dick is his kind of story, and he really seems to have relished the opportunity for over-the-top atmospherics. Huston captures the atmosphere of dread that is true to Melville's novel, but also very typical of Huston himself. He takes a very literal approach to cliché and hyperbole, for example showing the town of New Bedford as packed with widows and relics of wrecks. But Huston's collaborators deserve as much of the credit. Particularly effective is the washed-out cinematography of Oswald Morris, which gives a stark, hollow look to the image. This is complemented by the very sparse musical score – very refreshing for a picture of the 50s – and sound design of shouts and wooden creaks.

In keeping with the oddness of the overall production, Huston seems to have encouraged extreme and stylised performances from his cast. This is a fairly sensible response to the archaic prose of the novel, which is not really supposed to be naturalistic. Accordingly he seems to have chosen most of the supporting players for their weird physicality rather than their dramatic credibility. We get people like Harry Andrews and Seamus Kelly to provide us with suitably craggy faces. That is not to say this is a crew of freakish bad actors. It's great to see Bernard Miles as the prominent but not directly referenced Manxman, adding his usual touch of folkish authenticity. Leo Genn is a welcome addition to any cast, here as always a little island of calm amid the chaos. Perhaps the most intelligent bit of casting was Orson Welles as the preacher. Welles has the kind of presence that can overwhelm a small picture, but his small yet significant appearance gives a necessary weight to the opening scenes. Still, when James Robertson Justice (a.k.a. the poor man's Peter Ustinov) turns up as Captain Boomer, you know there's been some barrel-bottom scraping going on.

The casting decision that has caused controversy down the ages is of course that of Gregory Peck. Of course, Peck was far too young to play Ahab, but other than that he is not as silly a selection as he might at first seem. Just like his crewmates, Peck did have a rather strange look to him, with piercing eyes and angular features, not to mention his stern vocal delivery. The trouble is, to follow it through Peck would have needed a capable level of theatrical hamminess. And despite his appearance, Peck was first and foremost a naturalistic dramatic actor, and try as he might to play the boggle-eyed weirdo, he just can't quite manage it. Of course there was one alternative to play Ahab who would have been nigh on perfect, and this was John Huston himself. Peck said as much, although it's doubtful the distributors would have allowed anyone less than a "big name" to take the role.

Moby Dick was clearly a picture produced with a certain aim. Rather than just do a decent and entertaining adaptation of a popular novel as the major studios would have done, Huston's mission seems to have been to recreate some of the spirit of the original with his admittedly more limited means. It is reasonably faithful, although the omission of the devilish and mysterious character of Fedallah is a mystery to me, and this somehow seems indicative of the general feeling of dissatisfaction the picture gives. Huston's Moby Dick is lovely to look at, brilliantly done in places, but it is not the great story that Melville's book is.

The first movie of my life

[ltj36 · 10/10 · 14 March 2000]

I love this movie since I was 5 years old. Sometimes I watched it three or four times per week and I never got tired. It was a beautiful adventure and Gregory Peck was (and still is) one of my favorite actors. Only after, I understood all the philosophical connections, which are in the movie, but I'll think forever of it as a great adventure. Moby Dick is very frightening, especially when she jumps out of sea and falls with the mouth opened on the screaming crew of the "Pequod". But also Captain Achab is terrific with his obstination and foolish obsession. I love when he appears, dead, bound to the whale, and makes that sign to his men to follow him and also Starbuck, who seemed the most "quiet" is captured by his captain's obsession. This movie will remain forever in my heart.

Impressive And Exciting Adaptation Of Classic Mad Sea Captain Yarn

[ShootingShark · 6/10 · 3 July 2005]

Ishmael, a young seaman, signs up for a voyage on the whaling-ship Peaquod, captained by the legendary Ahab. Once at sea, Ahab announces his real purpose - to catch Moby Dick, a monstrous and terrifying white whale no whaler has ever managed to kill.

Herman Melville's classic seafaring novel is a fantastic adventure story, with some of the best sea-dog characters and lingo ever written ("For hate's sake I spit my last breath at thee ... "), and John Huston's film is an exciting and spectacular adaptation. Technically, it is quite superb, primarily due to Huston's sheer devotion to the project, but also because Oswald Morris, Freddie Francis and Arthur Ibbetson, three of the greatest British cameraman of all time, all worked together on it. The depiction of the voyage and the realisation of the whale are terrific, as is the script, by Huston and the great fantasy writer Ray Bradbury. Peck is an unusual choice to play Ahab, who is of course as mad as a brush, but his performance is unforgettable, even though he doesn't appear until the fourth reel. He manages the difficult task of making Ahab seem tortured and human and yet also thoroughly deranged in his obsessive quest to confront his enemy and his fears. The rest of the crew are equally bonkers, and just as much fun - Genn as the mild-mannered first mate Starbuck, Andrews as the grinning Stubb, Miles as the doomy Manxman and especially Ledebur as the giant tattooed Queequeg - and good old Welles throws in a cautionary sermon from the book of Jonah at the start just for extra measure. Avast ye lubbers, splice the mainsail, kiss yer wimmen goodbye forever, down the hatch and enjoy the adventure !!

Absolutely Brilliant Adaptation

[michael_the_nermal · 9/10 · 14 July 2006]

Very minor spoilers ahead.

John Huston did a fantastic job adapting Melville's masterpiece for film. Ray Bradbury did an excellent job adapting the dialogue and exposition from the novel for the film. he took giant and important chunks of essential dialogue, without needing to take up the extraneous scientific jargon or soliliqiues that are better suited for the printed page than the screen. He remains faithful to Melville's vision, and the important symbolism is there. It's a very difficult job, and Melville's novel is a very difficult book to adapt, but Bradbury, who apparently hadn't read the book before adapting it, did one hell of a job.

The actors are great, and it's a shame they didn't win any Oscars. Gregory Peck is excellent as the sullen, vengeance-driven Captain Aheab. He made the role his own, and knew when to be passionate and when to be calm and quiet. Some parts of the novel may seem wordy to viewers, but are important in conveying Melville's meaning, such as Father Mapple's sermon on man's obedience to God. If you have a short attention span, and only like action films that are short on substance, this movie is not for you. Everyone else must do themselves a favor and watch this classic. This is an adaptation for the ages.

"Call me......confused"

[ianlouisiana · 6/10 · 13 November 2005]

Richard Baseheart looks and sounds more like a steward on the "Q.E.2" than a crewman on a whaler.Orson Welles doesn't so much chew the scenery as liposuction it.He had played Ahab in his own production on the London stage and it might have been a good idea for him to have exchanged roles with Gregory Peck who really lacks the juice that it needed. Sundry British character actors rhubarb around cheerily and the set of the whaling town looks like something left over from "Greyfriars Bobby". Despite these rather fundamental flaws John Huston kicks arse and takes names to such good effect that "Moby Dick" is a much better movie than it could have been given what he had to be getting on with. The "Pequod" is well-realised,it looks and sounds right.Some of the shipboard scenes are reminiscent of a badly-made pirate movie however. I must admit I am a little confused by the highly laudatory reviews on the previous pages.Many of them seem more concerned with the book than the film,but,compared to the novel,no filmmaker on earth could ever produce anything more than "Moby Dick Lite" because of the obvious limitations of the medium.Like Howard Hawks,John Huston is most effective portraying a predominantly male environment and the women in this film have little to do but stand around looking sad.Mr Huston's greatest achievement here is to coax a sympathetic and quietly stirring performance from Leo Genn,a steady but hardly charismatic actor. The sound recording is outstanding,well mixed and well balanced. Like many Huston films it is a mixture of the good and the ordinary,the director seeming to lose interest before the end,thinking ahead perhaps to his next project. If you think of it less as an adaptation of a great novel,more as a movie about catching whales it's not so bad.

A great Ray Bradbury screenplay!

[rattyaddy · 10/10 · 23 July 2005]

Ray Bradbury wrote an incredible screenplay for this work. Instead of trying to capture Herman Melville's actual brilliant leviathan sprawl (and who COULD succeed at this?)-- a novel jammed with fantastic,bigger than life characters, many events of great symbolic significance, not to mention barrels of whaling information-- he carves out the tale of Ahab and his obsession with the white whale. Bradbury makes great impact with Ahab's symbolic sacraments and rituals, showing a man who spits in the face of his own and his crew's doom, binding his men to his will with any means necessary. It's hard to believe, but Ray Bradbury takes this glorious wild child of a book and makes it work. The music by Phillip Sainton and the cinematography are great, too, but nothing would have saved this movie from a bad screenplay.

A decent adaption of the Herman Melville classic

[chrissoda100 · 7/10 · 30 March 2002]

A good effort by John Huston at adapting Herman Melville's classic tale of obsessed whaler captain Ahab. Certainly entertaining enough,some excellent scenes, plenty of action, and a great climax.

Leo Genn stands out as Starbuck, while Gregory Peck is just adequate as Ahab. I'm still not convinced he was the man for the job. In fact its said that Peck thought Huston himself should have played the role.

Considering when the movie was made the whale actually looks pretty effective.(although they apparently had quite a few problems with it during filming). But its certainly on a par with the shark in 'Jaws', and no body complained about that.

Moby Dick is one film I think would be really great for a big budget remake (Though I've not seen the recent TV movie). Make a good job of it with the right cast it could be a real blockbuster, especially with todays digital technology. CGI whale anyone?

So if there are any bigwig movie execs reading this, go to it chaps.

Who would you get to play Ahab though! I've thought about that too! Sean Connery, or Robert De Niro would be my choice. (with Guy Pearce as Ishmael)

In fact give me the money and I'll do it!!

Very poor adaptation of a classic novel

[EdwardCarter · 1/10 · 30 January 2010]

Having read Hermann Melville's brilliant novel when I was fourteen I was naturally hoping for great things from this movie. Unfortunately, it does not deliver on any level. The film is too slow and takes too long to get going, while the script should have been shorn of some of the novel's prose to give it some life. However, what really lets it down is the complete miscasting of the two leads. Richard Basehart, aged 40 but looking older, was clearly far too old to play the youngster Ishmael. An actor under thirty like Stanley Baker would have made an excellent choice. Far worse though is the casting of Gregory Peck as Ahab. Not only was Peck much too young for the part (Ahab was 58 in the novel), he simply didn't have the requisite talent to play a deranged villain convincingly. If only a better, older actor had been cast like Fredric March, Spencer Tracy or even the director John Huston himself. Orson Welles comes of best in the cameo role of Father Mapple.

Worth watching, but certainly no classic.