Moby Dick 

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.

Stars:

Henry Thomas, Patrick Stewart, Bruce Spence

Won 1 Golden Globe. Another 4 wins & 14 nominations.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Henry Thomas	...	Ishmael 2 episodes, 1998
Bruce Spence	...	Elijah 2 episodes, 1998
Hugh Keays-Byrne	...	Mr. Stubb 2 episodes, 1998
Robin Cuming	...	Peter Coffin 2 episodes, 1998
Shane Connor	...	Mr. Flask 2 episodes, 1998
Patrick Stewart	...	Captain Ahab 2 episodes, 1998
Piripi Waretini	...	Queequeg 2 episodes, 1998
Vivianne Benton	...	Sal Coffin 2 episodes, 1998
Dominic Purcell	...	Bulkington 2 episodes, 1998
Norman Yemm	...	Carpenter 2 episodes, 1998
Michael Jackson	...	Shantyman 2 episodes, 1998
Warren Owens	...	Cook 2 episodes, 1998
Norman D. Golden II	...	Little Pip 2 episodes, 1998
Harold Hopkins	...	Captain Peleg 2 episodes, 1998
John Lee	...	Captain Bildad 2 episodes, 1998
Ted Levine	...	Starbuck 2 episodes, 1998
Gregory Peck	...	Father Mapple 2 episodes, 1998
Matthew E. Montoya	...	Tashtego 2 episodes, 1998
Michael Edward-Stevens	...	Dagoo 2 episodes, 1998
Chris Graham	...	Perth 2 episodes, 1998
Apirana Taylor	...	Dough Boy 2 episodes, 1998
Kee Chan	...	Fedallah 2 episodes, 1998
Bill Hunter	...	Captain Boomer 2 episodes, 1998
Peter Sumner	...	Captain Gardiner 2 episodes, 1998

Storyline

Herman Melville's classic 1851 sea tale about the vengeful sea Captain Ahab who seeks to kill the great white whale who took his leg and is willing to forego the safety and endurance of his crew to do it. The tale is told from the vantage of the only surviving member, Ishmael, a young man who joins the crew of the Pequod for his first seafaring with the aid of his harpoonist friend, Queequeg.

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Plot Keywords:

ship | animal character name as series title | captain ahab character | moby dick character | sea | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for mild language and for some intense whaling action/violence

Details

Official Sites:

official site (updated)

Country:

UK Australia USA

Language:

English Maori

Release Date:

15 March 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Moby Dick

Filming Locations:

Point Cook, Victoria, Australia

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

American Zoetrope, Nine Network Australia, USA Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

180 min 60 min (3 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was Gregory Peck's final acting role before his death on June 12, 2003 at the age of eighty-seven.

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Goofs

As Ishmael enters the church (around 25:30), the congregation is singing the hymn "Eternal Father, Strong To Save", a song which was not written until 1860 or 61.

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Quotes

Captain Ahab: Why the long face, Mr. Starbuck? Have you no game for Moby-Dick?
Starbuck: Aye, I have game for his crooked jaw. I have game for the jaws of death, if that's part of the business we came for. Sir, I am here to hunt whale, not my commander's vengeance. How many barrels of oil will your vengeance yeild, I ask you?
Captain Ahab: If money be the measure of everything we do, let me tell ye my vengeance will fetch a great premium here!
Starbuck: What do you wish of me, Captain Ahab?
Captain Ahab: Help me to strike a fin. Surely no impossible task ...

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Alternate Versions

The European theatrical release version runs 120 minutes (about an hour from the original TV version was cut). This version is available on home video in the U.S.

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Connections

Version of Moby Dick (2011)

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Soundtracks

South Australia
Traditional
[Sung by sailors as they swab the deck]

User Reviews

A little shallow compared to the source material

There has been some debate as to what precisely Melville meant by the story of Moby Dick. On one hand, it is a whaling story which is largely based on shipping legend and fact. On another level, there is a lot of reference to Moby Dick the whale being self-referential to the book itself (white beast with black blood, he describes the whale as being a large book at one point). Ultimately, though, most readers find a two pronged story which is search for God on one hand (Ahab's need for revenge and Ishmael's need for purpose and love, note that both names also refer to biblical characters) and is the passionate bonding between males on the other. Unfortuneately, it is in these two areas that the movie does not quite portray the book with due respect.

Now, there is plenty of bonding and Ishmael does sort of get jostled around as per normal, but Melville did not want this to be the standard group of "older men ragging the new". These men, in the book, developed a passionate bond for one another. Ishmael's deep loneliness lead to his deep love for his fellow crew.

As for the search for God, the movie has some of the key scenes to suggest Ahab wants to slay the greatest of God's creatures because he feels his life has been failed and to suggest needed to get away because his life had no meaning. Yet, for the most part, the scenes become much more "sea adventure" oriented and I am not sure that there is much hey could have done to fix it considering the media of choice. I think they could have at least given Father Mapple more passion in his scene and the painting at the beginning (which suggests both the three crosses of Christ and a whale killed by a the three masts of a ship at the same) which offers a great thematic moment could have done more besides show up briefly as it did. It is almost as though they expected one to have read the book and to know what they were talking about.

Finally, as far as the movie's lacks go, they cut out most of the (usually tongue-in-cheek) humor of the book.

Now, as a made for TV movie, it is good stuff. Some of the acting is pretty sketchy at times and there are a few places where the special effects flat out fail in their purpose, but overall the movie is worth watching. Stewart plays a different version of Ahab than what I pictured, but at the same time his version has a lot of life and passion which is good. The other acting had moments of perfect time and moments of almost the opposite, but no scene comes directly to mind where the movie "cracks".

The pacing of the movie actually sort of improves upon the stop-go style of the book.

I think some of the visuals were a little less gory than they should be (this is a violent tale with a good deal of blood and despair in the original) but most of the cues are there for those who have read the book.

Because of such things as this, I almost feel as though one needs to read the book to fill in the gaps, or the story does not get the treatment it deserves. But, as long you know more of the depth of the story, the movie is a decent vessel for which to carry it in. 7/10