Moby Dick (1956)

A Masterpiece!

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

MOBY DICK is famed as one of the greatest and most difficult to read novels of all time. The tale of a man obsessed with the destruction of a legendary white whale that took his leg and left him scarred has long been considered an allegorical tale of good and evil, looks at the differences in class structure and discusses the existence of God. At 822 pages that's a lot to transfer to a movie that last only an hour and 56 minutes but somehow it was done.The story itself tells the tale of a young seaman named Ishmael (Richard Basehart) who signs aboard the ship Pequod, a whaling vessel run by one Captain Ahab (Gregory Peck). Ishmael is bunkmates his first night before they sail with a tattooed harpooner named Queequeg who has a set of shrunken heads on hand in the room. The two start off tentative but become fast friends as Queequeg teaches Ishmael the ways of the ship.Eventually Ishmael meets the famed Captain Ahab who promises his crew to return with their ship filled with whale oil and success for all on board. But Ahab is a strange sort who also has an ulterior motive. He doesn't just seek whales but one in particular, a white albino whale feared by all and known as Moby Dick. The desire to find the whale is one filled with revenge as it was Moby Dick who took the leg from Ahab on another voyage.The majority of the movie takes the time to set up the final confrontation between man and beast. Segments on dry land before the ship sets sail include a scene set in a church where the pastor preaches from the bow of a ship installed in the church. That pastor is played by Orson Welles who is nearly unrecognizable. The journey of the men, the harsh penalties for wrong doing and the long wait to find the whales they seek all take up a portion of the time.When the great white whale is finally found Ahab promises those who follow him untold fortunes if they will but help him destroy the whale. His obsession with the whale becomes their own and all seem to set aside not just the fortune in whale oil they've already filled the ship with but their own safety as well. Larger than the ship they sail on the white whale seems as determined to insure none of them leave alive and the battle between man and beast is on display.The movie is a mixed bag, entertaining for some and tedious for others. That it is a well-made film that tackled the chore of bringing the novel to life is worth noting and for that matter makes it one worth seeing as well. While the cast does a great job it is Peck who stands out as the near mad Ahab, determined to have his revenge at all costs.The effects for the time are amazing to witness and the sequences involving the whale are fantastic. Done before the days of CGI as it would be accomplished now, the movie here offers practical effects. The whale is a terrifying sight to behold and imagining what it would be like to confront it on its own ground would be something I for one would choose to avoid.Twilight Time is releasing the film in blu-ray format and as with all of their titles limiting it to just 3,000 copies. If interested make sure you pick yours up right away.

Last Time I watched this movie I was a young boy,so I viewed it with a child's mind. Having just watched it again,I enjoyed it very much and rate the 1956 version highly.Though there where certain things left out of the 1956 version in comparison to the book, it did not take away from my enjoyment of the film,though Nantucket being referred to as New Bedford did annoy me a little, but I soon got over that.Still trying to decide who said this line best "I'll follow him around the Horn, and around the Norway maelstrom, and around perdition's flames before I give him up". Ricardo Montalban (Wrath of Khan) or Peck !Overall this is an absolute classic movie and for me one of Pecks best performances. For the younger people out there, don't be put off by this being an old film, it is well worth watching, but try to read the book first to fill in the gaps.

The beauty and strength of this version of Moby Dick is first of all it was originally filmed in black and white. You know they say when you photograph/film a man in color you photograph his clothes. When you photograph a man in b/w you photograph his soul.Secondly, and most importantly, is the ability of the film to capture the very essence of Ahab's obsession and how he is able to instill that obsession into the very souls of the crew, as if they were lined up, with anticipation, waiting their turn to be possessed . Total mesmerization. Even after Ahab's death.The fear you have as a viewer is watching the enigmatic space between the crew and Ahab slowly shrink till he has consumed them and they will follow his quest blindly with no sign of logic or reason.Obviously the writer hopes we identify with Ishmael, the only survivor, which he is, not because of any luck or good fortune, but because he is supposed to represent the thin line between free will and whatever demon any man can become obsessed with to his utter destruction.

No one will ever match the performance Gregory Peck gave to Ahab in this movie. Patrick Stewart didn't even come close.But that's not all. Is there anyone that can match Leo Genn as Starbuck, or Richard Basehart as Ishmael? But there are too many great performances to count. Royal Dano as Elijah always stays with me. I used to try and imitate his strong voice (despite the fact I'm a woman) Elijah! They call me, Elijah!" Orson Welles in a cameo part as Father Mapple.This film is an undisputed Masterpiece. It does not matter if the whale doesn't look real, or the special effects aren't up to today's standards.I would rather have poorer special effects today, rather than poorer actors. Unfortunately, we have traded spectacular special effects for actors and acting that will never come up to the standards set by films like this.It is an age, I fear, of which, we will never see the likes again. Thank the Good Lord we can still see these films and my hopes are they are always preserved.