Moby Dick (Full Screen)

The director fought with the studio over the color process used in MOBY DICK: it's intentional. He and the cinematographer were trying to capture a visual style that would be evocative of a certain style of painting and that would contribute to the mood of the story. Huston also fought with Ray Bradbury over the screenplay. The great science fiction author was literally reduced to tears by the gruff director, and he wrote a book about the experience. There was also some conflict over the casting of Gregory Peck as Ahab. Some say Orson Welles or Leo Genn (Starbuck) would have been a better choice. This may well be, but it should be admitted that Peck rises to the occasion when it's called for. The great scene with the Spanish doubloon and the great scene with Starbuck on the bridge, where Ahab explains his obsession. Few other actors are likely to have surpassed these moments.

MOBY DICK (1956) was not filmed in widescreen. This DVD presents the film in the original aspect ratio. It looks very good and and nothing appears to have been done to tamper with the look of the film in terms of color. This is how is should look.

Anyone interested in background on this film should read THE HUSTONS by Lawrence Grobel. The harrowing production is detailed, with plenty of attention given to the above-mentioned conflicts and also to the shooting of the INCREDIBLE final sequence.

Some extras would have been welcome, but this DVD is more than worth owning by any fan of Melville, Huston or American film.


Masterful and Powerful Cinema   February 14, 2004
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

I love stories that capture my imagination with timeless themes as well as storm and adventure. I recall, for example, Stevenson's "Treasure Island", and the one-legged rogue and pirate, Long John Silver, facing old age. In Barrie's "Peter Pan", Captain Hook battles a fairy-glamoured, eternal boy like a caged lion tormented by a butterfly. It so happens that boy cut off Hook's right hand. Then, there is Melville's Captain Ahab, whose insane fury against the beast that took his leg is matched only by the relentless power of nature. These driven men struggle with the forces that wounded them.

I remember seeing Houston's film, "Moby Dick", with my father when I was eight. It made an impact on me. I've remembered many scenes from the movie over the years. I viewed the tape for the first time since then, and it has brought it all back

John Houston's film is, perhaps, the best version of "Moby Dick". It is a powerful film to behold, and we see Houston's craft as a director in full force. The film is more than assembled plot points; it sets tone and theme, as well. He populates his film with a fine, reliable ensemble and familiar character faces etched by the human condition. It is, also, an interpolation of the novel. But, what else can you do with a novel of 133 chapters! The screenplay, by Ray Bradbury and Houston, captures the rich symbolic, metaphorical, and biblical resonance of Melville's story. Each performance is strong and each line delivered with significance. It seems nothing is wasted through its two hours of screen time. Above all, Houston loves the story and its characters to the point of reverence. It's as if he knew he just had to film this story. It was an epic film in its day. We view it with awe.

The novel was one of Melville's failures. Only 3,000 copies were sold, and it was ignored until the nineteen twenties. Today, it is considered one of the greatest examples of American literature. Though he denied it was an allegory, many readers have, nevertheless, interpreted it as such. Houston follows in that line. Our opinion of whaling is different today, and we now look upon the story in light of its natural and ecological damage; but we should remember the historical importance of whaling, as well. The novel, apparently based on some actual records, was the first of its kind to tell of the whalers' struggle. The story, in a way, mythologizes or romanticizes them.

As powerful as the film is, it also has its flaws. As a tape, there are not any of the special features we love on DVDs. I believe the somber color photography was intentional and appropriate. Some may find the metaphor a little heavy and the dialogue, though almost pure Melville, pretentious and portentous. Though, I believe now Houston made a better story than Melville, logic and motivation seem askew sometimes. But remember, this is a sailor's tale of almost 160 years ago. I believe this is a memorable film for almost anyone who sees it.


Moby Dick , DOA. Melville, rapidly rotating in his grave.   February 10, 2004
Bradbury and Huston together murdered both Melville and Moby Dick. The factual errors in the film are too numerous to count, and are mostly gratuitious, based I'm sure on an assumption that the audience hadn't read the novel. The dramatic tone is also, for the most part, false. There are great performances by Orson Welles and Gregory Peck, but Peck is given very poor material to work with, a very truncated Ahab.

Huston in a grandiose, alcoholic fit reached too far with this one. Bradbury obviously needed the money, and did what he was told.

Given the facts of the 19th century American sperm whale fishery, and the philosophical and emotional depth and breadth of the novel, a satisfactory film of Moby Dick is probably beyond the technical and artistic capabilities of today's filmmakers. I have not yet seen the 1998 remake, but I suspect I will also be dissappointed by that one as well.