Moby Dick (1956) Film Review
A Whale of a Saga: Revenge and Counter Revenge Upon the Open Sea
Though somewhat dated due to the developments in film making technology, this 1956 version of Moby Dick is still entertaining
Historical Accuracy of Herman Melville's Tale on Film
Ishmael (Richard Baseheart), wanders into New Bedford, Massachusetts hoping to board a whaler and experience the hunt. New Bedford and Nantucket were whaling centers during the colonial period through the better part of the 1800's.
Capturing the ambience of the time, the film is shot in muted and reddish tones, like the old fashioned photographs. The crew sings chanties as they toil aboard their whaler, the Pequod. These are tunes the whalemen sang to help them with thier labors. Radios, i-pods, and the CD's of today hadn't been invented, yet.
The Puritan ripples of New England are captured in the rigid church scene, where there is a lengthy service. Further, the clothing colors for women are muted per the Puritan style, and some men are dressed in traditional black and white garb.
Whaling ships were used for the often lenghty voyage, sometimes lasting several years. There are scenes where men are scrambling up and down the ropes of their ship as they sail out of port. This would be an excellent film for an educational aid when studying this particular time in history.
Gregory Peck as Ahab
Peck does the role justice. He's dark, forboding, his facial expressions and vocal intonations give Ahab's character depth and believabiity. Ahab becomes a fanatical, scary captain through Peck's deliverance.
Orson Welles as Father Mapple
Though physically somewhat rigid in his performance, perhaps displaying the rigidity of Puritan life, Welles speech, delivers what his body does not through the use of tonal and facial expressions. Fortunately, Welles and Peck were gifted with flexible, vocal tone color.
Sound Quality
The score may have been complimentary to the film when it was first made, but it is difficult to hear the clarity of sound. This is especially true during the church scene when the assembly is singing a hymn. The lyrics are not understandable. In one sense, this is a drawback. In another sense, it serves to instill appreciation for the advances in audio technology since the 1950's.
Moby Dick's Open Ocean Scenes
These scenes are believable and good, given that a mechanical white whale was used for the confrontation between Moby and Ahab. Particularly disturbing is the close-up of Moby Dick's eye as he studies Captain Ahab climbing up upon him. At that moment this monstrous creature becomes a living identity, not just an oil commodity. There are some bloody scenes during the whale hunts which could be disturbing.
The closing scenes are also well done as Moby Dick exacts his counter-revenge.
Available on DVD, this is a classic example of American movie production and a must have for serious movie collectors. Screenplay is written by Ray Bradbury and John Huston, also directed by John Huston.
