One of the greatest American novels written? A tale about whale hunting, more specifically hunting down a fabled white whale because it took the leg off a well-known sea Captain? So a revenge tale against a humble whale? Heck even on the film poster it showcases the whale with piercing red eyes and mentions sharks as if whales are potentially just as dangerous. Yeah it's not the best angle is it?
The plot is really quite simple, I've already laid it out. The story is told, in part with narration, from the point of view of Ishmael. A middle-aged man (in the film) looking for work in whaling on the Eastern coast of America. Why whaling? In the 1800's it was solid rewarding work, oil was essential for everything, and the crude oil industry didn't exist yet. Ishmael finds work aboard the Pequod under the command of one Captain Ahab. Ahab lost his lower leg to a white whale in a previous hunt and is now hell-bent on hunting it down because he's a petty crazy man. So off they go sailing into the blue yonder hunting whales and the legendary white whale of Ahab's nightmares.
And hereby lies the problem with this, now, classic Gregory Peck film. The story is weak, it's completely absent and nothing happens for virtually the entire runtime. Heck, it takes a good 40 minutes before the ship actually sets sail for heaven's sake. Don't get me wrong, the build-up is good, the religious themes, the historical accuracy, the sense of dread and pending doom (all to go whale hunting?), but in the end it's all a bit anticlimactic really. We get lots of spiel and exposition about how various crew members, how eerie Ahab acts, and then eventually how insanely obsessed Ahab is about catching the white whale. To the point that he offers a solid gold coin to the man who spots the whale. It feels like there's a lot of padding truth be told, because essentially the only thing that happens before the big finale is the crew actually finding other whales and killing them.
I've never read the book so I cannot compare the two but am I aware of the story to the point that I do know that this film was surprisingly faithful to the original source material (despite being a heavily abridged version). The overall look of the picture is very accurate highlighted in scenes like inside the church at the start with the pulpit made out of a ship's stern and all the memorials to sailors lost at sea adorning the walls. Then there are lots of nice accurate details such as the Pequod being half made out of whalebone and the extremely well-crafted tattoos on Pacific Islander Queequeg's face (both awkwardly and well portrayed by German actor Friedrich von Ledebur).
Yes, the entire film is very nice looking, in a strange drab sort of way that is. I believe this was deliberate though for atmospheric purposes, to enhance the sea vibe, the cold, the wet and wind etc...This certainly wouldn't look as good if it were in bright glossy technicolour. No, the muted colours and dark almost ghostly appearance of the film certainly does engage you and brings a decent amount of realism to the whole picture. It also compliments the strong religious themes running through this film. Everything really does feel quite ancient, biblical, and dare I say...somewhat regressive. Nonetheless this all adds to the tone of the film that's for sure.
Effects wise that's another story. The various shots of the white whale leaping and manoeuvring in and out of the sea, attacking the sailors, are reasonable, but the various shots of the Pequod are really obvious models with oversized water effects crashing against it. A full-sized replica ship was used (the same from Disney's 1950 'Treasure Island') which does look fantastic but alas more adventurous shots, such as the final sinking of the Pequod, are really quite dated. Funnily enough it's the unpleasant whaling sequences that do look the most impressive with actual footage cut in with the actors along with the odd full-size model (I'm guessing) and smaller manned boat model miniatures.
So yes, production values were high, everything looked good, and the cast was beyond solid. Whilst it's admittedly hard to picture Peck as the hardened seadog Ahab he certainly does a worthy job and definitely looks the part with some tremendous makeup. I can't deny watching him belt out his passion-fuelled anti-whale indoctrinating sermons to his innocent wide-eyed crew is worth the entrance fee alone, if I was paying one.
Final thoughts? Whilst the whole whale hunting angle is a deeply unpleasant one that does admittedly taint this entire affair, I cannot deny this film is enjoyable...at least in parts. The story in my opinion is just plain stupid frankly, I don't understand how and why it became an American classic. I guess the first of its kind, the style and themes etc...But this is evident in the fact that not a lot happens in the film. Apparently the book is filled with lots of information about actual whale hunting as if to pad it out or inform would-be hunters of the time. Watching Peck is captivating, the visuals are admirable, the dialog is hypnotic, and the effects are dated but charming. Despite all this the film is admittedly somewhat dull for the most part with a reasonable finale.
7/10
