![]() ![]() For those who appreciate the depth of the original story, this has more than enough to make it worth watching. One of the great strengths of this third edition is Hershel Parker’s inclusion of commentary on Moby-Dick from its publication in 1851 right into the 21st century to answer why Moby-Dickboisterous, beautiful, filled with soaring language, forever questioning, and nearly 200 years oldis more popular than ever. And if taken on its own, it fits together well, making generally good choices as to what material would fit together and would work on screen, and in using the photography and settings to create the right atmosphere. While there may indeed be some areas in which this version falls short, and it's fair to point them out, it would be pretty difficult to improve on it in a cinema version of the story. Welles was an ideal choice, and his scene in the church is one scene that does come up to the high standard of Melville's novel. Books and other materials in the Beinecke Library related to Melville’s work offer opportunities to consider the publication and reception of this exceptional work and to explore aspects of 19th century American print culture. A total of 3,215 copies of Moby-Dick were sold during Melvilles life (he died in 1891). These range in value from 9,000 to 11,000. As Father Mapple, Orson Welles has only one scene, but it is an important one, in that it sets up some of the vital themes of the story ahead. Herman Melville’s novel Moby Dick has an unusual and compelling publishing history. Another collectible edition is the 1930 first edition illustrated by Rockwell Kent, a three-volume set published by the Lakeside Press with acetate dust jackets in an aluminum slipcase. Leo Genn makes his scenes as Starbuck count, and several of the other crew members are portrayed well, albeit in much smaller parts. On screen, there is much to Ahab that just does not come across, and Peck's performance has to be judged with that in mind. Ahab is one of the most carefully-designed and demanding characters in literature, and lesser actors would simply be an embarrassment in the part. ![]() Gregory Peck does rather well in the very challenging role of Ahab. Richard Basehart's mild, pleasant demeanor makes Ishmael an appropriate mirror for the events and characters on the ship. Instead, John Huston's version concentrates on bringing out many of the complex internal and external conflicts of Captain Ahab, in sketching the crew members and their reactions to Ahab's monomania, and in portraying the atmosphere of frequent tedium, growing tension, and occasional dread aboard the 'Pequod'. It would be a temptation for any film-maker to put the focus on the action and the special effects, and thus ruin the heart of the book by downplaying its themes, as so many recent films have done with other classic material. It would be impossible to make a movie that came up to the standard of the novel "Moby-Dick", but this film does a fine job of capturing some of the most important themes, and of telling a selection of the key parts of the story in an interesting way. ![]()
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