Moby Dick (1956)

"From hell's heart I stab at thee; for hate's sake I spit my last breath at thee. Ye damned whale."

Director 

John Huston

Cast
Gregory Peck - Capt. Ahab
Richard Basehart - Ishmael
Leo Genn - Starbuck
Orson Welles - Fr. Mapple
James Robertson Justice - Capt. Boomer
Harry Andrews - Stubb
Friedrich von Ledebur - Queequeg
Mervyn Johns - Peleg

I've reached a point in life where I think it would be a loss for me if I don't read some of literature's most renowned and respected books. Life is starting to feel short.

At the moment, I am on a Charles Dickens kick. You see, after taking an online Hillsdale College lecture on "A Christmas Carol" last December (the only Dickens story I've read in its entirety so far) I started a Dickens reading list for 2026 as I hadn't ever tried to read a novel of his aside from "A Christmas Carol" since high school. 

Back then, I tried to read a couple books by Dickens which were on an assigned reading list but never could get past the first few pages.

To begin with, back then I had to pick a book each month and submit a book report at the end of each month. Unfortunately, I am a terribly slow reader and finish a book in a month seemed impossible to me. So, I had to read as much as I could in a month and finish the rest on a wing and a prayer. Somehow, I managed. I'm still slow, I humbly admit. How people read so fast, I can't figure it out. 

While trying to read Dickens back in high school, I complained of too many characters and how difficult his stories were to get into. 

Now, with "A Christmas Carol" as my starting off point since I've read it several times already, I'm now working my way through "Oliver Twist" and will continue from there. I want to give Dickens another chance. He deserves another chance. 

Last year, I got through five books. Two were audio books and three where actual books. My general routine now has developed into read one actual book and listen to an audio book at the same time. So far, it's working out well. And man! Is "Oliver Twist" a long book to get through. But I am proud to say I am pulled in. Once I finish it, I'll move onto "A Tale of Two Cities." 

So, with that said, I've had some weird intrigue with Herman Melville's "Moby Dick." I've never read it, and to be honest, I'm kind of intimidated by it. I've heard comments that it's hard to read, it's long, it's a thick book, it's difficult to get into, it's too deep, it's boring etc. My personal interest in whales and whaling is somewhere between minimal and non-existent. Honestly, I was never even that interested in seeing Shamu at Sea World when I was a kid.  

If all they say about the book is true, then I'll start the book by familiarizing myself with the plot first. I checked out the 1956 movie "Moby Dick" from my local library. And after watching it, I listened to Ben Shapiro's (yes, that Ben Shapiro) "Third Thursday Book Club" commentary on the book. Say what you will about Ben Shapiro, his insight into novels is great and engaging to listen to. 

Gregory Peck as Capt. Ahab in "Moby Dick."

I think my curiosity about "Moby Dick" comes from the general theme boiled down to man going up against God, and the biblical themes that run through the story. Plus, it's such a renowned and highly praised novel that I just needed to see what it was all about, even if I never end up reading it. 

If I looked into all the themes and symbolism packed within and discussed it all, this would be a critique half the length of the actual book. This is the movie adaptation of the novel, so I'm going to critique that. 

With "Moby Dick" or any movie that's based on a book, I'm not terribly concerned how much a movie follows a book as long as it respects the source material. Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" films certainly respect the source material (Tolkien's books) though the movie does take a few liberties with the stories. 

Andy Serkis's upcoming movie "Animal Farm" based on Orwell's book clearly doesn't follow the book nor does it look like it'll respect the source material. I can't wait to rip that mess apart!

Though I haven't read "Moby Dick," based on what I know of the story, the movie certainly respects the source material. And from what I read, it follows the story rather well. Besides, Herman Melville didn't make the movie. Anyways, this isn't a book report. It's a commentary on a movie. 

I would think the plot of "Moby Dick" is familiar with just about everyone. 

So, in this movie, a sailor who asks the audience to call him "Ishmael" (Richard Basehart) because that's his name decides to join the crew of a whaling ship called the Pequod. I think he's a schoolteacher in the novel, if I'm not mistaken. He befriends a harpooner named Queequeg (Friedrich von Ledebur) just as they're both about the sail under the seriously obsessed Capt. Ahab (Gregory Peck) who is fixated on hunting down an elusive white whale called Moby Dick. It's the same whale that once took his leg. So, Ahab is out for revenge! 

The voyage progresses with all the usual whaling work and general sea life of whalers. Ahab and his whaling crew encounter other ships along their way which are overshadowed by Ahab's hellbent determination, fueled by a desire for vengeance, to kill the white whale. 

All the while, Ahab's mind frames this quest as a cosmic struggle of man against evil. 

After a long period, when all seems lost and hopeless in regard to finding Moby Dick, the Pequod catches up to the mammoth whale. 

They chase it for three days until the whale smashes the Pequod's smaller boats and ultimately attacks the ship itself, killing Ahab when he's caught in his own harpoon and dragged under the surface of the frothy sea. 

When Moby Dick crashes headfirst into the side of the Pequod causing it to sink, all the crew except Ishmael are killed. He's rescued and lives to tell the salty tale. 

I think the movie certainly simplifies the novel's plot, condenses the backstories of the characters, and quickens the pace. It would have to or I'd still be working my way through the movie. I'm speculating a little based on what I know about the length of the novel and what sort of themes and topics it goes into. However, I wasn't bored at all with the movie. 

The movie tries its hardest to wrestle with the major elements of the story, in respect to the source material, so that it strikes a chord with the audience. 

Ahab's chase is ultimately for immortality which is the battle of all human battles. He wants greatness and will die trying to snare it with his harpoon.  

Gregory Peck doesn't just act with his voice; he acts also with his eyes. He is bloody fantastic in this role! He captures Ahab's flaming determination straight down to his hard gaze and intensity. 

Peck's performance is solid, intimidating and as uncompromising as the sea itself - relentless!

He gives Ahab a moral seriousness or gravity just by the look on his face. It's an amazing performance. 

Director John Huston is no small name among the lexicon of famed directors. He has quite a list of titles on his resume - "The Maltese Falcon," "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre," "The African Queen," "Moulin Rouge," "The Man Who Would Be King," and "Annie" to drop a few titles.  

In this case, he gives this book adaptation a surreal and vast atmosphere that has an impressive immensity to it. There's definitely a biblical taste underneath it all. The sea tale is told with seriousness without the need of any swashbuckling flair. The entire picture, especially the effects, are accomplished masterfully. It still impresses 70-years later. 

I also have to single out Orson Welles as Father Mapple. He delivers one of the most intense sermon scenes in classic cinema. His sermon centers on the story of Jonah. It's not hellfire and brimstone though he warns sinners rather than rage against them. 

Gregory Peck would later play Father Mapple in the 1998 mini-series "Moby Dick" starring Patrick Stewert as Capt. Ahab and Henry Thomas as Ishmael. 

When it comes to the book, many comments on the Book Club insisted the book is boring, especially the parts describing the whale species. Shapiro recommends reading the first 150 pages, skipping the middle, and then continuing onto the last 150 pages. Maybe? 

The movie, though, is fantastic - the beginning, the end, and the middle. I can't yet say for sure, but if I ever decide to crack open Herman Melville's book, I suspect I'll be glad I watched the movie first. I don't normal carry such a sentiment. In this case, I think that's how I'll likely feel.  With it's acting, effects, atmosphere and visuals, "Moby Dick" needs to be counted among my personal favorite flicks!