Introduction
Moby Dick, or, The Whale, is the most famous work of Herman Melville, based on actual events and published in 1851. The novel is known for its lyrical digressions, which complicate reading, has many biblical references, and is equipped with layered symbolism. One of the most famous and successful film adaptations is John Huston’s Moby Dick (1956), which was developed in collaboration with Ray Bradbury, a screenwriter.
The film was released under Warner Bros distributors in the UK. The roles are played by such actors as Gregory Peck, Richard Basehart, Leo Genn, and the legendary Orson Welles. As a director, Houston uses various cinematic techniques that allow the viewer to focus more on the drama of imminent doom, in contrast to Melville, who brings many hidden meanings to his novel.
Filmic Context
Houston’s picture was created against all odds: bad weather during filming, misunderstandings between the director, screenwriter, and actors, and over budget. The sea scenes were filmed in Las Palmas in the Canary Islands, and the New England and New Bedford scenes were filmed in Yule, Ireland (Moby Dick (1956), n.d.). Gregory Peck stated in a 1995 interview that most of the whaling scenes were filmed on models in the Shepperton Studios pool in London (Moby Dick (1956), n.d.). Huston called it “…the most difficult picture I ever made” (Moby Dick (1956), n.d., para. 19).
A trademark of Houston’s directing methods is the departure from a large amount of editing work. Nevertheless, many studio scenes are also worked out in nature by overlaying and shooting models. Moby Dick was a 30-ton machine almost 27.5 meters high, which was an innovation for the time, as it was the first full-scale figure for filming (Moby Dick (1956), n.d.).
As a result, the whale hunting scenes came out dynamic and exciting, and emphasized the director’s desire to naturalize the filming process. The film adaptation of Moby Dick has a very well-chosen color scheme. A visual effect was created to create an atmosphere of whaling, consisting of an overlay of a black and white print on a color image. All colors are slightly muted, as if reduced saturation allows the viewer to plunge into the mood.
Style and Cinematic Features
The editing affects the film’s rhythm and the story’s flow. Slowness and a small number of mounting glues create a certain harmony, while their large number leads to the opposite effect. As already mentioned, a feature of the director’s style is his rejection of a large amount of editing, which allows the picture to become more dynamic and natural.
To create an atmosphere, the film also uses gray muted tones that enable it to ‘plunge’ into the ‘storm’ on the water, which the viewer observes throughout the film. The director even uses different ways of moving the camera, such as when Ahab pokes fun at his speech to Starbuck about why he needs to get back at Moby Dick (Huston, 1956, 50:50-52:43). In addition to the constant smooth movement of the camera from side to side, imitating the action of a ship on the water, the director gradually smoothly zooms in on the more prominent shot of Ahab to convey tension, emphasizing the drama of the moment.
A special moment in the film is marked by the sound of a creaking ship in the background, which also appears in the most dramatic moments when silence emphasizes what is happening or being said on the screen. When the captain appears on the screen, driven by hatred for the whale and showing his resolute nature, the music in the background becomes the same ‘resolute,’ loud, beating (Huston, 1956, 34:51, 36:56-37:13).
To increase the drama, the director uses a lingering melody throughout the film, which allows a sense of hopelessness to appear. It can be seen especially in the episode when one of the sailors falls overboard. The crew fails to find him (Huston, 1956, 1:07:13-1:09:00). The director, combined with the music, shows frequent shots of the empty faces of the team, which, on the one hand, are experiencing loss, and on the other hand, they are afraid of what awaits them in the depths of the waters.
Symbolism and Ideas
Melville’s Moby Dick storyline has various religious references and themes. Even the monster in the novel can be seen as an allusion to the biblical Leviathan, which man cannot defeat. On the other hand, in chapter 42, called The Whiteness of the Whale, Ishmael talks about the colors and symbols of the whale itself. He acknowledges that the connotation of white has primarily positive connotations, such as purity, justice, or honor (Melville, 1851, p. 162).
Despite this, the work’s characters perceive the white whale as a monster. It is also interesting that Ishmael speaks of white supremacy, “giving the white man ideal mastership over every dusky tribe” (Melville, 1851, p. 163). The irony lies in the fact that the “almighty” whites died due to the superiority of another white being over them.
Although he left many of Melville’s biblical references, the director still focused on the epic nature of the picture. Houston focuses on the crew’s death and the drama of their entire journey, which initially led them to their deaths. This was done because it is a feature of cinema; what isnecessary for the success of the picture is not the endowment with a deep meaning but the brilliance of the scene, the ability to evoke emotions in the viewer, to interest them.
Historical Context
By the time of the film’s release, whaling was still common, although the International Whaling Commission was established in 1931 to regulate whaling. Therefore, the theme is still relevant even at the time of the film’s first appearance. Due to the lack of mystification of Melville’s novel, the film was seen more as a spectacular picture than a work with profound themes. These are reflections on the topic of confrontation between man and nature. It is a story about how true courage always includes the ability to forgive and retreat.
Original vs Adaptation
The film is relatively compact, and the script did not follow the source everywhere; somewhere, it was justified, but sometimes, it deprived the film of possible depth. For example, the scene in the chapel was very well filmed, where the future events of Pequod’s crew are predicted, although only a faint hint is given in the novel (Melville, 1851). The author uses different words with a negative connotation that can strain the reader, for example, “horror,” “thirst,” “tragedy,” and “danger” (Melville, 1851, pp. 4, 5, 7).
The film also removed almost all encounters between the Pequod and other ships. Some of them can be considered passing, but the meeting with the cheerful Bachelor was very revealing and essential for understanding the meaning of the work (Melville, 1851). In one of the episodes, Pequod converges with an English whaler whose captain, Samuel Enderby, received a deep wound when he harpooned Moby Dick and lost his arm.
This episode is also present in the film and becomes as vital in understanding Ahab as it is in the book. Ahab rushes to talk to a man whose fate is similar to his, but does not meet with the same enthusiasm since the captain of another ship does not seek revenge. According to Samuel, it’s better not to go after the whale, “he’s best let alone” (Melville, 1851, p. 492). That not only demonstrated the tragically different fates of various fishing ships or people in general but, as it were, symbolized Ahab’s final conversion to darkness, his renunciation of land, of earthly life.
In addition, Bradbury slightly changed the ending nuances, placing Ahab in the place of his ‘shadow,’ Fedalla, a character in the book who is not in the film adaptation. According to Radbury’s scenario, Dead Ahab calls the team behind him. Ahab’s senior assistant – Starbuck, who has consistently opposed the hunt for a giant whale, leads the team to death, ordering to attack Moby Dick, obsessed with the idea of killing the white whale. Despite the deviations from the original, the film’s action unfolded progressively, without a feverish rush and compression of episodes. Considerable attention is paid here to sea songs, which perfectly convey the atmosphere and color of the time.
Conclusion
John Huston’s 1956 film Moby Dick is rightfully considered one of the most significant and successful adaptations of the great novel of the same name. The film captures the novel’s characters well, although it shifts the focus from the biblical theme to the theme of revenge on the monster. Nevertheless, even Melville’s original dialogues were retained in the film, and the main plot lines of the novel were transferred, but in the end, Bradbury could not resist fantasy. Thus, Moby Dick (1956) is a classic film adaptation that successfully conveys the novel’s essence, adding artistic and symbolic features that tell a terrible story.
References
Huston, J. (1956). Moby Dick [Film]. Warner Bros.
Melville, H. (1851). Moby Dick. Harper & Brothers.
Moby Dick (1956). AFI. (n.d.). Web.
Population status. IWC. (2023). Web.