Don't Believe the Hype

It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

The acting in this movie is really good.

While this is not very faithful to Herman Melville's novel, indeed, Ishmael isn't even a character, this is a good film. Barrymore, of course, is perfectly cast as Ahab, with Dolores Costello, his lover at the time, as Esther, the woman both he and Ahab's brother (where did he come from)fighting for her love.The print isn't perfect. It's washed out in places, but overall, it's not bad, and the score is terrific. I waited a long time to see this and really enjoyed it! If you want to see a Moby Dick that's closer to the book, there are the 1956 version with Gregory Peck, which is excellent, and the TV version starring Patrick Stewart, which really follows the book! Orson Welles also wrote a stage adaptation that's exciting. Now why hasn't that been one on a PBS Theatre in America program?

Young sailor Ahab (aka John Barrymore) loves lovely Dolores Costello, but his black hearted brother Derek wants her too. So, when the dangerous SEA BEAST (aka Moby Dick) raises its vicious head from the briny deep, awful brother is around to make sure Barrymore suffers at the hands of the white whale. Will true love triumph, or will Barrymore's Mr. Hyde makeup as the obsessed Capt Ahab scare off lovely Dolores?Since the print I watched had both dreadful music, and a frequently washed out picture, it is impossible to evaluate this movie fairly. It is quite slow (slow enough that I questioned whether it was recorded at the right speed), and the first two-thirds of the movie are devoted to the younger Ahab, his true love for Dolores, and the machinations of the villainous Derek. That part is, except for a few moments of hot romance, and the whale hunt, quite dull. The second part, featuring Barrymore's Mr. Hyde as Ahab, stays on the right side of risible, and thrives on Barrymore's ability to be as scary as Lon Cheney. Some rousing storm scenes, and a final confrontation between Ahab and Derek make this part quite fun in a rousing old movie way.This is worth seeing, if you like Barrymore, who is excellent throughout. But you might have more fun if you fast forward things through the many tedious bits in part 1.

This rousing adventure romance is very loosely based on Herman Melville's Moby Dick. A few plot elements are taken from the novel and fashioned into a completely different story. The film is a showcase for John Barrymore, whose transformation as Ahab is reminiscent of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde.However, the new Televista DVD release is recommended only for silent film collectors (like myself) who must have this movie in their libraries. Much of the spectacle of the original is lost due to the poor quality of the print used for this DVD. It is identified as a print held by the George Eastman House which originated from the Henry A. Strong collection. Although it may be the best available print, it is pretty bad. Details are blurred and grainy, some inter-titles are difficult to read, and when letters are held up to the camera, they are completely unreadable. The Televista DVD is priced at $15, but the quality is no better than Alpha Video DVDs available for $5 or $6.

This film is rarely seen and not available on video. I made a personal copy on Beta tape (from a 16mm print) over 20 years ago to assist in the writing of my master's thesis on the adaptations of Moby Dick. Although it has some interesting maritime visual elements including some documentary footage of the butchering of sperm whales - it has very little to do with Melville's story or characters. Ahab is given a more heroic and romantic treatment. A love interest (Esther) and a rival half-brother provide a conflict never dreamed of by the novelist. The 1930 sound version is similar in most respects although shorter. I won't spoil the ending but you can again be sure it has nothing to do with Melville.