Moby Dick (1956) | (Laserdisc) | USED

Title: Moby Dick (1956)

Genre: Adventure / Drama

Plot Synopsis
In 1841, a young sailor joins the whaling ship Pequod alongside a Polynesian harpooner and soon learns that the captain is consumed by an obsession with hunting a great white whale who once maimed him. As the voyage continues, the line between vengeance and madness blurs, leading the crew toward a tragic and inevitable confrontation at sea.

Cast and Crew

• Director: John Huston

• Writers: Ray Bradbury, John Huston

• Cast:

  • Gregory Peck as Captain Ahab

  • Richard Basehart as Ishmael

  • Leo Genn as Starbuck

  • Orson Welles as Father Mapple

  • Friedrich von Ledebur as Queequeg

IMDb Link: Moby Dick (1956) 

Reviews from Letterboxd

1. Dave Jackson – ★★★½
   A visually stunning adaptation with a palpable sense of doom. Peck is miscast but still manages to embody Ahab’s tragic obsession.

2. theriverjordan – ★★★
   Huston’s direction is strong but Peck’s performance lacks the madness the role demands, making the film feel too controlled.

3. Channing Pomeroy – ★★★★
   Huston’s adaptation captures the spirit of Melville’s novel with sharp visuals and a focus on human obsession over theological depth.

4. Kevin Majestyck – ★★★
   Strips away Melville’s digressions to focus on the hunt. Works as an adventure and a prestige creature feature.

5. Steve Bowbrick – ★★★
   A flawed yet endearing take on the classic, notable for its parallels to Jaws and its dramatic finale.

Meta Description:
Classic 1956 adaptation of Herman Melville’s novel, directed by John Huston and starring Gregory Peck as the vengeful Captain Ahab obsessed with hunting the white whale.