Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.5

Moby Dick Blu-ray Movie Review

"From hell's heart I stab at thee! For hate's sake I spit my last breath at thee!"

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown January 6, 2025

Whatever the cause, "madness" is something that has gripped our collective imaginations for centuries and served as the basis of many a dramatic tale. That sole, driving force to accomplish a feat that, on its surface, seems impossible to anyone else; to find the lost treasure, exact revenge at all costs, kill the threat no matter the sacrifice, climb into the unknown regardless of the danger, plunge into hell laughing at the flames, to face death head on and care nothing for life... madness. And there's no greater figure of literary madness in the modern world than Captain Ahab, a man hellbent on a task that goes against every survival instinct that once screamed in his brain. Author Herman Melville probably had no idea that his character would be so studied and analyzed in the decades that followed, nor that Ahab would become synonymous with actions taken against one's own best interests. He also couldn't possibly have realized that one day an actor would rise from the depths to inhabit Ahab in such a powerful and profound way as to make an otherwise dated film resonate into the 21st century, but that's precisely what Gregory Peck manages to do in his frightening 1956 portrayal of the mad captain. Atticus Finch this is not. Ahab is the complete antithesis, revealing just how talented and malleable Peck was as a leading man and just how impressive his body of work truly remains.

"Speak not to me of blasphemy, man; I'd strike the sun if it insulted me. Look ye, Starbuck, all visible objects are but as pasteboard masks. Some inscrutable yet reasoning thing puts forth the molding of their features. The white whale tasks me; he heaps me. Yet he is but a mask. 'Tis the thing behind the mask I chiefly hate; the malignant thing that has plagued mankind since time began; the thing that maws and mutilates our race, not killing us outright but letting us live on, with half a heart and half a lung."

The high seas, 1841. Merchant sailor Ishmael (Richard Basehart), having been landlocked for far too long, sets out for New Bedford, where he shares a room with a a harpooner named Peter Coffin (Joseph Tomelty) and a deadly native man named Queequeg (Friedrich Ledebur), who's hired to serve aboard the same ship as Coffin, the Pequod. "Better a sober cannibal than a drunken Christian," Ishmael muses, and becomes fast friends with the strange, tattooed man. He also catches his first glimpse of the peg-legged Captain Ahab (a perfectly cast Gregory Peck), a lifelong whaler driven by a singular ambition: to hunt and kill the great white sea-beast that took his leg and has plagued ships on the open ocean for decades. Ishmael is warned about Ahab and his madness to no avail. His restlessness can only be combated, he believes, with high adventure, and Ahab provides just such an opportunity. Departing on the Pequod, Ishmael and his newfound companions meet first mate Starbuck (Leo Genn), the jolly Stubb (Harry Andrews), the eclectic crew and, of course, their new captain, Ahab, who explains that the whale they're hunting on this three-year journey "tore my soul and body until they bled into each other." Inspiring -- or perhaps intimidating -- his crew to vow their lives in pursuit of this creature, Moby Dick, Ahab orders the ship south, to a stretch of sea he believes to be the spring home of the fabled white whale. Directed by John Huston, the film was adapted from the Herman Melville novel by Huston and Ray Bradbury, and features unique cinematography by Oswald Morris meant to resemble 19th century whaling prints.

Moby Dick is a mostly faithful adaptation of Melville's classic, stripping away the fat and honing in on the story and character beats that matter. Peck is extraordinary, quiet to a fault then suddenly full of fury, he demands attention and allegiance with little more than a cold stare. His supporting cast is excellent too, with Ledebur in particular throwing every cell of his body and inch of his flesh into the difficult role of Queequeg. Basehart's Ishmael is a bit of a blank slate, but so too should be every rendition of the adventurer; the consummate proxy for the reader and, here, the viewer. Yes, rich layers of the novel have also been callously removed, but there's a wisdom to the cuts and succinctness of Bradbury's script that allows the long journey to seem far more immediate and primal, the stakes that much higher and the inevitable endgame that much more thrilling. And yes, as the film goes along, too much time is spent on Ahab, but such is the cost of casting someone like Peck. The crew grow more and more inconsequential to the proceedings (which, thematically, kinda works), despite a string of compelling arcs and tragic deaths. But through it all emerges a film and story that continue to stand the test of time, inviting us into a motely crew of near-pirates torn between their desire to live and their duty to their captain.

"It is our task in life to kill whales, to furnish oil for the lamps of the world. If we perform that task well and faithfully, we do a service to mankind that pleases Almighty God. Ahab would deny all that. He has taken us from the rich harvest we were reaping to satisfy his lust for vengeance. He is twisting that which is holy into something dark and purposeless. He is a Champion of Darkness. Ahab's red flag challenges the heavens."

Moby Dick Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Moby Dick's remastered video presentation first saw the light of day in 2016 (domestically via a now out-of-print Twilight Time Limited Edition Blu-ray). Reviews were scarce but warnings were everywhere: ignore the picture quality... this is as good as the film can possibly look. Even then, there was skepticism. Why? It doesn't look great. Or even very good. It's rough. Possibly one of the more problematic presentations I've reviewed in recent memory. The German release offers an opening disclaimer -- "the complex color palette of the film was painstakingly reconstructed using reference material. The original material shows signs of wear consistent with age" -- while all press for the BD mentioned its painstaking eight-month restoration, overseen by expert colorist Greg Kimble. Originally, director John Huston and cinematographer Oswald Morris experimented with the photography, aiming to create visuals that evoked 19th century whaling prints (some of which are featured in the opening credit sequence). Further, Moby Dick was processed in Technicolor and Technicolor alone, meaning no other film negative exists. Kimble's efforts are certainly noteworthy, but I fear they'll be completely forgotten or dismissed, as the presentation... hm. Struggles? Suffers? Falters? Fails to impress in subjective, uninformed watches? And without much history documented or previous releases to compare it to, it's that much more difficult to determine how accurate Kimble's color timing and the overall restoration are in the first place.

So where does that leave us? With a very tricky transfer to evaluate, that's where. Colors are already muted to the point of featuring one, two or three colors at a time. The image often borders on monochromatic, and even frequently appears as if it's been filmed in black and white. There's a bonus "Original Muted Color" version of Moby Dick included on the disc that helps set a baseline for picture quality, but it doesn't speak to how much might have been achieved with more advanced, cutting-edge restorative techniques. Even then, with such specific filmmaker intentions, where is the line between what can be achieved and what was meant to be achieved? Black levels are dark, sometimes to the point of making it impossible to track everything that's occurring in the shadows. Contrast is stronger and better balanced than it's ever been, but it doesn't make for a striking picture. Likewise, detail isn't very exacting, with softness, edge halos, pulpy textures, decent but not entirely immaculate grain, and other so-so happenings that undermine the beauty of such unique and ambitious filmmaking. (Huston would have been the Robert Eggers of his day.) It doesn't help that compression is a tad wonky at times, grain is inconsistent, and crush is out in force. But again, other than compression anomalies, how much of the presentation truly is the best we can ever hope for? Throw my score -- any score really -- right out the window. If you yearn for faithfulness above all else, this will be far more pleasing to you than it is for others. If you love an incredible, miraculous restoration that breathes new life into old films, this one may be more disappointing than others would have you believe.

Moby Dick Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are times Moby Dick's sound design is almost too much for a two-channel track to handle, but it holds closely to its source. The DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mix on hand delivers clean, intelligible dialogue, an engaging soundscape on the open sea, exacting prioritization and quite a few dynamic moments that make you sit up and pay attention. LFE support would have been a boon, as would a surround option, but as faithful mono mixes go, this one swims and rarely sinks.

Moby Dick Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Sandpiper Pictures release of Moby Dick only features two extras: an Original Muted Color version of the film and a theatrical trailer. The Twilight Time Limited Edition Blu-ray included an audio commentary, isolated score track, color timing featurette and more, none of which are offered in this release.

Moby Dick Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"The coffin was my life buoy. For one whole day and night, it sustained me on that soft and dirge-like main. Then, a sail appeared; It was the Rachel. The Rachel who in her long melancholy search for her missing children found... another orphan. The drama's done. All are departed away. The great shroud of the sea rolls over the Pequod, her crew and Moby Dick. I only am escaped... alone, to tell thee."

Moby Dick is a timeless tale and it's hard to find a more riveting portrayal of Captain Ahab than Gregory Peck's performance. The rest of the crew get sidelined and shortchanged, sure, but when you have someone like Peck, you change course and sail into the storm. Sandpiper's Blu-ray is unfortunately a mixed bag, lacking the supplements of the Twilight Time Limited Edition release and struggling with a difficult video presentation. But its audio is good -- very good -- and the film is well worth watching and owning. Despite all suggestions to the contrary, this one comes highly recommended.