Living and breathing its pages

Talk not to me of blasphemy, man; I’d strike the sun if it insulted me.

A vastly underrated film adaptation, for very much so does John Huston’s Moby Dick capture the essence of Herman Melville’s writing, even with some of its liberties and deviations, for the only complaint I could really throw in the Pequod’s direction is that it gets a bit rough and boring at times. Other than that, there’s really nothing I can fault here. The filmmaking is quite impressive for it’s time, even as a precursor to the technical aspects of Jaws and I don’t think this story could ever be adapted as well again, the classic Hollywood aesthetic really helps in selling the authenticity of its setting, felt like I was living and breathing it’s pages. And of course, the crown jewel of the film, Gregory Peck’s commanding, dedicated, larger than life performance as Captain Ahab, as well as Orson Welles’ brief but phenomenal sermon. Even in the minutest of roles, always, does he give it his 110%.