History Film / MobyDick

* AdaptationDistillation: In the novel, Ishmael stays briefly in New Bedford before taking a packet ship to Nantucket, since he wants to sail aboard a whaler from the original home of the New England whaling industry. The film reassigns the mystique the book builds up around Nantucket to New Bedford as a result.

The cast includes Creator/GregoryPeck as Captain Ahab, Creator/RichardBasehart as Ishmael, Leo Genn as Starbuck, Friedrich von Ledebur as Queequeg and Creator/OrsonWelles as Father Mapple.

* BookDumb: Queequeg draws a whale when he has to sign the crew list of the ''Pequod'' when he's hired, instead of signing with his name.

It adapts the Creator/HermanMelville [[Literature/MobyDick novel of the same name]], about the tale of the self-destructive obsession of a whaling crew's captain, Ahab, to hunt an albinos sperm whale called Moby Dick, witnessed by Ishmael, Ahab's new recruit.

It adapts the Creator/HermanMelville [[Literature/MobyDick novel of the same name]], about the tale of the self-destructive obsession of a whaling crew's captain, Ahab, to hunt an albinos sperm whale called Moby Dick.

It adapts the Creator/HermanMelville [[Literature/MobyDick novel of the same name]], about the tale of the self-destructive obsession of a whaling crew's captain, Ahab, to hunt an albinos whale called Moby Dick.

''Moby-Dick'' is a 1956 film directed by Creator/JohnHuston with a screenplay by Creator/RayBradbury. It adapts the Creator/HermanMelville [[Literature/MobyDick novel of the same name]].

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mobydick1956_1.png]]

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/moby_dick_1956.jpg]]

!!This film provides examples of the following tropes:

''Moby-Dick'' is a 1956 film directed by Creator/JohnHuston with a screenplay by Creator/RayBradbury. It adapts the Creator/HermanMelville [[Literature/MobyDick novel of the same name]] and stars Creator/GregoryPeck as Captain Ahab. Gregory Peck as Captain Ahab, Creator/RichardBasehart as Ishmael, Leo Genn as Starbuck, Friedrich von Ledebur as Queequeg and Creator/OrsonWelles as Father Mapple.

''Moby-Dick'' is a 1956 film directed by Creator/JohnHuston with a screenplay by Creator/RayBradbury. It adapts the Creator/HermanMelville [[Literature/MobyDick novel of the same name]] and stars Creator/GregoryPeck as Captain Ahab. Gregory Peck as Captain Ahab, Creator/RichardBasehart as Ishmael, Creator/LeoGenn as Starbuck, Friedrich von Ledebur as Queequeg and Creator/OrsonWelles as Father Mapple.

''Moby-Dick'' is a 1956 film directed by Creator/JohnHuston with a screenplay by Creator/RayBradbury. It adapts the Creator/HermanMelville [[Literature/MobyDick novel of the same name]] and stars Creator/GregoryPeck as Captain Ahab.

----
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: While the earlier versions kept Ahab accidentally getting tangled in the rope of the harpoon he uses, in the 2011 version, he inexplicably wraps as much rope as he can around his own body, leaving little tension to his inevitable demise.
* KilledByTheAdaptation[=/=]SparedByTheAdaptation: In the 1930 film, [[spoiler:Ahab kills Moby Dick and returns home safely]].
* LargeHam: Ahab as played by Gregory Peck (1956) swings between ChewingTheScenery and just [[ColdHam sounding like he's about to]].
* LockedIntoStrangeness: In the 1956 version, Ahab has a white line going through his hair, tracing the scar left by a lightning bolt.
* TheMockbuster: Creator/TheAsylum released their own version, with Creator/BarryBostwick as Ahab, a Navy Captain who reappropriates his submarine to take his revenge on the white whale, here a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Livyatan_melvillei prehistoric whale]] that had crippled him decades earlier. Here, his desire for revenge was his motivating factor for working his way up from ensign for the opportunity to one day take his revenge. Surprisingly contained a lot of references to the novel. Creator/ReneeOConnor [[GenderFlip played]] Dr. Ishmael, a marine biologist[[note]]For some reason, Hollywood marine biologists are almost exclusively female[[/note]] whom Ahab shanghais into helping him.
* PlayingHamlet: In the 1956 version, Creator/RichardBasehart, who played Ishmael, was actually ''older'' than Gregory Peck.
* PoliticallyCorrectHistory: The 2011 version. While the [[MultinationalTeam Multinational Crew]] was not commented upon in the early versions, here there exists a new character whose sole purpose is to belittle the minorities, only to be told off by all the white characters.
* RaceLift: In the 1998 version, Fedallah (a Persian) is portrayed by an Indonesian actor.
* SettingUpdate: ''The Bedford Incident'', a Cold War thriller, has a Soviet sub taking the place of a giant whale. The parallels to ''Moby Dick'' are even stronger in the novel.
* TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou: In the 1956 film, every time some other ship mentions that they've seen Moby Dick, Ahab anxiously asks "You didn't kill him, did you?", and is relieved to hear that the whale is still alive. Ahab wants to get revenge ''personally''; it won't do if some other ship kills Moby Dick first.
* TheSmurfettePrinciple: In the 2011 version, Ahab's wife (Creator/GillianAnderson) is given a small part early on -- even though in the book, Ahab hasn't seen his family in years.

''Moby-Dick'' is a 1956 film directed by Creator/JohnHuston with a screenplay by Creator/RayBradbury.. It adapts the Creator/HermanMelville novel of the same name and stars Creator/GregoryPeck as Captain Ahab.

* CompositeCharacter: In the 1956 and 2011 versions, Fedallah's part is filled early on by Elijah.
* CompressedAdaptation: The even-numbered chapters (the "whaling encyclopedia") are usually omitted.
* FakeAmerican:
** The various film versions cast British actors as the mostly-American crew of the ''Pequod''.
** Ahab is played by Creator/PatrickStewart in the 1998 film.

[[quoteright:310:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/moby_dick_1956.jpg]]

As one of the most famous and acclaimed American novels of all time, it is no surprise that ''Literature/MobyDick'' has been adapted to the screen several times. The most famous film adaptation is probably the 1956 version starring Creator/GregoryPeck as Ahab and directed by Creator/JohnHuston, with the screenplay written by Creator/RayBradbury. There have also been two acclaimed {{miniseries}} adaptations, one from 1998 starring Creator/PatrickStewart and the other from 2011 starring Creator/WilliamHurt (both playing Ahab).

!!Tropes featured in these three versions, and common to others:

* AccordionToMostSailors: Early in the 1956 version, a whaler at the inn plays "Amsterdam" (aka "A-Rovin'") on a concertina, which leads to the whole room singing and dancing.
* AdaptationDistillation: In the novel, Ishmael stays briefly in New Bedford before taking a packet ship to Nantucket, since he wants to sail aboard a whaler from the original home of the New England whaling industry. Some adaptations simplify this sequence to having Ishmael arrive in New Bedford and sign aboard the ''Pequod'' there. The 1956 film reassigns the mystique the book builds up around Nantucket to New Bedford as a result.
* AdaptationalVillainy: In the 1956 version, Starbuck does an extremely abrupt about-face and urges the crew to continue the suicidal attack on Moby Dick after Ahab's death. Nothing of the sort happens in the novel.
* AdaptedOut:
** The 1956 film leaves out several characters of various importance, most notably Fedallah (whose role of making specific predictions about Ahab's fate is handed to Elijah).
** The 1930 film leaves out ''[[TheProtagonist Ishmael]]'', instead following Ahab from the start.
* {{Brownface}}: Queequeg was played by Austrian actor Friedrich von Ledebur in 1956. The fake tattoos look okay at a glance; von Ledebur as a Pacific Islander is less convincing.
* CaliforniaDoubling: To date, none of the film versions have been shot in Massachusetts, in large part because the real New Bedford is far too developed to realistically pass for its 19th-century self.
** The 1956 film was shot in Wales.
** The 1998 miniseries was shot in Australia.
** The 2011 miniseries was shot in Nova Scotia and Malta.
* CastingGag: In the 1998 mini-series, Gregory Peck played Father Mapple.

* PlayingHamlet: In the 1956 version, Richard Basehart, who played Ishmael, was actually ''older'' than Gregory Peck.

As one of the most famous and acclaimed American novels of all time, it is no surprise that ''Moby-Dick'' has been adapted to the screen several times. The most famous film adaptation is probably the 1956 version starring Creator/GregoryPeck as Ahab and directed by Creator/JohnHuston, with the screenplay written by Creator/RayBradbury. There have also been two acclaimed {{miniseries}} adaptations, one from 1998 starring Creator/PatrickStewart and the other from 2011 starring Creator/WilliamHurt (both playing Ahab).

* SkunkStripe: In the 1956 version, Ahab has a white line going through his hair, tracing the scar left by a lightning bolt.

* PoliticallyCorrectHistory: The 2011 version. While the MultiNationalCrew was not commented upon in the early versions, here there exists a new character whose sole purpose is to belittle the minorities, only to be told off by all the white characters.