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Jan 19, 2017Derringer rated this title 2.5 out of 5 stars
Like, how the heck (I repeat) HOW THE HECK does a whale ever get named "Moby Dick", anyways? I mean, I don't know about you, but... Oh. Never mind. You know, I probably would've rated this 1956 version of Moby Dick somewhat higher than 2.5 stars, 'cause, believe me, it actually was quite an impressive production (with its $4.5 million budget), had it not been for one totally irksome thing - And that was - Gregory Peck.... (Sheesh!) As Captain Ahab, Peck was truly an absurdity in the flesh, to say the least.... Like some deranged, stock-company "Lincoln" with peg leg, flaring nostrils, and volcanic eruptions of ridiculous emotion, Peck was way-way-way out of his depth in this one as an actor. Considering how absolutely out of whack that Peck's performance was, it was actually quite amazing to see just how well-controlled the rest of the film remained. Thanks, no doubt, to director John Huston's masterful touch, for (mercifully) not permitting anything else, except Peck to get out of hand. Beautifully photographed in and around Ireland and the Canary Islands, three 60 foot rubber whales were used in this film's production. These massive props were eventually lost out at sea.