Moby Dick

Rating:
Summary: if you can't improve on a classic, leave it alone
Review: If you've never seen the earlier film adaption of Moby Dick starring Gregory Peck, then I'm certain you will enjoy this version more than I did. My problem was that it seemed like this one was from beginning to end trying to displace the older one and scene for scene failed utterly. I can't blame them for trying. It seems producers can do many things that were never conceived of 30-40 years ago, but the thing about a classic is that it somehow transcends the advantages of production. A classic has a feel to it, a flavor, and you can't just super-size that.

Rating:
Summary: Classics never die!
Review: If your looking for a different version of the classic "Moby Dick" then fine. Personally I thought it fell short of the mark. The only highlight for me was when Gregory Peck made his apperance as the preacher. The original is still the one and only.

Rating:
Summary: DRASTIC EDITS RUIN THE VHS VERSION
Review: It seems that there are several different versions of this TV movie available. Rumor has it that the movie that was originally broadcast on USA came in at 3 hours, there is a laser disc version of the movie that is 145 minutes long, and the VHS version is 120 minutes long. Unfortunately, the edits made to the VHS version are so extreme, abrupt, and awkward that it makes the movie virtually unwatchable. You can't help but feel that you're missing something.

Rating:
Summary: Lame
Review: Like some poor re-telling of a great fable, this version of Moby Dick looses much of Melville's poetry and prose. Patrick Stewart who I always thought would be perfect for Ahab disappoints me. Patrick Stewart's performance in this movie, as in other movies like "A Christmas Carol" is soft spoken and timid as if he's afraid to show any aggression or violent outbursts of emotion. The deviation from the story line made this a "must not see" made for television movie which should never have been made at all. There is a fine supporting cast and mediocre computer generated special effects. However, lacking the vision and direction of John Houston, this version of Moby Dick is very weak and lame.

Rating:
Summary: Moby Dick
Review: Obsessed Captain Ahab scoures the sea in search of Moby Dick, the white whale that took his leg. Through the duration of his personal hunt, Ahab acknowledges nary a thought of responsibility or regard to his ship and crew. Directed by Franc Roddam (who also adapted Melville's novel for this screen version) rearranges many of the sequences of events from the book, and even mixes up the dialougue between the characters in some spots. Nevertheless, despite these odd changes, Roddam's effort is an entertaining piece of work. Patrick Stewart is simply remarkable in his portrayal of Ahab. Ted Levine, Henry Thomas, and Hugh Keays-Byrne also turn in fine performances. Originally aired on USA Network as a three-hour miniseries. The DVD version of this movie comes in at 145 minutes. The first VHS edition had a running length of 120 minutes and was later re-released at 145 minutes. Gregory Peck, who played Captain Ahab in John Huston's 1956 film version of the novel won a Golden Globe Award here for his cameo role as Father Mapple.

Rating:
Summary: Bravo Patrick
Review: Once again Patrick Stewart shows us there is more to him than Jean-Luc Picard of Star Trek: The Next Generation. An excellent performance equal in caliber to the 1956 movie with Greg Peck (which is also on DVD now as I write this). By the way important note to Amazon staff and all other previous reviewers and anyone looking to buy this disc. When this disc originally got released soon after the telecast in 1998 on USA Network, it was packaged and labed at 145 minutes (that's 2 hours and 25 minutes) which gave the hint that the disc was edited. I just played mine in my player last night. When I hit the display button on my remote, I get a screen which counts the time on the disc up from 0 and next to it counts it down from the total time. The combined time of these countdowns is 3 HOURS. Which is what should be since it ran 4 hours on USA Network. That means the manufacturer made a mistake in announcing it at 145 minutes, so for those who are concerned that it was cut, relax it hasn't been.

Rating:
Summary: Not bad at all but...
Review: Patrick Stewart did play a great Captian Ahab, almost 'but not quiet like' Gregory Peck in the original, but did show more of a Fatherly and compationate side in this making...

However much was cut out in this Hallmark remark which surprised Me being Hallmark puts out some terrific movies, The Oddyesy, Jason and the Argonaughts, Cleopatra, Arabian Nights etc...

I did give it 4 stars however because the creaters of this version were tastful enough to give Gregory Peck a guest appearance as Father Mapple which He did this role just as stern and feirce and hard as when He played Captain Ahab in the orriginal... which was perfect!

Still though, it is worth getting this movie, as I stated, Patrick Stewart does an excellent job saving the movie and also brings out a differant side of Ahab with out ruining it, just more less enhancing a side We havent seen so to speak, because He is still hard and sea-battered tough at times just like Gregory Peck was in the original when the part called for it...

Enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: I had hoped for more
Review: Patrick Stewart is an incredible actor. I love his character in Star Trek and after the Star Trek movie where he finishes a quote from Moby Dick -- in a quiet, but passionate speech that he alone would stand agains the Borg, I expected more of this movie.
But Patrick never reaches that deep, intraspective level. He is almost there when he realizes that he has driven Mr. Starbuck to contemplate murdering him. The tension between Mr. Starbuck and Capt. Ahab should have been more powerful. It was almost there, but not quite. I might have been an editing problem. It could have been a director problem. Not sure how or why this movie fell short, but it did. Mr. Starbuck plays his part well -- emotive and personal. He brings alive the man who "Can no longer follow his God and follow Capt. Ahab," but the tempo and rhytm of the movie just didn't keep the necessary tension.

Rating:
Summary: I Don't Think So!
Review: Quite often, bringing a classic story like "Moby Dick" to the screen is a thankless task. But at least John Huston's 1956 version has a lot of class as well any number of great performances (even Moby Dick looked a lot more realistic in 1956!). This version just doesn't make it - skip it and buy a copy of Gregory Peck's rendition instead. You'll be glad you did.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Underrated movie
Review: Ted Levi Henry Thomas and Captain Ahab are absolutely great, I liked the flavour of the australian actors, the movie does lookslike a "cruise" sometimes , but its much more realistic environment at sea, ...