Moby Dick (1998) (TV)

Director:

Franc Roddam

Writers:

Herman Melville (novel)
Anton Diether (teleplay) ...

Release Date:

15 March 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama

Plot:

The sole survivor of a lost whaling ship relates the tale of his captain's self-destructive obsession to hunt the white whale, Moby Dick.

Plot Keywords:

Sea | Captain | Whale | Ship | Whaling

Awards:

Won Golden Globe. Another 4 wins & 9 nominations

Cast

Henry Thomas	...	Ishmael
Bruce Spence	...	Elijah
Hugh Keays-Byrne	...	Mr. Stubb
Robin Cuming	...	Peter Coffin (as Robin Cumming)
Shane Connor	...	Mr. Flask (as Shane Feeney Connor)
Patrick Stewart	...	Captain Ahab
Piripi Waretini	...	Queequeg
Vivianne Benton	...	Sal Coffin
Dominic Purcell	...	Bulkington
Norman Yemm	...	Carpenter
Michael Jackson	...	Shantyman
Warren Owens	...	Cook
Norman D. Golden II	...	Little Pip (as Norman Golden II)
Harold Hopkins	...	Captain Peleg
John Lee	...	Captain Bildad

MPAA:

Rated PG for mild language and for some intense whaling action/violence.

Runtime:

180 min | 60 min (3 episodes)

Country:

UK | Australia | USA

Language:

English | Maori

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Singapore:PG | UK:PG | USA:PG | Netherlands:12

Filming Locations:

Point Cook, Victoria, Australia

Company:

American Zoetrope

Trivia:

John Lee's final film.

Quotes:

Starbuck: May God forgive you, Ahab, may God forgive you...

Movie Connections:

Featured in A Conversation with Gregory Peck (1999)

The Most Powerful Movie Made for Television

Usually I don't expect much out of movies made for TV. They're seven acts, instead of the traditional three, which makes plotting difficult. They work on miniscule budgets, and usually use actors on their way up or their way down. Not to be compared with theatrical motion pictures - apples and oranges. However, the exception proves the rule.

This is an epic telling of the Melville story. Okay, most of you probably had a bad experience reading the novel. You end up asking why Ahab was prepared to give his life for catching or killing the great albino whale. The answer is that Ahab and the Whale are inexorably bound in life. The whale is Ahab's grab for the eternal brass ring, one that eludes him time and again.

First: Best motion picture score I've ever heard for a TV Movie. Second: This picture is filmed like a theatrical, meant to be projected on a large screen. Third: My dear friend, Patrick Stewart who doesn't know how to give a bad performance. Patrick, like the whale is a force of nature, not to be denied. I've directed Patrick on a number of occasions and there's none of the nonsense you hear about the whims of great actors. Patrick comes to work prepared and when he makes a suggestion you take it very seriously.

I don't care about the other online reviews putting the knock on Melville or his story. What have any of us done recently that will live for more than a century and a half. That my friends is the mark of greatness. It's an elusive butterfly that anybody who gives their life to the creative arts covets and strives to achieve. I give it a ten and defy any reader of this review to tell me why it deserves a scentila less.