The Sea Beast

1/15/19262h 16m

Theatrical Release (US)

~ AN EPIC OF THE GOLDEN AGE OF AMERICAN SEA-FARING ADVENTURE ~

Overview:

Based on Herman Melville's novel "Moby Dick."

Director:

Millard Webb

Status:

Released

Language:

English

Buget:

$503,000.00

Revenue:

$938,000.00

Key words:

sea
whale
revenge
silent film

Cast

John Barrymore

~ as ~

Captain Ahab Ceeley

Dolores Costello

~ as ~

Esther Harper

George O'Hara

~ as ~

Derek Ceeley

Mike Donlin

~ as ~

Flask

Sam Baker

~ as ~

Queequeeq

George Berrell

~ as ~

Perth (as George Burrell)

Sam Allen

~ as ~

Captain

Frank Nelson

~ as ~

Stubbs

Mathilde Comont

~ as ~

Mula

James O. Barrows

~ as ~

Rev. Harper

View full cast & crew

Reviews (1)

CinemaSerf
Written 3 year(s) ago
6
Hmmm. This is what we would call a "re-imagining" nowadays. Herman Melville's classic "Moby Dick" underpins this far more romantic story as John Barrymore "Ahab" has to battle his brother "Derek" (George O'Hara) for the affections of "Esther" (Delores Costello) on land whilst joining in the battle against the great white whale from the novel at sea. I found the romance just a bit too drawn out and tedious, but when the film takes us to sea it comes alive with some cracking cinematography that depicts the dangers the sailors faced doing their jobs (including plenty of rats milling aboard amongst the injured and/or sleeping men). I can't say the print I saw was great, and the accompanying score was so soporific as to remind me of the music played at the dentist to calm me when I'm having root canal treatment! Barrymore is good, though. His maniacally obsessive expressions when tracking the whale (which, by now, has relieved him of his lower leg) are genuinely menacing - though clearly not so much for the whale. The ending is far removed from the book, too - and that removes much of the potency from the the whole thing, leaving us with a rather slushy maritime drama that just doesn't have enough of action and adventure for me.