Edward Zwick (Defiance, Blood Diamond, The Last Samurai, Legends of the Fall, Glory) will direct an adaptation of Nathaniel Philbrick's 2001 non-fiction book In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex.
The book tells the true tale of the Essex, a Nantucket whaling ship that in 1820 was stalked and sunk by a really and truly pissed off sperm whale. Some of the crew survived and endured three months at sea in a whaling boat, fighting off hunger, thirst, and some very un-Sea-Worldly killer whales. The hook at the time of the book's publication was that the tale of the Essex is what inspired Herman Melville to write Moby-Dick 30 years later.
It's a great story–exciting enough, I hope, to break Zwick out of what can sometimes be a rather ponderous, self-important cinematic style. (Blood Diamond was quite good… Defiance, not so much…) And while it may seem lately that all I ever watch or read are horror films and superhero comics, my tastes are a bit wider than that: I also love sea stories! (Master and Commander is one of my favorite films of the past decade and probably in my top 25 of all time.)
As if this Zwick/Essex news wasn't enough whale giddiness for one day, it seems Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted and the Nightwatch/Daywatch series) may direct a new version of Moby-Dick. While news that someone as bull-goose loony as Bekmambetov could be taking a swipe at one of the Great American Novels might cause alarm among purists, I'm all for it.
Bekmambetov is a visual maniac, but amidst the chaos, he also comes off as a fairly smart director. Giving him some meaty source material might create something very special. And to be honest, despite its place in the canon of American Literature, there has never really been a great film made of Moby-Dick. (Sorry, John Huston and Gregory Peck… sorry, Patrick Stewart…)
On the other hand, most of the novel Moby-Dick (at least the narrative chapters, not the ones that go on and on about the ins and outs of whales and whaling) is just guys on a boat eying each other with distrust and trepidation. I'd be curious to see if Bekmambetov can settle down and hold his camera still long enough to do that sort of low-key, character-development stuff. (Of course, folks said the same thing when Peter Jackson took on The Lord of the Rings.)
Posted on March 4, 2009 at 3:34 pm
this should be tight
Posted on March 4, 2009 at 3:51 pm
hmm… that made me think…
Posted on March 4, 2009 at 4:23 pm
I’m listening to the audio version of MOBY DICK right now and I have to say, I’m more interested in the HEART OF THE SEA movie than a new version of MOBY DICK. I never realized how wordy Melville was. IMO he’s perfected the art of digression … he has an entire chapter on the concept of whiteness for goodness sake!
Posted on March 4, 2009 at 4:31 pm
Well Heather, the old saw is that if you just want to read the STORY of Moby-Dick, skip every other chapter. The chapters that go on about the various aspects of whales and whaling are a bit odd to our modern tastes, especially if we’re just there for hot man vs. whale action.
But over the years, I’ve actually come to really like the “digression” chapters — not just for their insight and information, but because for me they help present–as Melville intended–the total “idea” of the whale and the industry and the world his story inhabits. Even things like whiteness, which of course feeds directly into the symbolic stuff he’s getting at with making Moby Dick himself white.
Still, as they say, if you just want a great sea yarn, stick to the narrative chapters and toss the digressions :)
Posted on March 4, 2009 at 4:37 pm
On the whole I rather enjoy the chapters about whales themselves – I keep thinking that this was written when we were on the edge of scientific discovery, so it would have been quite exciting at that time. Nowadays we can google an image of a sperm whale but back then the only drawings that existed were rather poor renderings. So I do really like the whale parts.
However, I could do with a bit less detail about how exactly a whaling ship is run (I know, I know, it adds to the story … yeah, yeah, yeah) and a LOT less of the – how did you put it? – “guys on a boat eyeing each other with distrust and trepidation”.
But that’s just me …
Posted on March 4, 2009 at 4:40 pm
Also, while there’s nothing wrong with listening to a good yarn on audiobook, allow me, the ex English teacher and grad student, to toss in an old-school vote for actually reading something like Moby-Dick on the page — Melville is an amazing writer, and Moby-Dick is the perfect example of a literary achievement that truly exerts a hypnotic pull on you if you sit down and really let yourself sink into the language.
Now you’ve got ME itching to re-read it again! It’s been too long!
Posted on March 4, 2009 at 4:44 pm
Fair enough! You’re right — Melville does really slowly grind things out. And if you don’t have any interest in the details of 19th century sea-faring, then absolutely, those chapters get a bit long-winded.
But of course all that built-up distrust and trepidation does pay off nicely in the end with a big bang… or rather a splash…
Posted on March 4, 2009 at 4:44 pm
Hmmm … I think not (sorry!). I actually tried to read MOBY DICK several times, but I couldn’t make it through. It’s not that I’m not up for the challenge but I simply couldn’t get into his style. On the other hand, I love Dickens and some say HE is too wordy – go figure!
Anyway, I’m only doing the audio version b/c I’m reading/listening to books that were referenced in the tv show LOST … and there’s no way I’d get through this one on paper. Sorry oh honored English teacher. :)
Posted on March 4, 2009 at 4:52 pm
Dang — now you’re going to try to lure me into catching up with Lost! Wait, do you work for Erika?!?
(I know, I know, it’s a great show — I’ve watched a few eps, and found it — ironically — a bit slow, plodding, and humorless… but one of these days, maybe before it all wraps up, I’ll dive into the DVDs for a few solid months and get up to speed)
As for Moby-Dick, I think we can assume that if Bekmambetov DOES end up directing a version, it will be anything BUT slow and plodding. However, as spastic as his visual style can be, I do think he might have a good shot at nailing down the obsessive and hypnotic aspects of the tale.
Posted on March 5, 2009 at 8:05 am
On Lost … I only got into it last year when I could watch seasons 1-4 on DVD. It is too confusing not to do it that way, IMO. A friend and I have a reading challenge blog where we’re reviewing all the books referenced in the show … it’s lots of fun!
I’m not familiar w/ Bekmambetov’s style, but if what you say is true, his version of Moby Dick could be quite good!
Posted on March 5, 2009 at 8:45 am
The DVDs are the only way to watch Lost, especially if you have trouble remembering everything that happened before (those recaps sometimes leave out important details).
Skipping every chapter sounds a lot like what William Goldman did in order to adapt the Princess Bride. A “Good Parts Only” version.
Master and Commander is a widely under-appreciated movie, at least among my friends. I still crack up at the “Lesser of two Weevils” joke. I’m not sure about Bekmambetov doing Moby Dick. I enjoyed Wanted quite a bit (my suspension of disbelief is profound), but I wonder if he could slow the pace down, but still keep the audience engaged.