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Reviews
Moby Dick (2011)
Unworthy
This is an unsuccessful effort with fine actors and beautiful views of the sea and sailing vessels. It is by far the most disappointing performance I have seen by William Hurt, an actor who has given us many fine performances. I suppose it is too much to hope that there will ever be a film that actually spends time on the essential things in the novel, since they are not that cinematic in nature. The most effective part of the film is the representation of Nantucket, replete with a scene from a church service. The ship's masthead on the pulpit is quite striking and authentic. Otherwise, this film struggles to take a new approach to an old subject, but the result is sometimes ludicrous. There are several instances of modern-day idioms which make one cringe, given the context of nineteenth-century speech (e.g. "I'm just messin' with you"). The crew members are shown gleefully singing sea shanties as if this is the real reason they have gone to sea, the camera zooms in on their faces so the audience will see how awestruck they are at the sight of a whale, and the computer-generated image of Moby Dick is just plain laugh-out-loud ridiculous. The crew shouting "Moby Dick, Moby Dick, . . ." sounds like something from a football pep rally. (You almost expect them to spell it out next "M-O-B-Y-D-I-C-K"). Ishmael's narration of the story is minimal, so much so that it seems almost out of place. The totally invented part about the child lost at sea and miraculously found is never explained or rationalized. How did he suddenly become separated and how could Ishmael possibly have known where to look? The film begins with a soon-to-be neurotic and obsessed Captain Ahab having dinner peacefully at home with his wife and child. The ship sets out from Nantucket for some reason. (In the book it is New Bedford. What on earth did this change hope to accomplish?) In short, this movie is part action film, part cartoon.
Hard Times (1977)
very well acted and staged
Hard Times is a novel I had not previously known and I bought the 2-DVD set primarily because of its low price. I liked it and then read the book, which I liked even more--not the ideal way to approach a piece of literature, but that's how it worked out in my case. It contains all the essential elements of the book, and is a superb dramatization of Dickens's grimy tale of industrialization, class struggle, labor unions, arranged marriage, educational philosophy, and other aspects of life in mid-nineteenth-century England (and elsewhere, even today!). The actors are all superb and entirely convincing in every aspect of their roles, and I cannot recommend it too highly. I was so absorbed by the strength and conviction of the principals and had such a visceral reaction to their characters' views that I ended up watching the entire film (really four well-defined episodes) in one sitting. Some of the scenes, especially the more intimate ones, resemble stage work more than a feature film, but this actually appealed to me. Other reviewers have pointed out the excellent work of the principals; I would add only that I found Harry Markham's portrayal of Sleary, the circus manager, one of the most moving and profound and that the understated score by composer Malcolm Arnold (adapted from a movement of his Little Suite No. 2 for Brass) added immensely to the mood. Absolutely first-rate.