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| Advertising poster for the Ron Howard movie, "In the Heart of the Sea." This is a top down (plan) view of the whaling SHIP above the white whale. The proportions are ridiculously out of scale. |
When was the last time I went to a movie? I don't exactly remember; it's probably documented somewhere in this blog. In any case, going to movies is not something I do on a regular basis anymore. So it was something a bit out of norm for me to find myself inside a movie theater on Saturday (12/19/15) to see a new movie: In the Heart of the Sea.
What prompted this endeavor was a rave review I came across a few days earlier while browsing the web. The reference to Moby-Dick is what got my eye. You may recall that I listened to an audio book edition of the novel. The massive volume intrigued me to investigate things further when I finished listening. Earlier this summer, I picked up a second-hand edition of Monarch Notes for the book in anticipation of someday actually reading the book.
So when I read the review, I was unaware that a movie had been made about the story behind the events that inspired the novel. A few days later, I came across another intriguing post about the movie. This racially oriented piece suggested that the movie and Nat Philbrick's book were likely covering up some serious racial injustice since none of the black crew members survived. Black Lives Matter ya know.
With the hype of the new Star Wars movie, a sense of urgency suggested that time was probably limited to be able to see this movie on the big screen. To my relief, I found that the movie was still showing. And I found a theater that was showing it in 3D at a convenient time for me (afternoon). And so I went.
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| My ticket stub. |
There were only about 20 people who came for the showing. I love 3D versions of movies and Heart of the Sea is excellent in 3D. The glasses don't bother me at all. After a few minutes, I forget that I'm wearing them.
I went to this movie blind in the sense that I did not do my usual preparation (i.e., researching reviews and background). I just went and was rewarded greatly. If you've never read Moby-Dick, this movie provides the basic plot (although Heart of the Sea is a different story and book). The movie can be divided into two parts: the whale hunt and after the Essex sinks.
The story has many levels of meaning to mull over. One aspect that is prominent in the movie is the big business aspect. The industry wants to hush up the disaster for fear it will hurt business. I'm happy to report that truth wins (in both the movie and historically).
During the quest for rescue, at death's door, the two main characters ponder their state and wonder what they might have done to warrant such wrath.
The movie ends with an allusion towards the demise of whale oil as a fuel (to be replaced by oil from the ground). Unspoken is the warning that perhaps the earth will rebel against man just like the whale.
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| Cover of the juvenile version of In The Heart Of The Sea. |
Post Movie: Being the curious sort, I wondered about the book that the movie is based on: In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex. My library has the book but all copies are out (surprise!). But I found a children/juvenile version was available; it was in the Teen section. I think it essentially an abridged version (about 1/3 the length of the "adult" version). So I am devouring this. It has a different title (which I think would have made a better movie title):
One question about Moby-Dick is why is there a hyphen?
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Links:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_the_Heart_of_the_Sea_(film)
http://www.wnd.com/2015/12/the-real-story-that-inspired-americas-greatest-novel
http://www.melville.org/hmmoby.htm
http://ricketwrite.blogspot.com/2014/03/moby-dick.html
http://ricketwrite.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-end-of-moby-dick.html
http://www.theroot.com/articles/culture/2015/12/_in_the_heart_of_the_sea_new_ron_howard_film_ignores_horrifying_racial_mystery.html
http://nathanielphilbrick.com/books/in-the-heart-of-the-sea
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Lives_Matter
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_the_Heart_of_the_Sea
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/moby-dick-has-mysterious-hyphen-180957512
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Written Tuesday 22 December 2015.
