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Moby Dick

Play trailer Poster for Moby Dick 1956 1h 56m Adventure Play Trailer Watchlist
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81% Tomatometer 26 Reviews 73% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
Capt. Ahab (Gregory Peck) has a vendetta against Moby Dick, the great white whale responsible for taking his leg. He sets out on a treacherous sea voyage aboard The Pequod, along with a crew including Starbuck (Leo Genn), Father Mapple (James Robertson Justice) and Ishmael (Richard Basehart), to hunt down the elusive beast. With reckless abandon, Ahab leads the crew on his obsessive and suicidal quest, anxious for a final showdown with the legendary white whale.
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Moby Dick

Moby Dick

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Critics Consensus

It may favor spectacle in place of the deeper themes in Herman Melville's novel, but John Huston's Moby Dick still makes for a grand movie adventure.

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Critics Reviews

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Jonathan Rosenbaum Chicago Reader 08/05/2011
One could have plenty of quarrels with this as an adaptation of the Herman Melville novel, but it's still one of the better John Huston films of the 50s. Go to Full Review TIME Magazine 08/05/2011
Moby Dick is certainly the most unusual picture of the year and may well be the best. Go to Full Review Ian Nathan Empire Magazine 04/05/2011
3/5
The film takes flight as a grand chase movie, and leaves its ambition in its wake. Go to Full Review Francois Truffaut Arts (France) 02/14/2024
Too often, John Huston offers us, instead of creatures made of flesh and blood, only colorless beings who come onto the screen to deliver one or two aphorisms before going out of focus. Go to Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy 05/09/2023
3/4
Director John Huston and screenwriter Ray Bradbury teamed up (and feuded aplenty) to wrestle Herman Melville’s literary classic Moby-Dick to the screen, with results both fascinating and flawed. Go to Full Review Eddie Harrison film-authority.com 12/30/2022
4/5
…a neglected masterpiece… Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Hector I @Hector1184BC 4d A solid and enjoyable adaptation, although considerably less complex than Melville's novel. Ahab's obsession and almost religious possession by his desire for revenge are the strongest elements, while Starbuck provides an important moral opposition to him. The film is steeped in Protestant and biblical imagery, particularly the story of Jonah and the whale. Some sequences are superb, especially the eerie waiting for Moby Dick and the St. Elmo's fire illuminating the weapons. A good adaptation, but ultimately much less rich than the book. See more Blobbo X @Blobbo Mar 20 Pretty good old adventure film. Easier watch than read book. See more Annie V @Annie265 Oct 21 Gregory Peck on one of his best performances See more Stephen C @bob25009 08/15/2025 Success in 1 hour and 56 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! See more Michael C @Movies121985 06/01/2025 So Awful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! See more Alec B @Alec97 04/06/2025 Ultimately a mixed bag. I like certain scenes and the cinematography. Peck was unfortunately too young for the part (not awful but he's clearly trying too hard) which is noticeably distracting. See more Read all reviews
Moby Dick

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Cast & Crew

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John Huston

Director

Gregory Peck

Captain Ahab

Richard Basehart

Ishmael

Leo Genn

Starbuck

James Robertson Justice

Captain Boomer

Harry Andrews

Stubb

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Moby Dick

Moby Dick (1956) Moby Dick (1956) Moby Dick (1956) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Capt. Ahab (Gregory Peck) has a vendetta against Moby Dick, the great white whale responsible for taking his leg. He sets out on a treacherous sea voyage aboard The Pequod, along with a crew including Starbuck (Leo Genn), Father Mapple (James Robertson Justice) and Ishmael (Richard Basehart), to hunt down the elusive beast. With reckless abandon, Ahab leads the crew on his obsessive and suicidal quest, anxious for a final showdown with the legendary white whale.
Director
John Huston
Producer
John Huston
Screenwriter
Herman Melville, Ray Bradbury, John Huston
Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures, United Artists, MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc., Warner Home Vídeo
Production Co
Moulin Productions Inc.
Genre
Adventure
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jun 27, 1956, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 13, 2017
Runtime
1h 56m
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