The Sea Beast

Infobox Film
name = The Sea Beast


image_size =
caption =
director = Millard Webb
producer =
writer = Bess Meredyth
narrator =
starring = John Barrymore
Dolores Costello
George O'Hara
music =
cinematography =
editing =
distributor = Warner Brothers
released = January 15, 1926
runtime = 100 minutes
country = USA
language = Silent film
English intertitles
budget =
preceded_by =
followed_by =
website =
amg_id = 1:109154
imdb_id = 0017354

"The Sea Beast" (1926) is a silent film adaptation of the novel "Moby Dick" by Herman Melville, a story about a monomanical hunt for a great white whale.

Plot Summary

At the beginning of the story, Ahab and his half brother Derek (George O'Hara) compete for the affections of a winsome minister's daughter, Esther Wiscasset (Dolores Costello). Meanwhile, the albino whale has been eluding harpooners, and bears the scars of many failed attacks against him. His fame has reached epic proportions. One day, Ahab and Derek are on the same whaler as the whale heaves into view. With the visual drama enhanced by the water and pitching boat, Ahab raises his harpoon to kill the beast. At that moment, Derek pushes him overboard and Ahab loses a right leg to the whale. In this scene, Barrymore's portrayal of agonizing pain as an antiseptic is poured over what remains of his leg contributed to his fame as a silents actor. Not long after this incident, the shallow Esther rebuffs Ahab as her suitor once she catches sight of his peg leg. Heartbroken at this turn of events, Ahab blames neither Esther nor his brother - instead he transfers blame and an undying hatred onto the whale.

The following saga of Ahab's pursuit of the whale takes on the aura of a super-human quest, far beyond the proportions of its first motivation. One of the most popular of Barrymore's films, this version extends the story beyond the final battle of man versus whale in a variation on Melville's book. Adding publicity to the film was a bit of early Hollywood hype, unintentional though it may seem. The actress Priscilla Bonner was fired by Barrymore from the role of Wiscasset, in preference for his lover actress Dolores Costello, and in a curious parallel to Ahab and the mighty whale, Bonner successfully sued the studio and won a considerable out-of-court settlement. Doubtless due to the popularity of this film, another was released in 1930 under Melville's original book title, with Barrymore again in the role of Captain Ahab.

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
*Kamiyama Sojin as Fedallah
*George Berrell as Perth/As Himself
*Sam Allen as Captain
*Frank Nelson as Stubbs
*Mathilde Comont as Mula
*James O. Barrow as Rev. Harper
*Vadim Uraneff as Pip
*Frank Hagney as Daggoo
*Joyzelle Joyner as Dancer in prologue

References

*cite news |last=Mannikka |first=Eleanor |url=http://www.allmovie.com/cg/avg.dll?p=avg&sql=1:109154~T00
title= "The Sea Beast" |publisher=Allmovie.com |accessdate=2007-02-28