The Old Man and the Sea Review During Film’s 60th Anniversary
The 1958 color movie The Old Man and the Sea is a screenplay adaptation of Ernest Hemingway‘s 1952 novel of the same name. John Sturges took charge of the project as director, working to turn the award-winning novel into a passionate cinematic tale.
I sat down to watch this film with great anticipation for Sturges most famous work was in directing the Steve McQueen movies The Magnificent Seven (1960) and The Great Escape (1963), the latter of which is an absolute masterpiece of cinematography and talented acting performance.
These high hopes led me to believe The Old Man and the Sea would be another great John Sturges film. I was wrong. I’m afraid all directors have those works in their careers that are entirely unmemorable. The Old Man and the Sea would be an example of this in the case of Sturges, just as BFG was an eyesore and a thorn in the reputation of Steven Spielberg.
One of Sturges’ pre-Great Escape works, The Old Man and the Seafocuses on Spencer Tracy’s portrayal of “the old man.” He is a fisherman, a laborer in an ancient craft. His ventures have become unsuccessful, his toil unfruitful. He’s even shunned by many of his neighbors in his native village. His days consist of going through the motions, straining himself more than he needs to, and drinking coffee. (The coffee-drinking is something I would probably be doing with him.)
The saving grace in the old man’s life is the presence of a young lad who looks up to the weather-worn man, who even helps him prepare each morning to set out for a day of fishing. After a rather long period of unsuccess, the old man is absolutely determined to catch a fish. So he sets out and ends up landing the hook of a lifetime, a fish which is strong enough to tow his boat for miles.
The old man realizes eventually that the powerful creature is a marlin, and an enormous one at that when the silhouette of the mighty fish passes below the belly of his tiny boat. It eventually leaps out from the waves in a struggle with the line it’s caught on. This chasing and battle for survival ensue for several days and nights. Both the old man and the fish are relentlessly determined, but the man uses his wits to win out.
As any fisherman can tell you, the task is often a rather long one with many moments of no action at all. Thus, the film depicts this perfectly which may be part of the reason many may find it extremely dry. The dragging out, the repetition, and the droll moments of this film recall the stark words of the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge:
“Water, water everywhere,
Nor any drop to drink…”
One who enjoys fishing may find an ounce or two of contentment in the film. But even then, those who take a liking to fishing usually say the sport is a peaceful, relaxing pastime. That’s not at all the case for the old man. This is his livelihood. More than that, he is determined because such a stupendous catch as this marlin would almost guarantee his reclaiming honor and respect among his peers.
One of the most intriguing elements of the film encompasses the natural scenery of the native fishermen leaving in the early morn with lanterns and equipment while the sky is still dark. Another enjoyable, endearing moment is the flashback to an incident in the old man’s heyday, although his description of the event would be labeled politically offensive by today’s standards.
In short, the film has some good moments, but the majority of the running time feels like a waste of time. It’s a drawn-out, demoralizing story.
Editor’s Note: This critical review was originally published at Of Intellect and Interest’s home site here.
